The Magic Bullet

Todays blip is an almost perfectly preserved bullet fired from a German Mauser 98 almost 100 years ago.

In 1916, Corporal Fred Greaves was shot, the bullet entering his upper thigh, missing bones and major arteries. He was lucky and lived to fight another day

In 1917, Fred Greaves was awarded the Victoria Cross for gallantry.

The bullet was never removed at the time and it took 36 years for it to make its way to the surface of the skin. Whilst working down the pit, Fred was climbing into a coal wagon and winced with discomfort. Fred remarked to his workmates that it was his bullet and they believed he was joking.

Fred visited the hospital later that day, had the bullet removed and kept it as a memento.

To me, the bullet is a sobering illustration and potent symbol of the fragility of life in warfare and that whether you lived or died was down to whether Lady Luck was smiling down on you.