The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1915-05-13
BAD BOYS { WIN '. 6.
Village Terrors Are Now 40
claimed as Heroes.
Show Remarkable Nerve in the Face
Of Great Danger and Are Awarded
Highest Honor in British
Service.

bad boys" who made good IN th,
great European war.
Formerly the despair of their par
ents and teachers. Driver Job Henry
Drain Thirty-seventh battery, Roya1
Field Artillery, and Lance Corporal
William Fuller Of the Royal Welsh
regiment are now popular heroes and
the pride of the towns of which they
were once considered the disgrace.
For the bad boys" of Barking and
Swansea have won the little bronze
crosses which enable them to place
the letters v. C. after their names, and
WHICH put them on the roll of Eng
lands greatest heroes for all time.
Barking. 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 labor
er, and as a boy he never made any
pretense about wishing to rise in the
world. He hated school and played
truant so often he was placed in the
Walthamstow Truant school.
Job throve exceedingly on the reg
ular life at the reform farm, and curl
ously enough took readily to the phys
ical and military drill, part Of the
curriculum. He was 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 elected to Join the
army and entered the Royal Field Ar
tillery as boy"
He was eighteen and a half when
the great war broke out, and his bat
terry was one of the first in the field,
having moved to France with the Irish
division. AT Mons and during the IA
nous retreat Drain did his duty and
looked after his pair of gun horses in
line style, but it was at LIE Cateau
hat he had the opportunity of show
ng that bad boys at school were not
necessarily incorrigible.
There his battery got into a tight
corner, and it seemed certain that the
guns must be captured by the advanc-
ng Germans. Guns are the apple OF
m artilleryman' eye, and the officers
allied for volunteers to save them.
lost Of the gunners had been killed,
'ut with a comrade, Driver Frederick
luke, the Bad Boy Of Barking"
dashed through a hail of bullets and,
Itching UP his teams, brought back
hree guns In succession. Before the
wo heroes got the third gun away
he German infantry were within a
undred yards. but the worst boy in
he school" never flinched. With his
omrade he galloped back to the bat.
cry with the precious field pieces.
Both were awarded Victoria crosses.
Lance Corporal F.ullers story is al.
lost the same.
The bad Boy of Swansea" was in.
orrigible until taken In hand by the
wansea Industrial school. He, too,
cquired a respect for discipline and
'ined the Royal Welsh regiment.
1t was at the battle of the Aisne,
hen near Chivy the regiment sui
cred fearful losses, that Fullers I
nance came. Outnumbered six to
ne. the Royal Welsh fought desper.
tely to hold their position. Omcer
fter officer went down, among them
aptatn Iaggard. the Swansea "bad
oy's" company commander, who fell,
houting, Stick 1t. Welsh" Nobly the !
ad boy AID his few remaining com.
ades stuck It," and when retirement t
as inevitable Fuller vent back for .
10 officer. He had t. run hundred !
afds Under rlurderuuz rife and ma.
hine gun fire before he found his cap.
I'm. Captain Ilaggard. knowing him. !
BIZ to be mortally wounded, ordered I
ae plucky ."noncom" to 60 back, but
uller insisted upon picking him up
nd carrying him on his shoulders to
place Of comparative safety. {