it
LONDON, June 20.—Scads of
thrills—enough to make the wild
est dreams of a movie hero pale to
insignificance—have been packed in
to the young life of Lieutenant Clif
ford Prohert, aged 17.
The full story came today from
Blaenavon, Wales, Probert’s native
village.
Daring deeds under fire, promo
tion from the ranks, awarded the D.
S. O., wounded 22 times, blown up
while in a hospital ship and lapse of
memory are a few of the youthful
soldier's experiences.
Before the war young Probert op
erated a haulage engine in a coal
mine and was the assistant chief boy
scout of the district.
In September, 1914. he joined the
army by misrepresenting his age to
a recruiting sergeant. He told the
sergeant he was 18 when he was
only 15. His parents objected to
his militarism so he changed his
name to William Gordon Williams.
At hill 60 in northern France, the
youthful soldier received his bap
tism of fire. He also went to the
hospital for 12 weeks with two
wounds in the head and two in the
legs.
Some time after he had rejoined
his regiment, the colonel, com
manding, decided that a distant tow
er was being used as an enemy ob
servation post. The colonel chose
two men to cut the wires that con
nected the tower with enemy bat
teries.
The men chosen were Lieutenant
Murphy and Williams (Probert).
When You Go Outside
You Are Invited to Call On
L. W. SUTER
Seattle’s Leading Jeweler
1115 SECOND AVENUE
He will attend to your wants. Best goods at reason
able prices.
A graduate optician can also be consulted.
After crawling two hundred yards
through darkness, in the direction
of the tower, Murphy was shot
through the head.
Probert crawled forward and
eventually arrived. He dug in the
ground around the tower for an
hour with his hands before he dis
covered the wires.
There were 17, which meant that
17 Ge^fnan batteries were being ac
curately informed of the accuracy
of their tire on the British positions.
Probert tried to snip the wires with
his pocket knife. The metallic sound
produced, however, made the opera
tion dangerous and he searched his
Red Cross.packet for vaseline.
Smearing the oil on the wires, he
spent several hours in noiselessly
cutting all 17 and then crawled te
diously back to the British trenches.
It was on September 25, tne start
of the big British offensive, that the
young trooper again got into action.
His regiment charged. A handful
reached the German trenches.
Probert was one of the handful.
A shell exploded nearby and threw
him into the air. Dazed and suffer
ing from shock he arose and charged
again but came under the fire of a
machine gun and fell with five bul
let wounds in his abdomen, both
hips riddled and his head badly bat
tered. He lay in the open, without
attention, for two days before
stretcher bearers came along.
Probert hovered between life and
death in A base hospital for weeks.
Youth and vitality finally conquered
until he had sufficiently recovered
strength to be sent to England.
Subsequently, with other wound
ed men, he was taken to Boulogne
and placed aboard the hospital ship
Anglia. The Anglia was half way
across the English channel en route
to Folkestone when she was mined.
The explosion occurred just as a
nurse was raising Probert's head to
see the coast of England.
The nurse and an orderly carried
Probert, cot and all, to the main
deck and, telling him to hold on
tight, slid him into the sea. A res
cuing destroyer picked him up be
fore he had swallowed too much
sea water.
Eventually he arrived in an Eng
lish hospital. Here he was awarded
the medal of the Distinguished Serv
ice Order f6r gallantry and apprised
of his promotion to a lieutenancy.
Weeks later Probert was well
enough to be discharged from the
hospital. But he had not gone long
North Side
Lumber Company
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t
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Geo. M. Campbell
Yard: Old Town
Office: Cor. 4th and F Street
before something seemed to snap in
his brain and wipe away his mem
ory.
The young officer finally was
found in London, wandering. Some
one recognized him from his photo
graph published in a London news
paper.
It was not until he caught sight of
familiar scenes in his native village
that Probert regained his memory.
He hopes to rejoin his regiment in
another month.
"I want to get back into the scrap
before it is all over,” probert was
telling his townsmen up in Blaena
von, Wales.
IS REAL BOOSTER
FOR ANCHORAGE
A. E. Harris, traveling passenger
agent for the Chicago, Milwaukee &
St. Paul railroad, who has his head
quarters at Juneau, was an arrival
in Anchorage on the steamer North
western and will spend several days
here on business.
Mr. Harris was greatly surprised
to find Anchorage not only the
largest but the one live town in
Alaska, and he is a Juneauite. Mr.
Harris said: “The growth of this
town is simply marvelous, but not
when one stops to consider what is
back of Anchorage. You certainly
have an ideal townsite, with well
laid out streets and sidewalks that
are uniform and a pleasure to walk
on. No up and down hill grade
here. Everything seems to be on
the level, and this applies not only
to the town but the people as well.
“With the natural resources trib
utary to Anchorage you certainly
have the making of a big city, and
judging from the optimism of your
people that day is not far distant.
As the teifninal of the government
railroad Anchorage is bound to pro
gress. Then you have the placer
and quartz mines, in the interior, as
well as tjjie Matanuska -valley, which
is rich in agricultural resources. And
as the outlet for the coal fields you
can’t be headed off. Yes, I am an
Anchorage booster, and why
shouldn’t I be? Everybody else is
who visits your town, and not with
out good reason. '
THE MAN WHO COVED NOT
HOSE.
On account of the length of the
program at the “Movies” tonight the
second show will not start until 9 p.
m. First show commences as usual
at 7:30. 6-21-lt
ABOUT THE OLIVE.
Pure olive oil was known even to
the ancients for its wonderful value
as a food and medicine, The fam
ous olive groves of old Greece, Egypt
and Palestine have supplied the
world with its luscious fruit and
Epicrus mentions it as being served
at the feasts of Lucullus. Pliny, the
historian, speaks of olive oil used by
the athletes at the Olympic games
for rubbing down.
Today it is a recognized house
hold article. But it should not be
confounded with salad oil, which is
a combination of cotton seed and
olive oils. Of the different olive
oils, the Italian or French and the
Californian olive oil, the California
is the richest and purest. Squibbs’
Olive Oil and McNally’s are the very
best, both for table and medicinal
uses. Z. J. Loussac’s Drug store.
The store of quality.
Wihitney’s Road House for dinner
any time. Ask the Reo service.
6-20-6t HERMAN L. GENTSCH.
Singer Sewing Machines sold on
easy terms. C. B. Wark, manufac
facturer’s agent. 6-13tf
Anchorage
Transfer
W. E. Lee, Manager
General Transfer Business
AGENTS FOR
Bluff Point Coal
Northern Transfer Co.
C. P. Pedersen, Mgr.
General TRANSFER Business
WOOD ICE
Cor. 4th and D.
COAL
MRS. QUINN’S
Family . Boarding . House
St.00 per day First Class
Cor. 4th and B
Kootenai Inn Cigar Store
Cigars, Tobaccos, Confectionery
MRS. ALFRED DUNLAP Fourth, between C and D
4
TRY TONY’S CAFE
Opposite Empress Theatre
Open Day and Night
Let There Be Light
We Can Furnish It
PRICE & BENNETT
Plumbing Our Specialty
Fifth St, bet. G&H
Sheet Metal Works and
Gasoline Lighting
Pen Auto Service MSSENGERS AND baggage
lyCO AUIU iJCI VIvC STORAGE FIVE DAYS FREE
Night and Day Service
Stand: Front of F. J. Cotter's Store. HERMAN h. GEXTSCH, Mgr.
Notice to the Public:
We Have Completed Our Line of
CLOTHING
Which has just arrived and we are ready to dress you
up with a
PRESS SHRUNK KAUFFMAN SUIT,
JOHN B. STETSON HAT, AND PACKARD SHOES.
CARROLL & CO.
Fourth and E Sts.
Carrol Building Anchorage, Alaska
y
Carstens Packing Company
MARKET
Fourth Street, Near C
Just Received~a consignment of
Fresh Chickens for your
Sunday Dinner.
A Big Special for a few days:
Our Washington brand Hams
20c per lb.
Our Washington brand Picnic
Hams, 15c per lb.
Our Washington brand Break
fast Bacon, sugar cured, 25c lb.
Washington Brand Pure
Lard.
No. 10s .$1.75
No. 5s .90
No. 3s .60
Fine Dry Salt Pork, fresh cured,
15c per lb.
Summer Sausage and Salami,
. 50c per lb.
Boiled Hams. 30c per lb.
Wa sell all fresh Meats as cheap as any firm in town
quality considered.
Extra fine Sugar-cured Corned Beef
J. J. HALES,
Manager Anchorage Branch.
Snow Cap Compound Lard
No. 5s .75c
No. 3s ..50c
ft
*