George Rowland Patrick Roupell and Edward Dwyer ["Tales of the V.C."], item 6

• November 1, 2018 11:17:41 Sara Fresi

  near Messines his brigadier recommended him for "devising

  and carrying out a very brilliant reconnaisance, in which he 

  displayed courage and coolness of a very high order." These

  same qualities he showed in defence of Hill 60.

    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,

  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 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 Medical

  Officer 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.

• November 1, 2018 11:17:34 Sara Fresi

  
  

  
  

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• January 17, 2018 20:22:18 Thomas A. Lingner

  near Messines his brigadier recommended him for "devising

  and carrying out a very brilliant reconnaisance, in which he 

  displayed courage and coolness of a very high order." These

  same qualities he showed in defence of Hill 60.

    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,

  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 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 Medical

  Officer 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.

  
  

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

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