128 AWARDED FOR VALOUR
and an attempt to sink the centre dhow by gun fire having failed, Lieu-
tenant Commander Cookson ranCometalongside and he himself jumped
on the dhow with an axe and tried to cut the cables connecting it to the
other two craft forming the obstruction. He was shot several times and
died within a few minutes.^75
This is the same idea Seaman Joseph Trewavas had 60 years earlier, although
he was successful and survived the attempt:
On 3 July 1855 in the Straits of Genitchi, Sea of Azov in the Crimea.
Seaman Trewavas of HMSBeaglewas sent in a 4-oared gig to destroy a
bridge, and so cut the Russians’ main supply route. This was his third
attempt, the first two having failed. As the gig ground against the bridge,
Seaman Trewavas leapt out with an axe and began to hew away at the
hawsers holding the pontoons together, and although the enemy kept up
a heavy fire, particularly on Trewavas himself, he continued until his task
was completed, and the two severed ends of the pontoon began to drift
apart. He was wounded as he got back into the gig.^76
Some were utterly out of place in the twentieth century:
On 12 April 1915 at Shaiba, Mesopotamia, Major [George Godfrey
Massy] Wheeler took out his squadron in an attempt to capture a flag
which was the centre-point of a group of the enemy who were firing on
one of our pickets. He advanced, attacked the enemy’s infantry with the
lance, and then retired while the enemy swarmed out of hidden ground,
and formed an excellent target for the Royal Artillery guns. On 13 April
Major Wheeler led his squadron to the attack of the North Mound. He
was seen far ahead of his men, riding straight for the enemy standards
but was killed in the attack.^77
Nothing could be more Victorian than trying to capture the enemy’s colors,
with a squadron of glittering lances at your back, no less!
Also Victorian were the two Crosses of the North West Frontier Province
won in 1915:
On 5 September 1915 on the Northwest Frontier province, India, Private
[Charles] Hull rescued an officer from certain death at the hands of the
tribesmen. The latter’s horse had been shot and private Hull took the
lily
(lily)
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