AMAZING FAITH REWARDED

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23861, 11 January 1941, Page 2 (Supplement)

AMAZING FAITH REWARDED

t Wife "Felt" Husband Present When She was Given His V.C. ALL England has rejoiced in the news that one of her first great heroes of this war is alive, and not killed in action as was previously supposed. He is LanceCorporal Harry Nicholls of the Grenadier Guards, one of the first two in the British Army to receive the Victoria Cross during the present war.

\T E ARLY four months after lie [ was reported killed in the retirement. on Dunkirk, and more than a month after the King privately handed his "Victoria Cross to his black-clad "'widow'' the word of his survival reached England. Overcome With Jon "Yoj-v pleased to iiiiorm you your husband safe am 1 reported a prisoner of war: Official not ifiearion and his address follow in- post," the Grenadiers' commanding officer wired to Mrs. Aicholls at lier home in Nottingham. Still in deep mounting, Mrs. Nicholls broke down on reading the telegram but claimed, that it "lifted a hundred years from her. "I never gave up hope that he was alive," she told reporters. The hero's sister. Mrs. Haywood, added to the happy story of faith and courage rewarded. "\\ hen my sister-in-law came back from receiving the \ ,C. from the King." she said, "she told me a strange and impressive thing. 'All the time the King was speaking to me — and he' was so nice and kind-—I. knew that my Harry was standing there: 1 could feel him telling me to stick it!' The day betore the telegram arrived, fresh support for Mrs. Nicholls' iaith caino in the shape of a letter trom a fellow Grenadier, Sergeant Nash. "You ask me," lie wrote, "if your husband is dead. Well, in my opinion, I say no. for when he and myself attacked the three machine-gun nests and mortar-gun that the Jerry had on the

banks of the canal. 1 kept close to him as much as possible, and I fed his gun with the ammunition. "When the .Jerry who shot Nick knew thai lit 1 was hit pretty had he turned his machine-iru-i on me., He put a hole straight through my steel helmet, but 1 took the gun off your Nick and ! made those three .lorries behind the nuchine-guu nest pay dearly for. it I put all the ammunition 1 had leit into them. 1 then carried your Nick out of it all back across three fields. "They tried to shoot me in the bad-;. but somehow 1 got out oi it, litd I put him down in a corn field. He was hit in the right arm and in the left side of bis head, but the wounds were not serious, as the bullets grazed his left ear and the side ol his head. Not Among Dead "1 poured the whole ot my water over his head, and he started to com" round. L then carried him across a track, where .1 had to put him down again, as he was very heavy. He told me to get a carrier to get him hack, and I made him as comfortable as I could and left him. "When 1 went to look for him again lie was not there. I saw a lot ot my own mates dead there, but not the bravest of them all. and that is why 1 think he isn't dead." Laiiee-( orporal Nicholls was awarded the Victoria Gross tor gallantry at the River Scheldt He was wounded four times and reported killed. He went to Franco in ItWS) and his award was one ol the first two tor the army in the present war. The other recipient was Lieutenant (.now Captain i Harold Marcus Erviiio-A nd rows. Fast Lancashire Regiment. lioth were awarded for "most conspicuous gallan-

try" during the rotirement on Dunkirk. Lancc-Corporal Nicholls was commanding a section when tin- company was ordered to eouiiter-ai lack. At tinstart lie was wounded in the arm b\ shrapnel, hut continued to lead his section forward. The enemy opened heavy niacinue-;_ruii lire at (lose range. and La nce-( 'orpora I Nicholls. realising the dinger to the company, seized a Hreu gun and dashed forward, liring from the hip lie silenced Iwo in acll i tie-}! uus in spite o| being again severclv wounded. lie then went. *o a Ti.'ghcr piece of ground and engaged the (lerinan infani rv massed behind. causing many casualtie-. Wounded at least lour times, lie refused io give in, and caused the cneuis to jail hack.