The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1919-01-30
LYNDEN BOY WINS
MILITARY WAR MEDAL
Harry HeatOn Holds Place At Front
With Machine Gun For Three
Months Steady

uOutnS Steauy
Winner Of a military medal for
valor, and the honor Of being the
only man who remained with the
British army steadily at the front
for three months during the closing
drive of the war are the distinctions
Lynden. son of Mr.. and Mrs. G. N.
Heaton.
Heaton was q member OF a Scotch
company. the men who won the title
# the Ladies From He'll" He
transferred to this group at the time
that 1t returned to England to fill
losses.
In the following letter, Heaton des-
cribes the winning Of his medal. and
other experiences:
1--WE are in the vicinity of Mons
and will march north and east. The
Mons road is covered with civilians
moving back into France. Old men,
women and kids have their belong
ings on a twO-wheeled cart, two or
three pulling. the rest pushing. All
seem to be happy because they are
going home to some awful looking
homes Heine left. From what have
seen, however, Belgium has not suf-
In 10
respect.
"Our reception in towns We enter
is great. must have drank a gallon
of coffee the day we entered Valen-
cienes. The Inhabitants gave US all
they had. but the boys were pretty
good and did not take it all. When
we opened the cellars in which the
Germans had locked them, the peo-
pie rushed on US. men, women. boys
and girls, hugging and kissing us.
Sometimes the civilians in large
towns would be a hindrance to US
because they would not stay in their
cellars till Heinie had gone. Even
the girls helped US fight, or thought
they were by going over the top with
us. l sure admire their grit. but
some of them lost their lives and did
no real good.
Il guess l will break the news to
you now. am wearing the M. M.
military medAD, given to me for ex-
ira good work with a machine gun
in taking the city of Valenciennes.
l laid in a trench in mud from 1 p.
m. or until dark to get three posts
that were holding us up. l got them
too, with only two casualties.
II have been a Lewis gunner ever
since l came to France. The machine
gun men are always ahead cleaning
up enemy machine gun posts and
stoke guns. l have had my gun rid
died with bullets when l had hold
of it. l had a piece OF shrapnel cut
the end off one. Now II is all over
sometimes shiver at the thought of
it. l remember one day Heinie kept
concealed until got about 200
yards from him, then opened up.
Down went in shell hole. How he
ever missed me l can't say. Am sure
if I had been in his place he would
not have got away. The hole was
not very deep and he continued to
fire. The canteen on my haversack
was riddled until it cut loose and
dropped off. He quit firing then. l
waited about one and half hours
and slid out. When about forty feet
from where l fell jumped into a
big hole. BY the time he swung his
gun was out of sight Two other
gunner came up and talk about bull
let's whizzing. Not Heinie got away
and we took no prisoners.
I'VE had to break the Hindenburg
line at the Nord canal. He had three
belts of barbed wire; belts five yards
in width and ten yards between belts.
We had to go through to get him.
1t was so thick that rabbits were
hung up trying to get through. Three
hundred yards farther was the Nord
canal, where he had machine guns
in the concrete and brick locks. Be-
hind this he had three more belts OF
wire similar to the first three and
trenches behind them. The Heinies
between the two belts OF wire had no
possible chance OF escape, so what
was left when we got there were
either killed or taken prisoners. We
got out OF the canal as quickly as
possible. Most of us were out when
Heinie opened fire. We put the pris-
oners in the locks as stretcher bear
ers, but owing to the heavy shelling
most of them were put on the blink.
For six solid days we were in the
front going ahead. ! owe my life to
38th battery man. Two Heinies
laid side by side. One I presumed to
be dead, the other wounded. / came
rushing from shell hole to shell hole
L T. 4