Show e. e d oJ n Freddie H Hall all IL Brought t Victoria t. Cross arid 4 2 Glory to All Can Canada an as s He Fell Dead mi rl J a i 11 1 I 1 l f fl J ir l T Mr-T-m i I 1 1 4 J I C b iv p r t 3 I Ji I J I i l. l lt S f fr I r j 1 1 v c 4 c ag agri ft t. t ri rl I WALL MALL ROSE TO HId ni s y KNEES IN DI AN 4 II LIFT HW IW PALL i T TO f f C. C t J-J J J i I J 7 V THE fliE VICTORIA S CROSS CROSSBy 44 J By HAR HARRY Y P PAYNE BURTON Winnipeg Man Aug 14 Gre Greater ter love hath bath no marl mari than thon this That he lay down his life lito for his I friend I have just climbed the narrow back stairs stairs' that lead leod darkly to tho the loft of ot the old barn that stands at atthe t M A LL streets n the corner of York and Main Moin Never were stairs dingier or looser Jointed Yet they are are sanctified sanctified sanc sanc- titled for all aU time lime for these stairs are th the first rung of that shining ladder ladder ladder lad lad- der on which Freddy Hall has climbed to an und undying ing fame carrying carrying carry carry- ing tug Winnipeg with him It 11 was right here rere iero in the little lo low room at their top tol that six months ago lie Jie wrote wrote- tho the words which sent sent- him across se seas s a member of or the first Canadian n contingent Jo to the d de defense de- de nse of r. r England That was the thc real beginning inning of of Freddy HaWs Halls life It lire it w was s all finished finished fin fin- today when th the start staff officer of the Ninetieth regiment still In his tiny recruiting recruiting- room room at the top of ot the tho i rickety green grcen stairs wrote after arter the name amo- amo of F. F 1 M. M Hall t sergeant major r cant major the two magic letters V V. C. C That meant that to Canada to Winnipeg has come the greatest of ot all British h military honors the award of or tho the Victoria cross 4 S darI PJ cd AN wom s th the iron gray gra hair lying lying- between white sheets of at an upper room in a 11 cot cottage cottage cot cot- tage at liD at-liD Spence street the comIng coming corning com corn ing of the Victoria cross to Winnipeg Winni Winni- peg peg to to Canada does does' does not mean the same same as as' as asil it il toes does in the tho barracks of the Little Black Devils at ot York and Main str streets ets For Forshe she is not the glorious recruiter recruit recruit- er of at a hero but the thc mother of o one one e. e And t be he the mother mothe of at e even en n a Victoria Vietoria Vie Vic toria torla cross hero cannot m make ke up for every c thing and you will wUl understand what I mean mean when I say that that- Freddy Freddy Fred dy Hall Han won the thein insignia of or his bravery braver as ho he ho fell ten dead sh shot dead shot t through ugh the temple by a German bullet I would note not have e It othe otherwise ise sa says sa-'s s Mrs Hall from her bed of ot ill UI- but if only ho he had not had to dl die Not 50 so much for myself m I 1 mean as ns for him Isn't it hard that ho couldn't have lived to know his own glory gIor And she turns her paining head away this mother ot of heroes for heroes for all alt her fours son song are r in In the war war war-bo- be cause she does not nol Cr cry Women have called me cruel ethel she sha told me me saying soying that 1 should be ba ashamed med to send my boys boys- to to fight and tight and die But dont don't you think think mine mine Is th harder hard hard- er part part to to lie here alone waiting for tor some word word and and knowing that I must not even cry since my ray boys are only d doing ini their duty duly Y You u must 1 know how It t h hurts here Inside I t I how how how- J S 4 1 There Is a stretch of ground gro nd that runs from the Sand sandy of th the Norman sea Mea to the for lovely slopes lopes of the Swiss Alps Alp upon which no no noman noman man dare tread who holds life Ufe dear It Is In most places b but t fifty y yards wide this ribbon of dirt and and It JS is is covered with barbed wire with pieces of burst d shell and ond here and there a dead body lies Ues g. g It ItIs ItIs ItIs Is the space between n lh the German Gennan trenches and the allies allies' line Une and nd In Flanders flanders- they call It No Mans Man's Land v i. i r No NoIa Mans Man's Ia s 's Lan Land is a little bitnar bit nar narrower ro rower vei- vei a n. little bit more bullet riddled and rutted near Ypres than anywhere anywhere any any- where wh rc else Here lies has been be n the most concentrated fighting of ot tho the whole war war and and here her Is was was that the first first- Canadians distinguished distinguished- themselves themselves' forever when they stood undaunted against a wall of f deadly gases and Md d kept kept- the Te ton hordes horde at bay kept bay kept them from C Calais The Ninetieth th regiment in which served Freddy reddy I Hall late an invoice olce clerk lerk of oft i Winnipeg were were holding tho the first trenches here her this hero this key to Ypres and the channel If It the Ninetieth could but hold this J key I. I V n naught lu ht that was WU th ibe tr tremendous situation u r rA 5 ii i Everything depended on this ja line Ino of earthworks way out ut In front front 4 I writes Britain's official l ness in his final tino description of thier most terrible of battles It w would uld r ar appear that no living thing could abide there All tho tho deadly machine Yf of war were were battering away at But the Prussian was forbidden ui tt pass pus In the t line grimmen grim men aged years by hours of fe t it strain ta fated faced d' d a n. af foe foo e they they- swayed lOt gas gu sickness d dead ad lay like Uke flies rUes 1 1 the trench bottoms and the nursed their wounds ds In in- silence bu fI they h held ld till tm the tho MT r victory victory camel camo I jv r j S C 5 A It was waz very near the end of this terrific baptism of fire that Fred Freddy V m H Hall Hail 11 simply and nd suddenly ly- ly became beame the greatest h hero ro of ot the the- greatest Iq fight tight of th the greatest war war the world 10 pe 1 j ras ras ever een Hundreds und of f men practically all t the o officers of ot the thee thao I Ninetieth had hod been killed or maimed Hall but but- 28 had bad jumped j to tho the front to lead for for- none oth other r ap- ap ap jo I p eared for the task r HeoM He was cool and careless careless and and brave Orders Orders' to to- try try try-a a J came Halt Hall was fIrst out of or CM tJ Ste trench with a at rat h hl J heel hee But a rain of or machine gun gun I lV i burl hurled burled them thern back Two men dropped a ain in their tracks and Hall wont Into th the lead leaden n. n storm and nd pulled them both back to t h T f t J Then there thee RIDe came a cry cry ry 1 Hal's Hals particular partia tr p partner haWk failed tild to toe toge b back bpck ck Ho He tay ay Y 1 ul t in the he evil stretch s caught at Hall Thil H as az aS ho h leaped the ar- ar r- r pet but he threw them off ff rr Ho llo crawled along long the Ute ground fr b tJ ty l tee feet a q g grasped hip hb wounded friend Ho lIe dragged him halt half a dozen teet tee and C called lI d for tor help None came No one would dare No Mans Man's Land Hall rose rose to hl his knees ki In an an attempt to lift his pal A G German bullet whizzed through his head ad Machine gun rain wilted his Ms d dying friend J J JEven Even In the molten hell helt of these gas as tO fogged d trenches trench s the he white h heat t of- of FreddY not did go unnoticed Men with their lun lungs seared and eaten away with poison polson fumes have havo taken u up ui pencils 1 ir in th the t hospitals and the trenches to write wit witto v to his mother so out outstanding was It It i Mrs In Hall handed me several of ot them them- and ond peaceful Am American tho though gh I am th they y thrilled and thrilled me And here I lie said Mrs HalL Hf finally and I can do nothing to honor honor hon hon- hon hen or his memory He lies there thore In France France I I do not know where My Ny son In son in an an unmarked gravo grave and n no on one ever to put a 0 flower ower on it But I will wear his Victoria cr cross s p. p that that he could n not t live to see seo-J- seo a- a ways ys E right here over over my heart Ita r |