He certainly accounted
for six Germans on his own, and inspired us to the effort of our lives.
He has only been six months in the service, is little more than a boy,
but the British Army doesn't possess a more courageous officer."
The Scottish Borderers speak proudly of Major Leigh, who was hit during
a bayonet charge, and when some of his men turned to help him, shouted
"Go on, boys; don't mind me." A lieutenant of A Company, 1st Cheshires:
"I only know his nickname," says Private D. Schofield--though wounded in
two places, rushed to help a man in distress, brought him in, and then
went back to pick up his fallen sword. Captain Robert Bruce, heir of
Lord Balfour of Burleigh, distinguished himself in the fighting at Mons.
One of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders relates that, in spite of
wounds, Captain Bruce took command of about thirty Highlanders who had
been cut off, and throwing away his sword, seized a rifle from one of
the killed, and fought side by side with his men.
How the guns were saved at Soissons is told in a letter, published in
_The Times_, from Sergeant C. Meades, of the Berkshire Regiment. "We had
the order to abandon our guns," he writes, "but our young lieutenant
said, 'No, boys; we'll never let the Germans take a British gun,' and
with a cheer we fought on.
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