Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1915-05-18
BAD BOYS WIN Y. C.
Village Terrors Are Now Ac-
claimed as Heroes.
Show Remarkable Nerve in the Face
Of Great Danger and Are Awarded
Highest Honor In British
Service.

London.-Here's the story of two
bad boys" who made good IN The
great European war.
Formerly the despair of their par
ents and teachers, Driver Job Henry
Drain, Thirty-seventh battery, Royal
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 a 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, well.
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
fine style. but it was at lie Cateau
that he had the opportunity of show.
ing 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.
ing Germans. Guns are the apple OF
an artilleryman's eye. and the officers
called for volunteers to save them.
but with ascomrade, Driver Frederick
Luke, the bad Boy of Barking"
dashed through hail of bullets and,
hitching up his teams, brought back
three guns in succession. Before the
two heroes got the third gun away
the German infantry we're within a
hundred yards, but the worst boy in
the school" never fiinched. With his
comrade he galloped back to the bat.
terry with the precious field pieces.
Both were awarded Victoria crosses.
Lance Corporal Fuller's story is al.
most the same.
The bad Boy of Swansea" was in.
corrigible until taken in hand by the
Swansea Industrial school He, too
acquired a respect for discipline and
Joined the Royal Welsh regiment.
It was at the battle of the Aisne,
when near Chiyy the regiment sui.
fered fearful losses, that Fuller's
chance came. Outnumbered six to
one, the Royal Welsh fought desper-
ately to hold their position. officer
after officer went down, among them
Captain Haggard, the Swansea bad
boys" company commander, who fell
shouting, stick it, Welsh" Nobly the
bad boy and his few remaining com.
rades stuck it" and when retirement
was inevitable Fuller went back for
his officer. He had to run hundred
yards under murderous rifle and ma
chine gun fire before he found his cap
tain. Captain Haggard, knowing him
self to be mcrtally wounded. ordered
the plucky 'noncom" to go back, but
Fuller insisted upon picking him VI
and carrying him on his shoulders t.
| place of comparative safety.