George Rowland Patrick Roupell and Edward Dwyer ["Tales of the V.C."], item 4

• November 1, 2018 11:15:36 Sara Fresi

  2

    The 19th was a day of comparative peace, but there was stormy

  weather ahead. Next day the full fury of bombardment beat

  down upon Hill 60 once more, and when the shells had done

  their work, the German infantry came forward to bomb the defenders

  out of their ruins. The company had lost heavily, and Lt. Roupell

  himself had been wounded in several places, but the Surreys would

  not give an inch. Inspired by the personal example of their leader,

  the survivors manned what was left of their parapets, and drove

  the Germans back into their trenches.

    For his gallantry during this attack and the bombardment that

  preceded it Pte. Edward Dwyer, of the same battalion, was also

  awarded the Victoria Cross. When the shell-fire was at its height

  he left cover to bandage the wounds of several of his comrades

  who had been hit and were lying in the open. When the attack

  came, regardless of his own danger, Pte Dwyer climbed up the parapet, where he was fully exposed, and hurled bomb after bomb at the advancing Germans. A party of Germans, who had crawled up an

  old communication trench to within a few yards of the parapet,

  showered bombs upon him, but, by some miracle, he escaped out

  of that hell unhurt.

    There was a lull after the failure of this attack, and Lt. Roupell

  took advantage of it to hand over his command and pay a

  hurried visit to the dressing station. The M. O. would have

  kept him there, but Lt. Roupell refused to stay. He had other

  work to do. At any moment the enemy might attack again,

  and most of his officers had gone. He would not leave his men.

    So he went back to the front line. He had not long returned when

  the German guns began to speak again. The garrison of the hill was

  now desperately thin. Lt. Roupell at once went down to Headquarters

  through the storm of shell-fire which swept the slopes, and returned

  once more at the head of the reinforcements which were so urgently 

  needed. Badly wounded as he was, he remained with his

  company on Hill 60, until, on the morning of the 21st, the

  battalion was relieved.

  --..--

• November 1, 2018 11:15:30 Sara Fresi

  
  

  
  

  • Show revision
  • Compare to current version
  • Compare to previous version
• January 17, 2018 20:30:53 Thomas A. Lingner

  2

    The 19th was a day of comparative peace, but there was stormy

  weather ahead. Next day the full fury of bombardment beat

  down upon Hill 60 once more, and when the shells had done

  their work, the German infantry came forward to bomb the defenders

  out of their ruins. The company had lost heavily, and Lt. Roupell

  himself had been wounded in several places, but the Surreys would

  not give an inch. Inspired by the personal example of their leader,

  the survivors manned what was left of their parapets, and drove

  the Germans back into their trenches.

    For his gallantry during this attack and the bombardment that

  preceded it Pte. Edward Dwyer, of the same battalion, was also

  awarded the Victoria Cross. When the shell-fire was at its height

  he left cover to bandage the wounds of several of his comrades

  who had been hit and were lying in the open. When the attack

  came, regardless of his own danger, Pte Dwyer climbed up the parapet, where he was fully exposed, and hurled bomb after bomb at the advancing Germans. A party of Germans, who had crawled up an

  old communication trench to within a few yards of the parapet,

  showered bombs upon him, but, by some miracle, he escaped out

  of that hell unhurt.

    There was a lull after the failure of this attack, and Lt. Roupell

  took advantage of it to hand over his command and pay a

  hurried visit to the dressing station. The M. O. would have

  kept him there, but Lt. Roupell refused to stay. He had other

  work to do. At any moment the enemy might attack again,

  and most of his officers had gone. He would not leave his men.

    So he went back to the front line. He had not long returned when

  the German guns began to speak again. The garrison of the hill was

  now desperately thin. Lt. Roupell at once went down to Headquarters

  through the storm of shell-fire which swept the slopes, and returned

  once more at the head of the reinforcements which were so urgently 

  needed. Badly wounded as he was, he remained with his

  company on Hill 60, until, on the morning of the 21st, the

  battalion was relieved.

  --..--

  
  

  • Show revision
  • Compare to current version
  • Compare to previous version

Description