HOW A VICTORIA CROSS HERO DIED.

Otago Witness, Issue 1987, 24 March 1892, Page 36

HOW A VICTORIA CROSS HERO DIED.

Some little time ago we republished from a Home paper some particulars of the manner in which Timothy O'Hea, of the Ist Battalion of the Rifle Brigade, gained the Victoria Cross. His case is believed to be the only instance in which tho cross was awarded otherwise than for bravery in battle. Briefly stated, O'Hea entered a burning van containing 20001b of gun. powder, and hunted about until he found the locality of the fire, which he put out, thus in all probability saving the town of Danville (in Canada) and many lives. The publication of the details hag led Mr G. 8.. Bradford, of Kumeroa, Hawke's B.ay, to relate the story of Q'Hea's death, \t\ a letter to the Wpodville

Examiner. Mr Bradford states that about 1873 he and his mate were camped on a creek between Wilson and. Cooper's creeks, in the Never Never country. ' They were Hume (the explorer), Thompson, and, O'Hea, who hart been sent out to search 'for Glasson, one of tho lost Leichardt expedition, seen in Northwestern Australia by Hume two years before. O'Hea was then a " new chum," a very rare article in those parts, and his queer sayings kept the party in rare good humour. It was from Hume that Mr Bradford learnt the story of how O'Hea had gained the V.C. Hume and his party left next day to strike N.W., according .to instructions, and expected to bo away about 18 months. On the third day, still not being able to find water, they turned back, but on the fifth day O'Hea went mad and wandered off to die, and was never seen again. - Hume and Thompson came within four miles of the waterhole, when Hume told Thompson to push on ahead, and then evidently lost his reason, as he drank his horse's blood, turned' short off, walked about a mile, curled himself round' a Gydia tree, and died. His long beard was clotted with his horse's blood -when found. Such was the end of an expedition which cost two brave men their lives.