"LUCKY"

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2729, 25 March 1916, Page 9

"LUCKY"

There is a man in a London Territorial battery who has been nick-named "Lucky"—just that. His story comes to the London "Evening News" from Gunner A. King, a Londoner in the same battery. Gunner King has had hairbreadth escapes himself. One day a shell knocked his dinner out of his hand. Another day he had a. cart shot from under him, and suffered only a bruise or two.

But "Lucky" is luckier still. "If ho hadn't been one of my own pals, and I knew the facts," said Gunner Kinj;, "I might- not have believed the story myself,' oven after what I've, seen. It jnst shows what a charmed life some fellows liad."

In the beginning the _ man called Lucky was badly wounded in the breast and shoulder. He had to be abandoned. He crawled to a partly demolished cottage. And the cottage soon afterwards fell into the hands of the Germans.

"The next thing ho knew," said Gunner King, "was that a German was coming for him with a bayonet to finish him off. But just as the German was going to strike,- a German officer checked him, and knelt down and himself bound up 'LuckyV wound. You do find German officers decent occasionally.

"When he loft he placed a sentry at the door, and told »ny pal lio'd be treated as a prisoner."

Later in the day the British recaptured tho cottage ruins. "Lucky" was put on an ambulance. And then hiß adventures began.

"The ambulance was wrecked. He was the only survivor.

"Ho lay in "a ditch on the roadside. Then a transport Wagon picked him up. Again ho started for the base.

"But tho driver of the wagon was killed by a shell. Another man who took charge had to transfer 'Lucky' to another wagon to' complete the journey." . ''

He got into hospital. Just when he was beginning to recover, tho hospital was shelled.' Finally he was transferred to London.

"Just to round it off," added King, "he was sent when convalescent to a house at L .in the middle of October. and it had part of tho Toof demolished, and all the windows smashed in the Zeppelin raid. But they couldn't hurt "Lucky." ..: ■ "

"Now;lie's _back at the l front.; Very few people- believe what I tell them about him. ' But it's iust as I've said."