A HERO OF THE VICTORIA GROSS.

Thames Advertiser, Volume XXV, Issue 7168, 8 March 1892, Page 3

A HERO OF THE VICTORIA GROSS.

The Biile Brigade, the old '95th of glorious ronowu, furnishes what we beliove is tho solitary instanep of a Victoria Cross gaiued otherwise than in battle. Yet it is difficult to imagine an act of greater courage- and daring than that which gained for Private Timothy O'Hea, of the Ist Battalion of the Rifle Brigade, the decoration which he sharee with thoso who won it— On tho red ecouo of the battlcliel.l with boody corpses etrewn. [t is true that the regulations had to be " strained" to permit it, but if " nice customs ourteey to great kings" they.may well do so now and agaiu to the heroes of noble deeds. In July 18GG (says MrKichards in " Heroes of Our Day"), a danger uieuauced the township of Dan* ville, in Canada, which threatened more deaths than are exacted by mauy, a pitched battle. )A van containing 20001b of gunpowder had caught five from an engine spark, and was smouldering to* wards an awful explosiou. People left their houses when the news was spread abroad—with that lightning rapidity which ghastly uews ever has. It seemed certain tbut ere many minutes had passed a shock would occur compared witlfwhich tho most-terrible storm would be as child's play, and which would hurl into 'nothingness life far and near. Every moment might come the leap of frame, the hideous roar, and then—then —that ghastly dew of what had been iiving, sentient men aud women, falling upon scared onlookers, ot whom some would be for ever deaf, aud others helpless, gibbering, frightened idiots. Fortunately there was with tho cons signraent of powder a sergeant's guard of the Rifle Brigade, and in that guard was a man prompt and brave to do and dare all. The van had, directly the fire was noticed, been detached from the train and run into a siding. Timothy O'Hea ran to if , , opeaed the door, and hunted about midst the burning wcod till he found where the danger origin* atei This discovered he hurried to a tank, obtained water, and then, when any moment might have hurled him into eternity, with steady hand and ready brain proceaded to drown the fire. One is apt to read of this kind of deed in

a hurried way, with a sort of appro\"> ingly, easy-going commentary of" Well done!" or " A brave fellow indeed!?' But if we think of them quietly and try tolpicture to ourselves what it was that this man, for instance, actually did, ws shall be but feeble sons of that queenly mother in the right of whom we claim our lordship among the lands if wo do not feel a glow of pride in such deeds as this. What matter that this was not dnue in the fierce struggle and mad tension of the battle ! Without detract-

ing oue whit from those whoso feats in warfare brighten oven the awful gloom of j war, it may be said that there aro many who would dash gaily enough up to the council's mouth who would hesitatethough very likely it would only bo for an instnnt—to run the risk of an awful death when all is peace, and no magic of strife stirred them to emulation; As for O'Hea he probably thought little of the grandeur of what he had done, but his ollicers, his country, aud his Sovereign did, aud he tool: his place amongst lha heroes of tho land, (ho wearers of the Victoria Cross,