The Benson signal., 1918-04-20
BAY0NETS Three HUNS, BRAINS
FOURTH, SAVES DAY FOR BRITISH
Bob" Hanna of Vancouver Wins Victoria Cross for Bravery in
Action-0ne of the Most Thrilling Narratives of the War,
if Not of All Time-BIows Up Hun Machine Gun
and Fights Single Handed in Trench.


was brief. The ground quickly was
strewn with dead and the Germans
backed up to the stub Of a trench
which was, to the soldiers, like the
root of an aching tooth. Wire en-
tanglements stayed the pursuit Of the
way through.
He Blows Up Machine Gun.
Six hundred and fifty men went
"over the top" with Hanna. Perhaps
two-thirds of this number went on to-
ward the trench, but this remnant was
decimated by a machine gun which
the Huns had set up on the parapet.
The crew of this gun played it on the
Canadians like a hose and all the Of
ficers were killed or injured. Hanna
plugged on in the face of the dreadful
fire. He had Mills bomb and this
he hurled at the machine gun and
smashed it, killing or injuring the
men who were feeding in the bullets.
1t had done it's deadly work. Hanna
was standing alone. All about him
were lying his comrades, either dead
or badly wounded. Part Of the bat
talon had spread and, he assumed,
would come around back of the trench
and enter it from the other end. He
| jumped into the trench and in Sec
Ond saw row Of stalwart PrussianS
coming single file-this was neces-
sary because Of the narrOwness of the
xcavation-toward him. They rushed
him. AS the first one was about five
yards away he pulled the trigger on the
only cartridge he had in his rifle. The
cartridge was we'll aimed and No. 1 Of
the Fifty-ffth Prussian guards was out
Of the war forever.
! The second one charged over his
fallen comrade, but met the bayonet
held in the viselike grip Of the young
lumberman from Vancouver. A third
Prussian-also of the Ffty-ffth-
dropped down in the trench as if he
had collapsed, but as this was no time
for taking chances Hanna, now realiz-
ing that he was alone in nest OF the
enemy, used his bayonet with effective
results. A fourth Prussian appeared
almost from nowhere. He had the
stock of his rifle in both hands on lev
ell with his shoulder and was prepar-
ing to drive the other end home in the
form of the Canadian. But Hanna was
too quick for him. There was mo-
mentary grinding of teeth, clash and
the fourth Prussian measured his
| 1oY, 9th OD tho oorfhon fOOr
Blows Up Two Dugouts.
Hanna then tells of what hap
pened during the next few minutes.
IT then discovered that I was alone
in the trench and was wondering
where the other men we're. / moved
along, and at the entrance to a dug
out, which was, Of course. dark, /
heard the buzzing Of voices. I, of
course, knew that was in dangerous
position. I had no bombs. had used
my last one on the gun. looked
around and discovered a German bomb.
About that time heard the Prussians
coming out of the entrance to the dug
out and waited till they were about
on top Of me when let the bomb fly.
It went off right in their faces. 1t was
quiet then.
II moved on a few feet further and
saw another dugout entrance. 1t was
the other end of U. There I heard
more voices 1t didn't look very prom
Using for me. I hunted around quickly
and found two more German bombs.
I threw the two into the dugout, hold
ing them just long enough so they ex-
p1oded a second after they left my
hand. There was no more noise in this
dugout."
Hanna's story stops here when he