HEROISM EMERGES FROM THE GREAT WAR 157
objective he had only one sergeant and four men. Nothing daunted he at
once bombed a large dug-out, taking 28 prisoners, two machine guns and
a light field-gun. Gradually more officers and men arrived, numbering
about 60 and he held the post for 36 hours beating off counter-attacks,
until his force was reduced to 10 men. He eventually got away his
wounded and withdrew under the cover of thick mist.^25
Lieutenant Moore was awarded the Victoria Cross for killing Germans; that
his actions apparently destroyed almost an entire British company in the
process was secondary to that fact.
More ominous are the figures for humanitarian acts of bravery. Even in
the most aggressive quarter of 1916, fully 20 percent of the VCs confirmed
were for life saving. In 1917 only in the relatively inactive first quarter of the
year were there more than 20 percent, and in two quarters (corresponding
with the big push at Arras and again with the third phase of Passchendaele)
life saving did not even break into double digits. High command clearly
indicated that it would reward soldiers who willingly passed by the wounded
to kill the enemy.
But to how great a degree was this a reflection of Haig’s attitudes? Frank
Manning’s Great War novelThe Middle Parts of Fortune, which was firmly
grounded in his own experiences, contains an episode in which an order
issued before the attack at Arras directed the men to bypass the wounded.^26
Table 8.1 Acts winning the Victoria Cross, 1917: winners by quarter
Quarter Jan.–Mar. April–June July–Sept. Oct.–Dec. 1917 Total
20 47 48 55 174*

Awarded Raw % Raw % Raw % Raw % Raw %

War-Winning 13 65 42 89 40 83 49 89 147 84

• Offensive 7 35 26 55 28 58 31 56 95 55


• Defensive 4 20 10 21 7 15 13 54 34 19


• Symbolic 2 10 2 4 2 4 2 4 8 5


• Secondary 0 0 4 8 3 6 3 5 10 6
  Humanitarian 6 30 4 9 7 15 5 9 22 13


• Enlisted 4 20 4 9 7 15 5 9 20 12


• Officer 2 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1
  Symbolic 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
  Special 1 5 1 2 1 2 1 2 5 3
  ∗Total includes Crosses awarded for cumulative valour not reflected in quarter figures.