THE MIRACLE OF LE CATEAU

Evening Star, Issue 16993, 15 March 1919, Page 10

THE MIRACLE OF LE CATEAU

BRITISH SOLDIER WHO WAS HIDDEN FOR FOUR YEARS. Here is the miraculous story of a British soldier at Le Gateau, says Mr H. Russell Stannard in the ' Weekly Dispatch.' It is the story of what happened to a cavalryman named Fowler, who was cut off when General Sir Horace Smith Dorrien's army made its great stand at Le Gateau on August 26, 1914. On that date, over four years ago, Fowler was separated from his comrades in a fight in a wood, and he was given up for lost. On October 9, when the British Army entered Lo Gateau again, they found Fowler still alive. Ho had ben concealed from the Germans all this time. He owes his deliverance to the wonderful courage and heroism of a French villager and his wife, who safely protected him all these four years. This is the story as related by a British officer: —• Fowler was one of a party of A Squadron, that wtis cut off after the battle of Le Gateau. On January 15. 1915, he was discovered ill and dying of starvation in a wood called tht Bois de Otigm, close to tho \ilhco ot Beitiv 'Lho name ot Me mui who found him wis loms Bii(|iiin. Ho btought him buk In nig' t to th. \i!lige undett td bv the litim-iis Ht ad ed Ins mothu tn ltw Mine Belmont Uobtit. to look ttter lini Not ntl t iiidm_, the temble lisk she agreed to do thii

The hou-o the c bi>ve Trench people hsed in consisted of onlv two looms mtl a It t J his lott dm ng the gieitti pan of the time ni' octupitd b\ lo dinnm* To tuo mot ths ro\ltt w t-, torn tl d m t, in dl tttp 1 oxid whtio ho could pi-t si litinihtd up md lit could mil, et out th ng tho shut pi d tLip mg bttwiui tie \ tttv ct unmans muting out md ttnthei put in uh ng in lit then t\it-l-ed lnin-tl* b\ si ipt n md jimipin ' n tht loft Tot dt\s ttgithci he lav undtr t mttttess ilu ctntit put ot whitii hj d bet it hollo\ td out U <tl l tunes he and in t sm dl rhep holt titidei tho slit with i bisket ot pot does tVti Itlit id 1) rug tht nght tht (-itimans utd 11 emt down md stt tl tht pot itoc- \li tht Ime lis piettttois ntvtt li ilnl 1i n llttv weir ptiitta si in n, lut iit\ti fnit I to -naro with him whtt lilt i too 1 tl t \ hj id V tttp id ot the s, nte te intent w'i e ii inui hj s net vet bttn tiatul nd who hi! il 0 isr pod tlttccti m \ -.d (tuiil tit is tltnou ,ni d 1 j t'i nt i md shot lit w ut in vio hj u lit lid ih i him hid nt hit tit oil mil wis tiktn mi into r.itman Sm hi nevti Ixtn heaid ot -iuk aid In th sm i 1 child it n wi te, Ittt tl \ ' i t i t i\ lh\ weie kokttl iltti 1 tin \ till ' the Milage In ill tl i i I(iir\en 'tu i lived tin imt lttt tn 1 with in wish in ti ptosftcfc ct nw i 1 tx cjit th it it n slant <lt tth oi mipiisi nn 11 I it dtpoiti tint ne-o ihvottl Tiinih i> ]lt n\ l tel t\e Ith n ino t l the kin t th vli id pionn td t_> protect \\ 1t 11 I stw 1 i ins 1 u quill II w i 1 mg m htd chug o em ti unlit n Hi i t showed in i 11 hj tin btaulitu 1 jitli tt m t t tin lit nth ] pit Mt n lei i vou h\t i (thing to t ml me *Y i I u te o ill t) hht in mv oiintn ml T w htel to do ntv dtitv 1 could do nj It