A CHRISTIAN BURIAL.

Stratford Evening Post, Volume XXX, Issue 36, 17 May 1916, Page 6

A CHRISTIAN BURIAL.

A TRENCH INCIDENT. It occurred during a particularly had night. The water in our trench was a foot deep,, and the enemy’s hue only a lew yards off. Just as the last light of day was merging into a specially dark night, one of our men was hit by three bombs at the same.-.instant, and ’ was killed. We picked him up, and put him on a waterproof Sheet. Though we were all used to the tearfulness of war, this lad’s death seemed particularly hard, for we loved him. It hit each one of ns in that trench right behind the throat, so to speak. He was so young, so. good, of fine, high spirits, and he had always set us such a Christian example. To bury the young fellow was full of big i isk-., for the enemy had our place well marked, and all- night their - rifles swept the thW'trenches. All the same, a small party of us dug 4 hole on the top; a few yaidsin fropt of our trench, and we placed the dead ,]pd in it. Then the astounding and 'tin ique Thirtg happened; Our * sergeant ordered us all back, into the trenches, but lie remained ibehind alone by the grave. “Boys,” we heard him say, ,“our dead comrade was , a true Christum. ‘lnrf'T’m going to see lie gets proper Christian burial, for lie deserves.Rl ” . .jAfid, would you bq’lieve it?—l can handy realise it even now—our brave sergeant stood up amidst that awful hail of lead from the Germans, and calmly and touchingly read all the burial service over our dead comrade, just as if it were an. graveside! Bullets peit•ed foliM and over him. He read the sfcrvice quietly, and with deep reverehce. 'AAnd-rafij Dm . not ashamed to t' i {oo—inaiiy 6f‘ us Who" bad übvor grayed for years joined,-in, as Well a|fwe caull,H\ftb hibi,. often saving the words' hHer 'him right to tfjf .eqd. f Hi did us power of good. Tim gi-andlHlravp.,'serge:)n't! Not; -a single btdlet fcgjrer , touched ■* him ! It. was m ntf raclcy-jthathf all I can say ! i!l ’W‘e are all evmit.|yet impressed by this, for unless aixgbls gir-irdecl, him. it ■ scorns ait'-* terly s ip°spil>l e‘ to tell bow ho esciiped.—From the “Sunday 'at Home” for March. ' *