CHAPTER CCXXVIII. VICTORIA CROSSES OF THE WAR. (IV.) NUMBER OF AWARDS-THE SYSTEM OF ANNOUNCEMENT-CROSSES FOR SKIPPERS-THE AFFAIRS OF DRIFTERS AND A SMACK-NAVAL AWARDS-CAPTAIN BISHOP'S GLORIOUS AIR DEEDS-DECORA­ TIONS FOR CANADIANS-BATCHES OF AWARDS-SINGLE-HANDED EXPLOITS-GUARDSMEN'S BRAVERY -BRIGADIER-GENERAL COFFIN-INDIVIDUAL HAULS OF GUNS ~D MEN-A FAITHFUL MESSENGER - CASES OF EXTREME ENDURANCE-GRENADIERS AND BOMBERS-A STOKES SHELL EPISODE- HONOURS FOR RECIPIENTS OF THE CRoss- A CAPTAIN'S VALIANT DEFENCE-SIMILARITY OF CASES­ "EXTRAORDINARILY GOOD WORK "-ATTACKS ON "PILL-BoXES "-A COLONEL'S CRoss-A MACHINE-GUNNER'S HEROISM-T;HJRTY SECONDS' "RECKLESS BRAVERY "-MORE FINE INDIVIDU4L DEEDS-THE AUSTRALIAN IMPERIAL FORCE-A HAND-TO-HAND FIGHT-A CARRIER OF BANDOLIERS -BAYONET-CHARGE BY A HIGHLANDER-DEVOTION OF A TANK LEADER-POSTHUMOUS AWARDS­ A CORPORAL'S FATE-FEARLESS LEADERSHIP-CAVALRY DASH-THE VICTORIA CROSS ,,1 ARR~NTS. ARLIAMENT, at the end of October the great honour of the Cross was conferred. 1917, passed a memorable vote of Modern war's appalling forms had evolved a P thanks to the Navy and Army for race of heroes whose acts had no rivals out of their war services. In the House of the realms 6f mythology; the very Sagas Lords the resolution was moved by Earl paled before the glamour of the tales of deeds Curzon, who, in dealing with the work that the fo~ which the Cros3 was charily awarded. naval, military and air forces had done spoke Every fresh development had given British of the extraordinary valour of all ranks. He said fighting men the chance to show that they were that to the Army 301 Victoria Crosses had fully qualified to meet and master it when been awarded, and two bars to the Crosses; victory was needed; and now there was to and 28 Crosses had been awarded to the Navy. come the hero of the drifter, the sm·ack, the These honours were included in a list of awards " pill-box" and the tank . • It was all wonderful which justified the speaker in declaring that and varied to the point of numbing receptivity some of the deeds for which they were given and understanding; yet what even to imagina­ were almost past belief, and as time went on tion seemed impossible proved achievable would be enshrined in legend and form lessons through British enterprise and courage to be taught to the future generations of our The announcements of the awards were race . made for the most part in considerable . It was remarked in Chapter CLl. (Victoria batches, and ill a few cases the official story Crosses of the Wat.-l.) that the new system was of unusual length; but there were of warfare had produced new types of fighters inst.ances when nothing was added to the bare -the airman, the submarine man, the bomber, statement that the Cross had been given for the trenchman, doers of "things unattempted certain special work these being invariably yet in prose or rhyme," and that st~tement in connexion ~ith naval operations. While held good for all the period during which expediency undoubtedly justified the with- Vol. XV.-Part '189. 217 218 THE TIldES HISTORY OF THE WAR. lOffi cial photograph. A DRIFTER FLEET AT SEA. holdi ~g of details in such cases it was difficult meetings with the enemy, encounters in to understand the official method of consistently near and distant wat~rs, and in all these using the term "enemy." The system was fights the toilers of the deep sea had upheld well enough adapted to earlier days of the their splendid reputation for courage and Cross, when there was no doubt as to the endurance. identity of the opponent, but it no longer One of the most remarkable fights of all was applied to the very greatly altered circumstances that in the Straits of Otranto on the m~rning of the war, and it was impossible . to suppose of May 15, 1917. The circumstances were very that the use of the word "German" could 1.ffiusual, the forces very unequal, and the odds have conveyed information of any value to the heavily in favour of the enemy. The Allied foe. If a British fighter slew and captured Germans wholesale in straightforward conflict . -and British fighters did both-no one knew the humiliating fact sooner or b etter than the Germans themselves, and no official craft in employing the expression "enemy" could conceal the knowledge from them. Yet " enemy" was persistently, tediously and unilluminatingly employed, and it was left to the reader to choose from the German, Austrian, Turkish or Bulgarian forces; the selection being a matter o ~ personal knowledge or inference. It was not until the war had entered upon its fourth year that a Victoria Cross was bestowed upon a member of that vast army . of auxiliaries who swep.t and patrolled the seas SKIPPER JOSEPH WATT. in such small craft as steam trawlers and drifters. For the most part the crews of these drifter line was attacked by Austriar.. light vessels were fishermen, and they had done cruisers, one of which, at about 100 yards invaluable service in sweeping the seas clear r ange, hailed the drifter Gowanlea and ordered of mines, in hunting and capturing submarines, the skipper, Joseph Watt, to stop and abandon and in patrol and other work. These services h er. The Gowanlea was a typical drifter, with had involved consta~t peri~ and h ardship, with a length of keel of less than 90 feet, a depth of inevitable heavy losses. There had been many less than 10 feet, and a breadth of 18 feet THE TIMES HISTORY OF THE WAR. 219 occasion that Skipper Watt received the Victoria Cross, the announcement being made on August 29, 1917. That affair of drifters in the Adriatic showed the sterling quality of the fishers' mettle: it was an episode which appealed with special force to the public at home, but there was soon to be given the story of another fisher V.C. hero which, in some respects, made an even deeper appeal, for it contained the elements of splendid tragedy and sacrifice. This was the story of Skipper Thomas Crisp, a fisherman of Lowestoft. The t ale was first told in the House of Commons by the Prime Minister, who SECOND HAND T. W. CRISP Returning from the Palace wearing his own D.S.M. and his father's V.C. and D.S.G. 6 inches. She had as crew a mere haq.dful of men, and as armament one gun that was almost toy-like in appearance. The size and power of the Austrian cruiser were not stated, but at her stone's-throw distance she must assuredly have towered above h er tiny prey. It was one thing for an Austrian to give an order to a British fisherman turned fighter, but a very different thing for that stanch seaman to obey. So far from heeding the enemy, Skipper Watt, though instant destruction seemed certain, ordered full speed ahead and called upon his crew to give three cheers and fight to a finish. The very audacity of the defiance might well have taken the Austrian aback; at any rate, fire was opened on the cruiser. Then began a short, sharp, clJrious fight. Anything in the shape of a cruiser should have had a very easy and simple task in destroyin,g the drifter, but the Austrian found his opponent so little to his liking that he was content to maintain a running fight, the running on his part being towards the safest part of the battle-area. One round only had been fired from the drifter's 'gun when the weapon was disabled at the SKIPPER THOMAS CRISP. breech. The gun's crew, however, in spite of was paying a glowing tribute to the loyalty and heavy fire, tried to work the g"lill. Luckily for courage of the fishermen; on November 2 the the Gowanlea, the cruiser passed, and then London Gazette announced the POSthUlllOUS Skipper Watt, not content with what he had grant of the Cross to Crisp and the award of the done, and disregarding his own damage, took Distinguished Service Medal to his so~ Second his little ship alongside another drifter, the' Hand Thomas William Crisp. The details Floandi, which was in worse case than his own, which were published were unusually full. and helped to remove the dead and wounded. One August afternoon, shortly before three It was for his gallantry on this strenuous o'clock, the smack Nelson, of which Skipper 189-2 220 THE TIJlrlES HISTORY OF THE WAR. Crisp was in con~n~and, 'was on the port tack, reIl to the dAck with shattered body the smack with her trawl down. The skipper was below, I was ' sinking r<cpidly. Undaunted by what packing fish, and one hand was on deck, cleaning seemed like cert~in fat.e, the mortq,lly wounded fish for next morning'S brea~dast. The skipper man's son, who was second hand, or mate, of came on deck and seeing an object on the the Nelson, took charge, the firing continuing horizon he examined it closely and sent for his and the vessel being dragged down by the sea glasses. vVhat he saw caused him to shout that surged into her. almost instantly, "Clear for action! Sub­ The gunlayer went to his skipper to see if marine!" He hacl scarcely uttered the words he could help him with first aid; but the when a shot fpll on the smack's port bow, only gallant Crisp knew that he was far beyond the about 100 yards away, Thereupon the motor well-mea:nt help.