A D.C.M. MAN

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2620, 16 November 1915, Page 3

A D.C.M. MAN

OLD TERRACE SCHOOL BOYSERGEANT CROSS. With the deeds of thousands of brave men ringing in our ears, men who have looked death in the face, and know what modern war really is, it is cheering to meet with one at least whose gallantry in action was noticed, and has been'rewarded. The person referred to is Sergeant W. A. Cross, formerly; of /Wellington, who returned to Wellington by the TJlimaroa yesterday on furlough, and intends to return in a couple of weeks' time, to go back to the front, on this occasion, he hopes, with a- commission. Sergeant Cross, who is an "old boy" of the Terrace School, and proud of the fact, left here some two years ago to settle in Australia, and was there when war broke out. _He enlisted, and was made a'non-commissioned officer in the 13th Battalion of. the Australian Forces. He took part in the original landing at Gallipoli on April 25, and spent ten weeks in the trenohes hefore he "knocked up." By that time he had, however, made his mark. His battalion were located at Gaba Tepe, and from there they moved in to Pope's Hill, an advance poet, in the taking of which they lost 50 per oent. of tihe Battalion in a three tours' The act of gallantry, • however, which won for him the Distinguished Conduct Medal was the result of an early morning sortie from Quinn's Post to take a Turkish trench on May 9. ; This attempt was made at 3 o'clock in the morning by a body of picked men, forty strong. The rush Was made, but the' enemy waß on the alert, and of the forty who left Quinn's Post only five arrived at the Turkish trench, and Sergeant Cross was one of them. Five men could not do the job, so they had to take cover right under the Turkish position, ' and trust to' Providence to get back. Fortune favoured them. They were able to creep back, taking advantage of anything, that- afforded cover. , On the way back, Sergeant Cross oamo across Captain fpwnehend, who had been wounded in the assault 1 , and as the captain was in a pretty bad way, Sergeant Cross thought he should lose no time in getting him back to the trenches, .where aid fifty yards of tfe journey was a'dash across the open.. Sergeant Cross hoisted his captain on to his shoulder, and ran the gauntlet.. The bullet's .whizzed past and kicked upon the dust all round him as he ran. Fortune seemed to bo with them, and they had 'got within iivo paces of tie trench when Captain Townsliend was shot through the head—quite dead. . Sergeant Cross' dropped into the trench with his olothes riddled with shot, but otherwise whole. Later on he_ sustained a slight wound in one of his feet, but was invalided from the trenches on account of an attack . of dysentery.

Since his return to Australia "his little bit" -had been made much of—too much of, but he had the : satisfaction of knowing that ho was pretty well assured of gaining a commission for his next trip to the front;.