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Updated: June 14, 2025
When the Munster Fusiliers were surrounded in one extended engagement a driver of the R.F.A. named Pledge, who was shut up with them, was asked to "cut through" and get the assistance of the Artillery. Lance-Corporal John McMillan, Black Watch, thus describes what happened: "Pledge mounted a horse and dashed through the German lines.
The sun was in my eyes, and I felt as if my face was being scorched. I asked an R.A.M.C.N.C.O., standing at the end of the wagon, to get me something to shade my eyes. Then occurred what I felt was an extremely thoughtful act on the part of a wounded man. A badly wounded lance-corporal, on the other side of the lorry, took out his handkerchief and stretched it over to me.
We have asked many of our Christian soldiers how they felt when they went into fire. All sorts of answers have been given. Most have confessed to a nervous tremor at first. Said a lance-corporal of the 12th Lancers: 'The worst time I ever had was when we were relieving Kimberley. There were Boers in front of us and Boers on our flank. We rode through a perfect hail of bullets.
I had risen through the several gradations of lance-corporal to full lance-sergeant to full drill-corporal drill-sergeant pay-sergeant and troop-sergeant-major without being once confined, or on any occasion reprimanded by a superior officer.
A year ago, for instance, you might have encountered an old friend, Private M'Micking, one of the original "Buzzers" of "A" Company, and ultimately Battalion Signal Sergeant under the lee of a pine wood near Hindhead, accompanied by Lance-Corporal Greig and Private Wamphray, regarding with languid interest the frenzied efforts of three of their colleagues to convey a message from a sunny hillside three quarters of a mile away.
He wondered that, at any rate, Concepcion should not perceive the poor, pretentious quality of the girlish exhibition. And as he looked at the mincing Dialin he pictured the lance-corporal helping to serve a gun.
Lady Queenie, rushing off again, pushed several more switches, and from a thick cluster of bulbs in front of a large mirror at the end of the room there fell dazzling sheets of light. A footman presented himself. "Push the day-bed right away towards the window," she commanded. The footman inclined and obeyed, and the lance-corporal superiorly helped him.
Of course, the officers were paroled; the men were allowed out twice a week. They would enjoy the concert given by the military bands during the summer season, and when the time came for them to leave, if they had their choice they would rather remain than return to their native country. I was present and saw them embark. In October, 1858, I was promoted to the rank of lance-corporal.
Each of these guns Lance-Corporal Wilcox, followed by his section, successively captured or put out of action. Wilcox was shortly afterwards wounded and was in hospital in England when news of the award arrived. His deed lent lustre to a profitless attack. A few days later the Battalion was relieved and spent a period in reserve among fields and orchards west of Sailly-sur-la-Lys.
We soon set forth, destination still unknown; we were all assigned boat stations and each morning we assembled on deck waiting to be inspected by our betters, looking a little ridiculous in our "Bombay bowlers" and our Bombay bloomers". The inspection was quite a formal affair as an entourage consisting of the ship's captain, OC Troops and various others of decreasing rank, a lance-corporal as the caboose, traversed the ship.
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