East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1915-01-14
EUROPEAN WAR GIVES
CHANCE TO TWO bad"
BOYS TO MAKE GOOD
FORMERLY THE DESPAIR OF
PARENTS, NOW ARE PoP-
ULAR HEROES.
Lads Distinguish Themselves on FSeld
OF Rattle and ArG Awarded the
Victoria CruS>-one OF the BOYS
Rescues His officer Who Is Badly
Wounded.

-
had Boys" who made good in the
great European war.
Formerly the despair OF their par.
cnts and teachers. Driver Job Henry
Drain. S7th Battery. Royal Field Ar
tillery and Lance-Corporal William
Fuller % the Royal Welsh regiment
are now popular heroes and the pride
of the towns from which they were
once considered the disgrace. For
the bad boys OF Barking and
Swansea have won the little brorI
crosses which enable them TO place
the letters V c. after their names
and which put them on the roll OF
England's greatest heroes for all time
Parking in Essex and Swansea. In
Wales. are far apart and Drain and
Fuller may never meet. but their sto-
ries are sufficiently similar TO tell to-
gether.
Drain IS the son OF Barking Ia
borer. and as a boy he never made
any pretense about wishing to rise In
the world. He hated school and play.
Ing truant as often as ne dared. his
teacher al the little Back-lane church
school demonstrated with him and
punished him. but In vain. Drains
ambition in life was to mind cows.
He could not work up any enthusi-
asm for the three RS He understood
COWS and preferred TO be with cows
and when he was kept away from
them and forced TO go TO school he
made himself a general nuisance. He
was placed in the williamstown tru-
ant school
JOB throve exceedingly on the reg
ular life at the reform farm and
curiously enough. took readily to the
physical and military drill part OF
the curriculum. He was a clean
built. we'll set up youth Of sixteen
when three years ago he was told
that he must choose a career and
leave his place OF detention. He ell
ected TO join the army and entered
the Royal field artillery as a boy"
Boy Drain found horses quite as
fascinating as he had formerly found
cows. and proved so good a horseman
that on reaching the military age of
Il he was mustered driver" and ap-
pointed 10 the 37th battery. He was
eighteen and a half when the great
war broke out. and his battery was
one Of the first in the field. having
moved to France with the Irish divi-
sion At Mons and during the famous
Drain did his duty, and look
% after his pair Of gun horses in fine
style, but It was at lie Cateau, on Au-
gust IS. that he had the opportunity
Of showing that bad boys at school
acre not necessarily incorrigible.
There his battery got into a tight
corner. and 1t seemed certain that
he guns must be captured by the
advancing Germans Guns are the
apple Of an artilleryman's eye. and
he officers called for volunteers to
ave them. Most OF the gunners had
'een killed. but with a comrade, Driv-
y Frederick Luke, the bad Boy of
Barking dashed through a hail OF
'ullets and hitching his teams
1rought back three guns in success
ion Before the two heroes got the
bird gun away the German infantry
we're within a hundred yards, but the
worst boy in the school, never
linched, with his comrade, galloped
lack to the battery with the precious
leld pieces.
both We're awarded Victoria Cross
s. and one Of the first things Drain
eceived was a telegram from the
mayor OF Barking: "Heartiest con-
The town Of Barking
3 proud OF you" Then came a sim
lar message from the Walthamstow
eform farm. and the teacher who
Iad given him up in despair The
eacher who has some skill with the
rush, is painting a portrait Of the
ero to hang up in the school In
,hich he was reckoned the worst
oy. And Driver Drain, V. c.. agrees
hat il was worth while" Curious
Y enough, Drains father carried
bout with him all day newspaper
obtaining an account of his sons he
oism and reward, without knowing a
FORD about 1t until fellow work
nan drew his attention to it in the
yening.
Lance-Corporal Fullers story is al ,
lost the same.
The Bad Boy Of Swansea" was in
orrigibe until taken in hand by the
wansea Industrial school. He too
cquired a respect for discipline and
,lned the Royal Welsh regiment, in
'hich he proved himself smart SOL
Ter and was soon promoted to lance
orporal. He cheerfully performed all
he duties entailed by the half Of
othing" rank Of which Kipling
.r0te. then came the war and the
Welsh were In all the early fighting.
II was at the battle Of the Aisne, Il
hen on September "A. near Chivy, I
be- regiment suffered fearful losses
lat Fuller's chance came. Outnum-
cred six 20 one. the Royal Welsh
ought desperately to hold their po-
tion officer after officer went
own. among them Captain Haggard
he swansea bad boys" company
who fell shouting stick
. Welsh" Nobly the bad boy and
Is few remaining comrades stuck
b." and when retirement was inev-
able Fuller went back for his Of
cer. He had TO run hundred yards 6
nder murderous rifle and machine
un fire. before he found his cap o
un. Captain Haggard. knowing (
imself TO be mortally wounded, or h
cred the plucky mon com" to go d
ack. but Fuller insisted upon pick Q
nr him nn and carving him ON hisl :