On This Day, 27 May 1918

Birmingham Daily Gazette

Monday 27 May 1918

HONOURING THE BRAVE.

BIRMINGHAM PRESENTATION OF MEDALS.

A BLIND HERO.

At Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham, yesterday, over one hundred heroic soldiers were publically honoured for gallant deeds. Official narratives of each man’s exploit were read; and the medals were presented by Lieutenant-General Sir H. C. Scalter, G.C.B., Commander-in-Chief Southern Command.

The investiture took place inside a huge square, three sides of which were formed by troops of varions units, including the Birmingham Anti-Aircraft Defences, Command Deport, Sutton Coldfield, the Warwickshire Volunteer Regiment, and the Warwickshire Cadet Infantry Brigade. In the middle of the square was a big crowd of convalescent wounded men from the local military hospitals, whilst occupying numbered seats nearer to the base of the square were the men whom thousands turned out to honour.

123 DECORATIONS.

After inspecting the various units, General Sclater, who was accompanied by a large escort of officers and a small number of prominent citizens, distributed the awards.

Altogether 123 decorations were presented, the major portion of which were the D.C.M. and the M.M.

The long pageant of heroes was headed by Sargeant A. Hainge, of the Royal Berkshires, to whom the General presented three tokens of bravery – the D.C.M., a bar to the D.C.M., and the M.M. The first was for conspicuous gallantry and untiring zeal in patrol work, in front of the trenches, and on several occasions locating under a heavy fire from the enemy’s snipers. On the night of 2 April, 1915, he exploded a Bangalore torpedo under the enemy’s wire. The second was for conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty in organising a bombing party and regaining 150 yards of trench which enemy bombing parties had occupied. Our own bomb supply being exhausted, he replenished it by collecting enemy bombs, and the third was for bravery in the field.

MOURNING RELATIVES.

All kinds of units were represented by that little band of brave men. Many of them were able to walk unaided to the General, others had to be assisted, whilst a small “invisible choir” of twenty men who have man “the supreme sacrifice” were represented by a little knot of mourning relatives.

One of these pathetic incidents which are never absent from this type of ceremony came when Private Grant, of the A.I.F. and Corporal Kenny, of the same unit, followed each other to the General’s stand for the pinning of the M.M. The former is blind, and had to seek the guiding arm of a comrade. The other had lost a leg and was carried to the stand in the arms of two R.A.M.C. men.

After the last decoration had been presented General Sclater, addressing the assembled troops, observed that an assembly such as that did much to encourage the Army in doing its duty and shouldering its responsibilities, which were never greater than at the present time.

Alderman Brooks said that the least which we at home could do was to honour the men who were so nobly serving their King and country.