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Bible that Saved Soldier’s Life by Blocking German Bullet for Sale
The Bible, still marked by a bullet hole, is expected to fetch about £1,200 after saving Private John William Webb in World War I.
- Hansons Auctioneers will sell a WWI British soldier's Bible on May 27 in Etwall, Derbys., expected to fetch more than $1,600. The regulation-issue book famously stopped a bullet aimed at the soldier's chest during 1918 combat.
- On October 24, 1918, Private John William Webb carried the Bible in his tunic pocket during an assault on Vendegies, France. The book intercepted a bullet at page 685, saving his life during sustained machine-gun fire.
- Webb survived the war, serving until 1919 and receiving the British War Medal and Victory Medal. Matt Crowson, auctioneer's militaria specialist, said: "He returned home to Gloucestershire, living a long life that spanned both world wars, and died in March 1963 at the age of 85."
- Crowson added that Bibles like Webb's were known as "soldiers' Bibles"—pocket-sized New Testaments designed to fit uniform pockets. Many soldiers prized them as lucky talismans as much as scripture.
- Webb served with the 2/6th Battalion of the Royal Warwickshire Regiment, a unit with strong ties to Birmingham and the Midlands. The Bible's current owner acquired it 20 years ago from an elderly collector, emerging 108 years after the 1918 battle.
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The 'Soldiers Bible' that saved a WWI soldier's life is set for auction
The Bible, which stopped a bullet aimed at Private John William Webb's chest during World War One, will go under the hammer at Hansons Auctioneers and is expected to fetch around £1,200 when it is sold on May 27
·Birmingham, United Kingdom
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Bible that saved soldier’s life by blocking Germarn bullet for sale
This Bible saved the life of a WWI British soldier by stopping a bullet aimed at his chest. (Hansons Auctioneers via SWNS) By Ed Chatterton A Bible that stopped a bullet and saved the life of a WWI British soldier could make thousands at auction after coming to light 108 years on. Private John William Webb was carrying the Bible in his tunic pocket when he faced an avalanche of machine gun fire in France in 1918. But the regulation-issue book, w…
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Leaning Left0Leaning Right4Center5Last UpdatedBias Distribution56% Center
Bias Distribution
- 56% of the sources are Center
56% Center
C 56%
R 44%
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