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Freeport Journal-Standard from Freeport, Illinois • Page 17

Location:
Freeport, Illinois
Issue Date:
Page:
17
Extracted Article Text (OCR)

1 VVK Ir 'V (fc 11 ,1 M.JJ. 1 i r- -N jiMik rfHht Armistice Day Recalls Heroism of William Amey, Whb Captured Fifty Germans and Won a Victoria Cross PREEPORT JOURNAL-STANDARD i If rareed mij i liand and iold ihal Qer-man, crowd to put their tends up BY MILTON BRONNER NBA- Service Writer London, Nov. you introducing 1 William Amey, former lance corporal in the Warwickshire infantry, to an American, the Jjest way to do it would be t'o say: the Sergeant York of England." York, you recall, was selected as the greatest individual hero of the A. E. F.

Similarly, William Amey could easily be picked for a corresponding rank among England's heroes. And Armistice Day is an excellent time to tell about him. Hard Prize to Win Amey, to begin with, holds one of the most highly- prized decorations in the Victoria Cross: The granted only for deeds of the highest heroism usually goes to a man after his death, for the simple reason that a deed that merits the honor usually ends fatally for the, doer. An officer has to recommend the hero for wje V. the colonel of the regiment, the brigadier general and various lieuteiiT ants and major generals have to approve the recommendation, and finally the king himself must pass on it.

But Amey got is alive today to tell about it. Amey joined up in 1916, at the age" of 35, from Leanv ingjton. His army career was without any unusual incidents until the closing fortnight of the war, when the 13th British army corps was engaged ill the last "big push" in the.vicinity of the St. £juentin canal, near the spot where Quentin Roosevelt lost his life. At 5:30 on a chilly, foggy morning 'Amey's battalion went over the top, with the village of Landrecies as its objective.

"The whole country was wrapped in a thick blanket of fojr," says Amey. "Part of our-outfit, went forward so fast that it failed to mop up, and our men were falling victims to machine gun nests that Had been left undisturbed. It was easy to get lost or separated in that fog. Pirectly, I found myself accompanied by only one 4 stumbling along through a muddy field. "On one side of the road was a thick, high, tough hedge.

Judging by the lights we saw in the; fog we concluded that German gun fire was coming from that direction. 'Come on," I Said to my pal. 'We're going to see I what's on the other side of that Seven Machine Guns "So we busted through, at the cost of some scratches. Crikey! There behind that hedge were seven machine guns, sticking their snouts through the hedge while the Germans, safe and sound, were peppering our men. I took my rifle and shot down one crew, The others i but they couldn't pull their i machine guns out of -theI hedge and turn them on us, and they didn't have time to pull their service revolvers.

They just for it and dis appeared in the fog. 'Come I said to my pal, 'we're going after ''You know, when your blood is up you don't? think about danger or the odds against you or anything of tliat sort. You just keep going. Well, we went. We saw no trace of the gunners.

But directly we saw something big and dark loom up in the fog. I thought it was a little fortress, but it was only a French farmhouse. "There was no 1 sign of life, and I barged in through the open door, rooms-were empty, but there was a stairway that led down to a deep cellar. I shifted my rifle, took a hand grenade and started to tiptoe down that cellar stair. "For a minute I was dazzled by the light.

The Germans might have been short on food but there certainly was no candle shortage. In one corner of the cellar there were 60 Germans, and it seemed like every one of them had lit a candle. Near the 'Stairs huddled the French family two old men, two old women and some kids. "I raised my hand grenade and told that German crowd to put their hands up and keep them up. They did.

Captured Whole Crowd "One of the old women was so glad to see me shej kissed me, and one of the old i RMISTICF BRUCE CATTON bugle rings beyond the stars And stirs the ghosts the cannon laid; 1' And phantom ranks from all bur wars Step in time to the plaintive "Hats off! the dead are on paradel" Again we hear tne rolling beat Of distant drum taps, far removed, And tingle to the tramp of feet That tread again the home-town "TKc boys we lost, the boys we A hush descends as they go by, Silent', with unrewarding eyes; Then, ringing clear to the empty sky. Sounds the despairing, echoing "How do you honor our Horn shall me honor them tohal ccn do for them-. Shoving our looe for the men thai are 'gone? Build up a cenotaph, shining and new for Raise up a tablet of finely-carved stone? Here is the word from the ghostly ranks Telling us how we may show our thanks: "We went to our rest while life was young, And many the joys we There were songs of youth that we left unsung. There was honey of life for the tip of the tongue, There were sweethearts have kissed. I "But our part is done; and you that remain Harken to this, our warning; See that our sacrifice be not in vain, See that America, ever again, Works for the new morning.

"We ask for no temple of graven stone, Pay us this homage, instead; Keep freedom aloft on her gojden throne, With justice and truth to guard her Thus honor your soldier deadl" Then, in the haze of the far stars' light, phantom battalions pass from sight, And the call of the bugles rings out through the nighl; Lights Soldier, sleep. JA RW if men slipped me a glass of cognac. I told him in my best isn't go upstairs and call my pals. Then I told those Germans I was going up and that they ware to follow me in single file, every man with his hands up. Every man was to leave arms of every kind down in that cellar.

I said that the first man that disobeyed would be shot dead. "They came up, the whole 50, By that time some of the soldiers of my section had been summoned by the old Frenchman and we bagged the whole lot, "I suppose I owe my life to a Those enemy soldiers probably thought the farmhouse was surrounded by our men and if they tried anything on me they'd be killed like rats in a hole by hand grenades. Lucky they didn't know 1 only had one man with me." That's Amey's story. But he didn't tell the whole of it. The colonel in command of his regiment finished the tale in an order of the day, posted up for all the regiment to see: "Later, single-handed, he attacked a hostile machine gun post situated in another farm house.

Exposed to a i heavy fire he advanced un! hesitatingly, killed two of the garrison and drove the remainder into a cellar until help arrived. Took Another Chateau "Again, later and unaided, he attacked a chateau in Faubourg Soyers, which had been strongly held and was holding up our line of ad- vance. With determination and disregard of personal safety he rushed the chateau, killing two Germans and halding the remainder until reinforced. This gallant action was instrumental in the capturing of a further 20 prisoners, and cleared away the last of the opposition in the sector. "Throughout the day the conduct of Lance Corporal Amey in the face of such op- position and dange? the highest type, anA all praise." And now? Well, William day a quiet man erf dark hair just streaking silver threads, hat bfe cite sharpened 8iuJ fu at his old Job ot countant, just an never been a.

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About Freeport Journal-Standard Archive

Pages Available:
300,109
Years Available:
1885-1977