A Blighty One with the Sussex

[lionboxer]

Reading Egberts posts elsewhere on the Forum has spurred me into sharing photos of my wifes grandfathers pocket book which saved his life. We've all heard the stories of bullets being deflected from causing a fatal wound by books, belt buckles etc but to actually hold the said item still stained with blood is something else!! Cpl Fred Lutkin of 11th Sussex formerly Norfolks, had in his breast pocket a leather bound notebook containing a photo of who we believe to be his mother and a picture of Christ when he went into action possibly in the spring of 1918. We have no other details other than the physical evidence of the bullet going through the front of the book causing a neat hole until its ragged hole exit the other side. The bullet tumbled through the pages (now missing) and the pictures of his mother and Christ. The "sting" was taken from the projectile which then changed direction and tore down Freds left forearm causing a wound significant enough for his ticket to Blighty and a disabled pension too. Lionboxer.

[lionboxer]

[lionboxer]