Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-01-06
Winning the DISTINGUISHED Service Medal By Arthur Guy

We're you one Of the men who went
in for the stretcher?"
key answered: None of your bust
ness If you blokes want to hear this
story through, don't interrupt"
Happy vouchsafed no answer.
About ten minutes after the fellows
left for the stretcher. French got bull
let through the left arm"
Sailor Bill interrupted here:
How do you know IL was ten min
utesg"
key bIushed and answered:
French told me when he got back to
ficer back through that fire. because the
stretcher bearers took too long in com.
ing OUT
I asked key how Corp. French. be-
'sng wounded himself. could carry Leften-
ant Newali In. because | knew LefteRant
Newail to be six-footer and no light
weight. You see. he had at one time
been in command of my platoon at the
training depot in England.
key answered.
We'll. you blokes give me the proper
pip and you can all bloomin' well go to
ELL" and he shut up like a clam"
Hungry Foxcroft got up and silently
withdrew from our circle. In about ten
minutes he returned. followed by tall.
fair-haired corporal, who wore a little
strip of gold braid on the left sleeve OF
his tunic, denoting that he had been
once wounded. and also wore a little
blue and red ribbon on the left breast OF
his tunic. the field insignia of the dis
tinguished conduct medal.
Hungry. in triumph. brought him into
our circle and handed him a flag, which
he lighted in the flame from the candle
on the mess Tin. and then Hungry intro
duced him to us:
Boys. / want you to meet Corp.
French"
He shook hands all around
key got red and was trying to ease
out of the candle light when Sailor Bill
grabbed him by the tunic and held him.
Then Hungry Foxcroft carried on:
FRENCH I'm going to ask you .
mighty personal question, and / know
you'ii answer it. How did you. hit in the
left arm, bring Leftenant Newall back
from that accommodating patrol"
French grew a little red and an
swered:
Well, you see, boys. 1t was this way.
and. taking the sings from our rifles,
Honey made sort of rope which he
put around my shoulder and under the
arm OF the leftenant, and. Honey get
aged TO get him into the trench You
know 1 got D. c. NJ. out of the affair,
because | was the corporal In charge
Unfair. l call it. because they only
handed Honey the military medal. but
II the true facts were known he was the
bioke who deserved. not a D. c. NJ, but
'. c. victoria CROSSE"
We all turned in Honney's direction.
BIZ. in his interest, had released his
hold on Honney's tunic and Honey had
disappeared.
Happy asked French II the leftenant
had died in no mans land.
French, with tears in his eyes, an.
swered:
No. but the poor lad went west after
we got him to the first-aid dressing sta
tion, and next day we buried him in the
little cemetery at Fromelles He sure
done his bit. all right. blime me, and
mere am, bloomin' well swankin. with
a ribbon on my chest"
A dead silence fell on the crowd. Each
one OF US was admiring the modesty OF
those two real men, French and HONEY.
army-the man who wins the medal al
ways says that the other fellow deserved
it, "
And Germany Is still wondering wbv
they cannot smash through the English
lines.