Show KING GEORGE DECORATES SOLDIER WHO WI-IO CAME BACK j Lieutenant Colonel Elkington Once in Disgrace Wins the Esteem of His lis Sovereign Given High Distinction I T T ODONi Nov 1 KIng King G Gt hat haa Jj ii appointed CoL eeL John Ford El Elkington Ell El- El tho Di Distinguished Dis l kington ln on a Companion of Service Order Colonel El ElIt Elkington El- El It kington In ton was received in a audience u re recently re- re b by the king at Windsor castlo castle and his m maj ty evinced e a Q deep Interest Inter Inter- est cat In tho the officers officer's eq experiences In tho the French for foreign legion Colonel Elkington still limps badly as tho ho result of or a knee wound but heIs ho he hoIs hoIs Is under treatment hopes bopes to re return ro- ro turn tUMI to active service Tho The decoration next hl highest to conferred on him bUn Is the tho tho the Victoria cross The Thu 31 Ion Iun an Who Wito Come Crune Hack nak Lieutenant nl Colonel Elkington Is back kno known knon n as the man who came c. He lie was wn dismissed h by n a martial court from Crom the British after nerving ln nearly thirty years just as his regiment regi regi- mont ment was going oln Into action In France rance Francein In th the latter part of 11 1011 I. I Ho lie wa was a member of oC tho Vl and had won the Queen Victoria medal for tor valor valor val val- or In South Africa On being dismissed Colonel Elkington sought refuse In the thc French foreign legion letlon and fought in several sc battles battle against t tho the Germans on tho the French front Recently he returned to England Eng Eng- land lanil having ha won In the foreign legion two French Trench honors tho the military medal and the military crows S. On his hs arrival In En England a I proclamation appeared In Inthe Inthe Inthe the London Gazette announcing that the king kine had graciously approved tho reinstatement of at John Ford Elkington In tho the rank of or lieutenant colonel with his previous seniority In con consequence e of or his gallant conduct whilo serving In InI Inthe Inthe th the ranks of oC the foreign legion leSton of ot the I Fr French arm army It was In the tho ho London Gazette at the I I end of o October I 1914 14 that tho the crushing announcement had appeared that 1 El- El 1 had been c. c cashiered b by sentence of oC general court What his er error error or- or was did not appear at the thc time and has hae not been alluded to In his re returned returned returned re- re turned hour of oC honor It was a court- court martial at nt the front at a when the first rush of ot war was en engulfing on- on gulfing Europe and little time lime could bo be wasted upon an Incident of or that sort BorL Tho The char charge c. c It Is la now stated did not reflect In any way vay upon the officers officer's personal courage But Dut with fallen fortunes he passed quietly out of or tho ho army and enlisted In inho tho ho legion that legion that corps where thousands of or bravo brave men have o found a shelter Colonel I. I Elkington did not pass unscathed unscathed un un- un- un scathed through fire Ire Ills His t are shattered and he ho walks heavily upon his sticks It Is it wonderful to feel Ceel ald ld Colonel Elkington when ho he was first rehabilitated that once again I havo have tho the confidence confidence con con- of ot m my king and my c country country- I Iam am nm afraid my toy career In the field Is ended hut but I must not complain Colonel Elkington did not nol understand duty The number numb r of or military honors won Avon b by tho the division Is over This includes two Russian honors Lance nce Corporal T. T McMahon lc lahon Royal Munster fusiliers was awarded the tho cross of oC St St. George second class equivalent to our Victoria cross and arid L. L Lance Lanco Sergeant VII Yli Courtenay Courtena Royal Dublin fusiliers re received received re- re the tho cross of or St. St G Gergo orge tour fourth 1 class s. s d of or d de desertion de- de There were two proved cases in tho thc division In both cases the men wore subsequently found taking tak talc ing Ine- their full share In the fighting at nt Ginchy On one ono occasion the division found itself liBel side Bide b by side Ido holding tho ho holine lino line with tho ho Ulster division lon and when hen he men met from Crom time to time the he hebest best of ot good feeling and comradeship was shown as between brother Irishmen Irish Irish- men Such in brief brIer Is la the tho record of ot the tho first two years ears of or the tho existence of the he sl sixteenth Irish division composed aa as asit It Is like Jlko other divisions of ot men the tho overwhelming o majority of ot whom had ab absolutely no experience of soldiering when they joined from all an parts of or Ire Ire- land It remains to be eald saul that th the sixteenth sixteenth six six- division nee needs B reinforcements at once It would be bo 1000 pities indeed Indeed It would bo be like a n. betrayal of oC the tho heroic dead dead Ir If the division dl which has brought so much honor to tho the Irish n name name ceased m ceased to bo be Irish This must Inevitably lt happen unless reinforcements reinforcements reinforce reinforce- ments montH como come from Ireland Signed T. Redmond major l what he called the lOEs that was made of ot him when n his conIng coming bark back was first announced What else could couldn a n man do he be says ys I 1 I was cashiered and about a a. fortnight after aCter the notice appeared In the tho papers I was In tho the ranks of or the tho Corel foreign n los legion It was hard work and wo we were nearly always In th the he thick of ot It I had to lo t take tako co things as they thoy came camo and thres weeks after altar I enlisted I was waa at tho the front It was not new to me and d I did not need training Many tan of or tho the men man of at the legion lollon wore medals medals medals of all the wars of thelast tho the last twenty years 1 I could not w wt Wl mine even if Ir 1 u wanted anted to I to-I I was wn cashiered cashiered cash cash- and antI had no right ht to them any longer |