The Three Musketeers

Monday 23rd November 1914: Our correspondent in the north of France reports: “Three privates of the Bedfordshire Regiment, with whom I talked today, had a remarkable story to tell of their experiences during the past few weeks. With twelve others they were captured by the Germans after an engagement on the outskirts of a hamlet near Ypres. They were taken to the German lines and for fifteen days were made to dig trenches under heavy shell fire. At night they were roped together in bands of five and were guarded by two sentries”.

“They managed to get free during the night and after knocking down and stunning their guards they fled for the open country. They were fired upon when running away in the darkness by German snipers, but after feigning to have been shot they succeeded in reaching the main road to Veurne”.

“Their troubles, however, were not ended when they had cleared the German lines. They had been stripped of portions of their uniforms, and all their badges had been torn off by the enemy. The Belgian peasants not unnaturally took them to be spies. It was not, indeed, until after the three men had spent a night in the lock up at Veurne that they were able to establish their identity and the truth of their story”.

Source: Luton News 5th December 1914