Today | News | Books | Recipes Adventure | Science Fiction | Ghost stories | Poetry | Children | History Book. He got as far as the next trench, but was seen to fall with a bullet through his head. The trenches taken had to be given up as the supporting divisions were unable to get on, and it was impossible to stay out with both flanks unprotected." His younger brother, Lieut. M. R. Helliwell, is now (1916) on active service. [Illustration: =Joseph Grant Helliwell.=] =HELLYER, GEORGE PEABODY=, Corpl., No. 1972, 1/5th Battn. King's Liverpool Regt. (T.F.), only _s._ of John William Hellyer, of Western, Kirk Ella, E. Yorks, by his wife, Sally May, dau. of John Harris, of Brixham, Devon, and the nephew of Charles Hellyer, of Brixham; _b._ Hull, 24 Nov. 1889, and educ. by a private tutor there. He enlisted the day war was declared, 4 Aug. 1914; was promoted Corpl., and died of wounds received in action at Boulogne Hospital, France, 21 May, 1915, and was buried in the Boulogne English cemetery; _unm._ Sergt. Benbow, of his Coy., wrote: "I was with Corpl. Hellyer when he received his wounds. It happened on Sunday, 16 May, when our company were ordered to charge the German position in front of us. It was while charging that he received a slight wound in the foot which compelled him to drop down. I was bringing in wounded comrades when I found him and a brother N.C.O. dragging a wounded sergt. of another regt., and I went to their assistance. While doing so a Maxim gun was turned upon us and poor George got it all. One through the right thigh and two in the arm. We dressed him in the open field and then brought him safely to our trench. He was then carried out by the stretcher-bearers to the dressing station, and it was with deep regret we heard of him dying of his wounds. He was a true soldier and bore his wounds with great strength as we fetched him in. He gave us every assistance and did not murmur. He was quite conscious and cheerful. He was well liked by the men of his section and platoon, and we all feel his loss greatly." His cousin, Lieut. Sidney H. Hellyer, was killed in action, 28 April, 1915 (see his notice). [Illustration: =George Peabody Hellyer.=] =HELLYER, JAMES=, Btn. Leading Stoker, C.G., 308293, H.M.S. Good Hope; lost in action off Coronel, on the coast of Chili, 1 Nov. 1914. =HELLYER, SIDNEY HANNAFORD=, 2nd Lieut., 4th Battn. The East Yorkshire Regt. (Machine Gun Section) (T.F.), yst. _s._ of Charles Hellyer, of Wolborough, Brixham, Devon, formerly of Lamwath Hall, Sutton-on-Hull, J.P., late Managing Director of Hellyer's Steam Fishing Co., Ltd., Hull, by his wife, Jane Elizabeth, dau. of Capt. William Hannaford; _b._ Hull, 15 Aug. 1889; educ. Malvern College; was a director and partner in the well-known firm of Hellyer's Steam Fishing Co., Hull, leaving on the outbreak of war to join the Territorial Force. Having taken an active part in the Cadet Corps at Malvern College, he soon qualified for a commission, and was gazetted 2nd Lieut. 4th Battn. The East Yorkshire Regt. 12 Sept. 1914. The 4th East Yorks first went into action on 24 April, 1915, in the neighbourhood of Pilkem and St. Julien. In a letter, written 26 April, Lieut. Hellyer gave the following description of this action: "On Thursday night we got the order to parade in full marching order just as we were turning in, and we could tell from the bombardment that was going on that something was doing. We marched the men immediately from our various billets to our alarm post, which was a grass field adjacent to Battn. Headquarters in the little village, and were there ordered to lie down and sleep as we were. Dawn came, and we unstiffened our dew-damp limbs and got some coffee. I then commenced to shave, and was just wetting my brush when the order came to march off immediately. In went our mess tins and gear, rolled our coats, and marched down the road where (Friday morning) rations (a little tin of beef each, six biscuits, bacon, cheese, tea and sugar) were issued. A train of 40 London motor buses came up marvellously from somewhere, and we were run out to a town which was being heavily bombarded, where we lay down in some huts. At 2 a.m. on Saturday morning we were ordered out to line some trenches by a canal which were bombarded with shrapnel at about 8 a.m. At 11 a.m. we were marched to a concentration point under shrapnel fire, causing some casualties. At the point of concentration one of the Divisional Staff Officers ordered me back again to guide up as quickly as possible another battn. of our brigade, as the situation was critical. This I did in as quick time as I could, and I was lucky enough to get back with them to the concentration point before our battn. was in action. As soon as I arrived back our battn. went into action in the open (not in trenches) against a section of the enemy who were occupying a village on a ridge and who were backed by excellent artillery--by this time I was tired. The 4th East Yorks went into action at about 4 o'clock on that afternoon (Saturday, 24 April, 1915) for the first time in the history of the battn., and a bloody battle it was. We advanced in artillery formation across half a mile of open country and under a very heavy bombardment both of shrapnel and high explosive shells, and many men fell--fell absolutely heroically, there is no other word for it. I would never have believed that hardened men would have marched on under that bombardment, and these men, already very tired and two nights sleepless, having carried a load weighing 60-70 lbs. since we left Newcastle, and hardly having their boots off since that time, saw battle for the first time as if they were just going to the barber's for a shave. Three times within 20 minutes a shell struck the ground near the men I have the honour to lead, once within 10 yards, and when the high explosive shells strike they dive into the earth and the end of the world seems to come. They blow a hole just about the size of the pond in the back field at Lamwath, and the contents of the hole are blown right up into the skies, much higher than a trawler's mast, so high that one has to lie on one's face what seems like 20 seconds until all the earth and fragments have fallen. When one strikes as near as that one is covered with earth, so that there is a little difficulty in rising under the weight of it. The noise deafens and slightly stuns one. One shell blew us down in a body without killing one of us. This bombardment went on incessantly, not a shell now and then, but all the time shells bursting, sometimes two or three coming near the same spot at once. After the third time we were covered with earth, and a man of mine shouted to me: 'If these B----s don't ring the bell soon we'll go and give them their money back.' After advancing 20 minutes thus the high explosive shells ceased, and we went into the zone of the rifle and machine-gun fire, still in daylight and over open fallow land. They never worried a bit, never faltered, never even laid down to the shrapnel, a moment longer than was essential; when they heard t |