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World War 1 One ww1 wwII greatwar great 1914 1918 first battalion regiment
L/Cpl. David Brain
British Army 9th Btn. Sherwood Foresters
from:Derby
David Brain volunteered in 1914. He was a sniper, landing with first wave at Suvla Bay to cover landings and evacuating with the last of the rearguard. Mostly his duties were shooting out resistors on the telegraph line along the ridge behind Turkish lines. During service in Egypt, he was briefly attached to the Camel Corps. He found riding camels most uncomfortable. Thence to the Somme, on counter sniper work in no man's land.
On 23rd of September 1916 he took out a German sniper who had been causing a spot of bother, after spending 3 days in a prepared location in a crater covering one of the firing points the enemy sniper swapped between. He went in with his bayonet fixed to finish him off. He found the enemy very severely wounded. He had shot at the muzzle flash, and his bullet had travelled along the length of the K98, tearing up most of the enemy's right shoulder, forearm and wrist. As the enemy sniper was now maimed for life, he stuck the shattered K98 up above the crater and summoned a German stretcher party. He figured valuable enemy resources would be used treating him, while otherwise he'd be just listed as missing in the mud of no man's land. No one on either side knew they were there. Well, that was his excuse when given a rocketing for not just letting his opponent live, but also using his field dressing on anyone but himself. Maybe there was something of "There but for the Grace of God go I" too. It could easily have gone the other way in such a duel.
In 1917 and again on sniper work in no man's land he was shot at by hostile aircraft strafing trenches and positions. He was hidden from ground observers, but not from the air. He was gassed but recovered. David was severely injured at Polygon Wood, this time some of his right arm was blown off by a shell, with shrapnel all through his body. He was evacuated to Blighty, spending over a year in a military hospital recovering from wounds till early 1919.
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