A British soldier claimed a bullet-ridden bible saved his life during World War One when he was attacked by a German machine-gun. Private Leslie Friston, who served with the Royal Army Medical Corps, was blinded and left with respiratory problems following a gas attack in 1917. But it could have been so much worse if it wasn’t for a bible he kept at this bed side.
Mr Friston, from Surbiton, Surrey, told his daughter Ena Thompson the book saved his life as it took the brunt of the attack. She still has the bible, which was left with two bullet holes, after her dad brought it home from war. Mrs Thompson, from Bournemouth, Dorset, said: ‘If the bullets had landed just a few inches further towards him, he would not have survived – and I wouldn’t be here today. ‘He was incredibly lucky and I think he knew this as he kept the bible with him for the rest of his life.’
She paid tribute to the First World War generation as part of the Royal British Legion’s 2018 Poppy Appeal. Mr Friston had served as a nurse in the 3/3rd Home Counties Field Ambulance unit. Mrs Thompson added: ‘When I hold the bible I just get a special feeling. ‘It might sound a bit strange but it makes me feel comfortable and happy. It’s a nice feeling that it saved his life. It makes me feel close to him. Mr Friston opened up a grocery shop after he returned from the war, which claimed the life of his 19-year-old brother Edward. Mrs Thompson also has other members of her family who served in the military, including her late husband Neville Thompson and her daughter Monica Spiers.
