During World War One many soldiers claimed that their pocket Bibles had literally saved their lives. This was due to flying bullets and shrapnel piercing their uniform but getting intercepted before it reached their chests by the Bible. The Bible was usually held in a breast pocket. I have so far found eight such reports in newspapers of the time. The most striking one I have found relates to J.V. Salisbury, whose papers I studied in the Special Collections Department at the University of Leeds.
Private J.V. Salisbury served in the Hawke Battalion
of the Royal Naval Division as part of the Medical Unit.
He landed at Helles, Gallipoli on 6th
September 1915 and was evacuated on 7th January 1916.
The incident which led to his Bible being shot
through with shrapnel is described in his diary thus:
Dec
11 1915
Sick
Bay duties. Sick Bay and enlarged
Portion of Trench covered with Tarpaulin,
Turkish shell dropped in Sick Bay.
Doc attending to some sick had his Stethoscope cut in two, all in Bay
wounded I was bandaging a chap with
wounded wrist. The shell exploded beside
us. We were blown down, faces blackened
with the explosion. I had just turned
the chap to get a better light on his wrist, this proved the Salvation for us
both. He was slightly wounded. I got a piece of shell half through the Bible
in my Pocket. Which was much better than
tearing through my guts at such short range.
I
found the best antidote to shock was to carry on with my job & finally we
got the Doc & other chaps off to Hospital.
I was ordered to rest awhile.
Next day, on having a sponge down, I fisked from my legs with a Penknife
a few tiny shell splinters, not worth reporting.
Notes
written later by Salisbury
Why a Bible in one’s Pocket. Well, along with other Christian chaps, we
got group of chaps together for Bible reading, Prayers & Hymn singing. I was C of E.
Some of the others were Methodist or other Christian denominations. When opportunity offered we had H.C. with Padres
of our respective churches. But often we
were closer to the man. Padres were
expected to be good – a Christian in the Ranks was in very close and critical
observation, especially when under fire.
Was he a coward? Did he grab the
best in food, or most comfortable billet.
Did he swear? Did he booze? His behaviour was watched at every turn.
Gallipoli
– a romantic but dangerous experience.
The Greek Isles, with the association of St John, Paul, Samothracia,
Salonica, Patmos all mentioned in the N. Test: were interesting to a Bible
student.
This is a picture I took of Salisbury's Bible, with the piece of shrapnel piercing right through to the Book of Isaiah!
Salisbury wrote the following poem in January 1916,
en route home from Gallipoli:-
Thy clay is soaked with British blood;
‘Twas freely given, that crimson flood,
For freedom’s cause and brotherhood
Gallipoli
Thy deep ravines the graves enfold
Of them who would the right uphold;
Their valiant fight shall e’er be told:
Gallipoli
They stormed thy cliffs and ventured far
From anzac cove and Sedd-el-Bahr,
By sea and land on thee made war:
Gallipoli
Shall we forget their noble deeds,
These sons for whom the Empire bleeds?
Thy corpse strewn shore their memory reads:
Gallipoli
They bravely strove and suffered loss,
Their deeds apparent failure gloss--
Thine is the Crescent, theirs the Cross:
Gallipoli
Nor have they suffered this in Vain,
Tho’ Victory’s prize they did not gain:
Their great example shall remain
Gallipoli
J.V. Salisbury
R.N.D.
Salisbury later retired to New Zealand and donated his papers to the archives in the mid 1970s.
