“There was something romantic about the slim boy of eighteen who proved
himself so heroic in the field, and his handsome appearance and jolly
ways captivated every one. As his father confessed, with no little
humor, ‘They’re making such a fuss that Ted wants to get back to the
battlefield for a rest.’”
Dwyer had been fighting in France for nine months when the struggle at
Hill 60 provided his great opportunity.
“During a particularly fierce attack on the morning of the 20th,
Lance-Corporal Dwyer was in a trench on the side of Hill 60, about
fifteen yards distant from where the Germans had entrenched themselves.
So close were they, in fact, that Dwyer says he could actually hear
them ‘talking their lingo.’ His section had suffered severely, and
Dwyer risked his life by tending many of them as best he could. Some
he brought from the open to the side of the trench, leaving the
comparative safety of his position in order to save their lives.
“Then, later on, he heard some one call out: ‘The Germans are coming!’
“He looked through a spy-hole in the parapet and saw a number of the
enemy creeping silently and stealthily across the intervening space
between the trenches.
“Like the methodical soldier he is, Dwyer had kept a number of hand
grenades, some fifty, all ready to fire.
“Thus provided, he gallantly sprang on to the parapet of the trench.
The Germans were creeping forward, thinking to surprise the British,
but they had reckoned without Lance-Corporal Dwyer. He stood fully
exposed to their fire, and threw his deadly missiles steadily and with
excellent effect. For five minutes this eighteen-year-old hero stood
all alone hurling grenade after grenade at the oncoming foe.
“The Germans, led by an officer, showed great stubbornness. Had they
known that a lad of eighteen alone was guarding the trench, they would
have doubtless redoubled their efforts to capture it. Young Dwyer kept
throwing his grenades. He had now sent twenty into the ranks of the
enemy; now he had used up thirty. At this juncture the officer who was
leading the Germans was hit, and this loss seemed to damp the ardor of
the attackers.
“Dwyer, however, began to show the first signs of uneasiness. His
stock of grenades was fast running out. He had only half a dozen
left, soon these had each found a target. Then in the nick of time
reinforcements arrived, and the trench was saved. Dwyer alone had saved
the situation.”