V.C.'s Gained in the Salient and Belgium.
'l iib Vpres Timhs.
No. 31161 Corporal J. L. DA VIES,
13th Bn. Doyal Welch Fusiliers.
For most conspicuous bravery and de
votion to duty when in command of a
company in attack.
When his first objective had been cap
tured he reorganised the company and
moved forward towards his objective.
While waiting for the barrage to lift he was
hit by a piece of shell, which exploded the
signal lights in his haversack, and set fire
to his equipment and clothes. Having
extinguished the flames, in spite of his
wound and the severe pain he was suffering,
he led forward the remains of the company
under very heavy machine-gun fire, and
captured and consolidated his objective.
He was subsequently killed by a sniper
while inspecting the consolidation and
encouraging his men.
This gallant officer set a magnificent
example of coolness and contempt of
danger to the whole battalion, and it was
due to his splendid leading that the final
objective of his battalion was gained.
Lieut. Hewitt was born in 1897, and
was educated at Winchester and Sandhurst.
He was gazetted to a commission in the
Hampshire Regiment in 1916. He went to
France in September of the same year and
took an active part in thè fighting On the
Somme. He was a fine rider. He was
buried at St. Julien, where he fell, but his
grave was lost in the subsequent fighting
and a memorial cross has been erected to
his memory* in New Irish Farm Cemetery.
For most conspicuous bravery.
During an attack on the enemy's line
this non-commissioned officer pushed
through our own barrage and, single-
handed, attacked a machine gun emplace
ment after several men had been killed^in
attempting to take it
2nd Lieutenant D. G. HEWITT,
14th Bn. The Hampshire Regiment.
