Mexborough Times, December 5th
Saved the Machine Gun
Conisbrough Soldier wounded
Private Harry Smith
Private Harry Smith, Kings Royal rifles, whose home is at 5, Calder terrace Conisbrough, has written to his sister, stating that he has been wounded and that is mending nicely at the third London Gen Hospital, Wandsworth.
He is hoping to get sick leave soon. He says words will not describe the fight at Ypres on 28 October. They charged a German trench, and his company alone lost 87 men. On the 28th they lost a lot more and he was buried by a shell. His rifle was hit in two places.
On 2nd November they were practically cut up, and he is one of the few left of his regiment. They had charged once, and were reforming when they got me, but the man who did it got 15 inches of cold steel in him, so I think I got my own back. I brought his shoulder knot home as a souvenir.
I was wounded at two o’clock, but could not get to dressing station until late that night, so you can imagine the agony I was in the loss of blood, besides a broken arm. I thought I should be mentioned in dispatches, but no such luck. The officer who was in charge of those is mentioned. He and for others went back under an awful fire to save our machine gun, which we did, but three of them were hit.
We were congratulated by Brig Fanshawe.
