tharkin56 Posted 15 January , 2011 Share Posted 15 January , 2011 Heres a photo of one tobacco box and the accounts from Private Waring who died not make it through the war Also commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial is Private Ernest Edward Waring, B Company who died age 28 on the 14th July 1916. He was the son of Joseph Waring of 22, Lamb Street, Coventry and the husband of Ada Waring, of 24, Moat Street, The Butts, Coventry and worked at Siddeley Deasy. Private Waring was featured in 'The Coventry Graphic' of the 7th May 1915, under a headline of 'Coventry Territorial's Remarkable Escape, Saved by Tobacco Box'. The Cigarette Box that saved Private Waring From the front, Ernest had sent to 'The Coventry Graphic' a parcel containing a tobacco box, a German bullet and an exciting account of how the tobacco box saved him from being fatally wounded by the bullet. Private Waring said "I was struck by the bullet on the morning of April 16th and there is little doubt that the box of tobacco saved my life. It happened about 7.00am, we had some trouble with a German sniper ever since daylight, and a very good shot he was. He had hit the top of the sandbags about six times and each time he sent a shower of dirt right into our breakfast. Everyone of his shots hit about the same place. After a time he slackened a little, so I, being the duty sentry at the time, got the periscope to look over the parapet and see if I could locate his position. I could not see him, but he must have seen the top of the periscope, for just as I was going to get down to the bottom of the trench a shot came right through the parapet and struck me over the right breast. It hit a tobacco box I was carrying in my pocket, then struck downwards through my two shirts and just caught my ribs. I was bowled clean over. I thought at the time that the bullet had entered my body, as it could not be found. I had to wait all day and until dark before being able to go out and see the doctor; but when he had examined the wound he assured me it was only a scratch. I was able to walk back to our billets (a large barn) and next morning I found the bullet in my sock, where it had fallen during the night" The photograph included in 'The Coventry Graphic' shows how the bullet ripped up the side of the box. By a fortunate chance the missile struck the box exactly on the narrow strip where the lid overlaps and forms a double layer of metal. The bullet hitting this sideways partly tore it away, but in doing so expended its force. Had the bullet hit the side of the box at right angles it would probably have passed right through and made a severe wound. The tobacco box with the side ripped open by the bullet which is seen beside it is shown on the previous page, the force of the impact split the end of the bullet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TEW Posted 15 January , 2011 Share Posted 15 January , 2011 Well, I don't want to be the one to be disparaging about Pte. Waring but with what Retlaw says above, how far away was this sniper for a thin bit pf pressed metal to stop the round?? Could it have been a defective round? Was he hit by a ricochet? having stepped down from looking over the parapet? Is it a good sniper's ploy to fire numerous rounds into sandbags thus giving away your position. And with regards to the photo of a round stuck in a coin complete with mud. Assuming this is bona fide it doesn't seem to bode well that it was found on the Somme and not in 'Grandad's Box' with some family story. I do like the idea of people being saved by coins, bibles & things I just wonder how realistic it is. TEW Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Tulloch-Marshall Posted 15 January , 2011 Share Posted 15 January , 2011 Caveat Emptor The item in post # 15 (as many of you are undoubtedly already aware) is “fake”. See the photo below – the same thing, cleaned and seen from a more “obvious” angle. The coin is a modern British two pence piece, which was deliberately used so that there could be no doubt at all that the finished item was not the real deal. That was the point of the exercise – at first glance it had to appear to be plausible; but brought back to civilisation and washed – there had to be no doubt that it was duff. As for the odds against this happening in the real world; – astronomical, I would have thought. Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Tulloch-Marshall Posted 15 January , 2011 Share Posted 15 January , 2011 It was "found on the Somme", by the way. We lost count of the number of times it had to be dropped in his path before he found it though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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