George Peachment ["Tales of the V.C."], item 1

• January 18, 2018 04:43:35 Thomas A. Lingner

   On a paper stapled to the story 

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  R. 12 copies please

  R.2.

  18/3/18

  
  

  Tales of the V. C.

  Rifleman GEORGE PEACHMENT

  2nd King's Royal Rifle Corps

  stamped

  M.I. 7 B. (1)

  13 MAR 1918

  
  

  At 6:30 a.m. on the morning of the 25th of September 1915 the whistles

  blew all along the British line from the LA BASSEE Canal to

  GRENAY, and the great battle of LOOS had begun.

  South of the VERMELLES-HULLUCH road the first division

  attacked the German positions on the low ridge before Hulluch.

  The 1st Brigade were rewarded with instant success. They 

  swept forward for a mile and three-quarters, and before

  noon were storming the last German strongholds in the outskirts

  of Hulluch itself.

  To the 2nd Brigade on their right fortune was not so kind. On

  the very threshold of their enterprise they were faced with the

  tragedy of uncut wire.

  The 2nd King's Royal Rifle Corps of that Brigade suffered very

  heavily. The battalion crossed No Man's Land under the

  protection of a thick cloud of smoke, but it was the very

  thickness of it that was their undoing. It was not until

  the evening's entanglements had been reached that it was

  realised that much of the wire was still standing.

    It was in this extremity that a rifleman of this battalion

  performed the action which cost him his life, but won for him the

  highest honour that a soldier can receive.

    Pte George Peachment had been chosen to act as orderly to the

  officer commanding "A" Company. He was only a boy, but that

  day he showed that his was the heart of a brave man. To the

  last he never left his captain's side.

  When he saw that the leading waves were held up, the Captain

  could be done. He had almost reached the wire, when

  a bomb thrown from the German trench just beyond exploded

  in front of him, wounding him severely in the head.

  To his surprise, he then found that he was not alone.

  His orderly had followed him, and he now knelt down beside

  
  

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