The Belding banner-news. (Belding, Mich.) 1918-1973, 1919-04-02
SMYRNA BOY, WHO
DIEO IN ACTION,
WAS REAL HERO
LETTER TELLS OF HOW HER
BERT IRWIN MET DEATH
WHILE FACING FOE.

Dudley Irwin is in receipt of the
following letter which tells how his
son, Herbert, met his death while in
action in France on the morning of
October rs. Though we may not
have known Herbert Irwin, you will
think of him as hero from now on
after reading this letter which is as
follows:
February %, 1919.
Dudley Irwin, Smyrna, Mich.
Dear Sir: 1t was my privilege and
sad experience to have been with your
son, Herbert, when he gave up his life
on the field of battle and | am writing
this letter to give you some firsthand
information about his death and to
extend my heartfelt sympathy to you
and his friends in your very great
sadness.
In the very first place / want to
tell you it is my honest belief that
no truer or more loyal soldier ever
laid his life upon the altar and it
should be counted among your hap
piest memories, not only that you
gave a son to the greatest cause for
which battle has ever been waged, but
that that brave son died while en-
deavoring to save the lives of others,
his comrades, and he volunteered to
do this.
We had fought for days and days
and it seemed as if we would never be
relieved. The Germans were run
ming but were fighting us with those
awful, death-dealing machine guns.
was in command of ID Co. and Her
bert was my orderly runner. On
the morning of Oct. Is we had had a
stiff fight with the Huns in the Bois
de Banheville, near Romagne (west OF
the Meuse river in the Argonne for
est) and had put them to flight, tax
! ing several prisoners. They had
fallen back and taken up a position
and were holding US up with heavy
machine gun fire. We had orders
TO move ahead, but knew that meant
! the death cf lots of my boys and they
had fought so hard and gone through
so many hardships | hated to see
them killed so l told 1t. Keogh, VINO
was with me then, that he and
would take the rifle grenades and &c
out ahead and try to break up the
machine gun nest in our immediate
front, that / just couldn't ask the
boys to 90 something and not be will
irg to DO it myself. He said al
right, we will ask for one volunteer
to carry rifle to snipe for us while
we fired the grenades. / told the
boys cf our plan and asked for one
volunteer and | hadn't gotten the
words out of my mouth before youl
son said, "I'll CO." | said "No, Her
bert, you are my runner and have al
ready done your bit today" He
said, "No, It., / want to 60"
Together we then slipped through
the heavy brush to the edge of thC
chine gun and | said, hold boys. 1t
Keogh you take aim and | slipped the
grenade in the holder in the end oi
the rifle. Just then Herbert said
"I1l get the one with the red banC
on his cap" and he passed by me
one second later two bullets pierced
him, one right through the mouth anC
one through the heart. He turned
and fell in my arms, gasped once anC
said. Don't die, Herbert" but
knew it was tco late. He never suf
fered or struggled. 1t. Keogh rush
ed back after a stretcher and we car
ried him back to keep the Huns from
getting his body. 1t Keogh haC
one bullet to pass through his blankc
roll and | had one to lodge in my
pistol holster. U have the holster a.
a souvenir and hope to be able Il
show it to you some day. as we SYert
carrying his body back
A few days later | visited the place
where he was killed and he had beer
buried in neat little grave with 9
cross at his head, on which his iden
tification tag was hung. He was
buried along with several Of the boys
who lost their lives that awful night
You may expect his body and his
grave to be taken care of as there
are hundreds of our dear boys lying
in shallow graves right near him anc
the government will surely look after
them. If it ever becomes your priv
Continued on page four)
Mrs. Gleason of Orleans spent the
week end with relatives here.