Phyllis Brown
War is a canvas painted with both heartbreaking stories and miraculous moments, where soldiers walk on the razor’s edge of life and death.
Tales abound of bullets that miraculously miss vital organs, bombs that explode mere feet away, and acts of bravery that defy all odds.
These extraordinary instances highlight the fragile line between survival and tragedy on the battlefield. One such incredible story is that of a young soldier named Leslie Friston, whose life was saved by an unlikely hero: a Bible.
How the Bible saved Leslie Friston
A British World War I soldier was miraculously saved by a Bible that stopped a German machine gun’s fire. This story comes from the veteran’s daughter, who shared that her father carried this scarred Bible with him for the rest of his life.
This Bible belonged to Private Leslie Friston, a nurse with the Royal Army Medical Corps, as reported by Sky News. In 1917, after a gas attack left 23-year-old Friston blind and struggling to breathe, he was recovering in a temporary hospital.
During this time, a German plane fired on the building. Two bullets pierced the roof and hit the Bible on his bedside table.
Friston’s daughter, Ena Thompson, now 87, recalls, “He said the Bible saved his life as it took the brunt of the attack. If the bullets had landed just a few inches further towards him, he would not have survived — and I wouldn’t be here today.”
Just like Leslie Friston, countless men answered the call to serve at a very young age. They sacrificed their dreams and left their homes, families, and aspirations behind them.
In 1914, Britain had 5.5 million men ready for military service, with 500,000 more turning 18 each year.
Remarkably, around 250,000 underage boys also volunteered, often lying about their age or using false names. These brave boys were always turned away if their deception was discovered.
The Bible became a vivid historical witness
This Bible offers a glimpse into the war, especially as the world remembers the end of World War I on November 11.
At the start of 1914, the British Army had about 710,000 men, including reserves. Out of these, around 80,000 were professional soldiers ready for war.
By the end of the war, almost 25% of the men in the United Kingdom and Ireland had joined the military.
Of these, 2.67 million volunteered, and 2.77 million were conscripted, although many of these would have volunteered anyway. The number of recruits each month varied greatly.
World War I resulted in nearly 1.7 million British troops being wounded and over 700,000 killed, with a total of six million British troops mobilized.
The war caused 13 million military deaths and left 21 million more wounded, making it one of the deadliest wars in history.
Friston survived the war, regained his eyesight, and later ran a grocery store in southwest London. He passed away in 1958 at 64 years old.
Thompson, who now keeps the Bible, shared, “He was incredibly lucky, and I think he knew this as he kept the Bible with him for the rest of his life. It still has his name and service number in it.
When I hold the Bible, I get a special feeling. It makes me feel comfortable and happy. It’s a nice feeling that it saved his life. It makes me feel close to him.”
Thompson recently shared her father’s story during the Royal British Legion’s 2018 Poppy Appeal ahead of Armistice Day.
“It’s hard to imagine what the world would be like if things had gone differently all those years ago,” she said. “We owe it to that generation to remember their sacrifices.”
Other soldiers’ Bibles have also gained attention. In 2016, the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia acquired a rare Bible from the Battle of Bunker Hill.
This King James Bible, inscribed by American soldier Francis Merrifield, to thank God for sparing his life in the bloody 1775 battle.
