With his regiment weak with hunger and short of ammunition, William Davies knew there was only one way to save himself and his fellow soldiers. In an extraordinary act of bravery, the bombardier crawled across No Man’s Land and into the German trenches in the dead of night to steal rations for his World War I comrades. A few weeks later, he lost an arm and a leg in a German attack, but despite his injuries, miraculously survived for four days in the freezing mud, before being rescued by American medics from the Allied Army. Hero: William Davies who crawled into a German trench to steal food for his friends in World War One. A few weeks later, he lost an arm and a leg in a German attack. He is pictured with his wife Mary . The act epitomised the courage of Mr Davies, his granddaughter Cathy Alderson said, who never once complained about his war time experience or injuries. Although he received three war medals, Mr Davies’ bravery was never formally recognised and she has decided to tell his story for the first time ahead of the 65th anniversary of his death next week. ‘He was an extraordinary man,’ Mrs Alderson said. ‘A real character, but very self-effacing. ‘His comrades used to come to see him after the war and talk about what he did, but he was always of the attitude that he had been left with no choice, someone had to get a grip of the situation. ‘There’s been a lot this year about the 100th anniversary of the Great War and honouring those who died, everyone is touched by their stories. Stoic: Cathy Alderson from Stoneycroft, Liverpool, says he never once complained about his war time experience or injuries. Although he received three war medals, Mr Davies’ bravery was never formally recognised and she has decided to tell his story for the first time ahead of the 65th anniversary of his death . ‘But it also struck me that there were a lot of men who came back that suffered terribly and had to scrape together a living. My grandfather was one of those and I wanted to tell his story to coincide with the anniversary of his death next week.’ Born in Kirkdale, Liverpool, in 1881, Mr Davies was 34, married and a father to seven children by the time he was called up with the Royal Field Artillery, in 1915. His fellow soldiers quickly nicknamed him ‘Bunloaf’, after the traditional fruit cake he was sent from home by his ‘nanny’ that he generously shared out in the trenches. But by February 1918, as the war neared its end, food on the frontline were scarce and Mr Davies’ regiment were starved of rations. Despite his injuries, Mr Davies quickly re-adjusted to civilian life and started selling the Liverpool Echo from a pitch outside the Adelphi hotel for 20 years . ‘His regiment were stuck for food and ammunition,’ Mrs Alderson said. ‘He crawled all the way over to the German trenches to steal what they needed, and then crawled back. ‘He did it under the cover of darkness, he had to crawl quietly on his stomach, elbows and knees under lines and lines of barbed wire. He said he could hear the Germans talking but took what he could, stuffed it under his battle dress and crawled back. It must have taken a great deal of courage.’ A few weeks later, the regiment was situated close to the infamous Somme, which claimed so many British lives, when the Battle of St Quentin began. More than a million shells rained down on the Allied positions, in some of the heaviest German bombing of the war. Describing the moment which would change her grandfather’s life forever, Mrs Alderson said: ‘He was holding two horses and a copy of Tit-Bit magazine. ‘The magazine had fallen to the floor, and he bent down to pick it up. As he did so a shell crashed down which blew up his horses and the two officers stood up right next to him - taking his left arm and lower leg with them.’ As he lay motionless amid the destruction, a German soldier tried to ‘finish him off’ by stabbing a bayonet in Mr Davies’ neck, she added. Mrs Davies was sent a telegram to say her husband was presumed dead, but incredibly he survived. ‘Four days later some young American medical volunteers were sent in to pick up the corpses,’ Mrs Alderson, a retired Macmillan nurse, said. ‘Miraculously, when they picked William up, they saw his eyes flickering. He must have been hypothermic, as the body can sometimes last much longer when it’ s freezing cold.’ He was initially taken to an American field hospital because he was wearing an American uniform, having discarded his own after a mustard gas attack. What remained of his leg was amputated at the mid-thigh, and he was sent home to be rehabilitated at Alder Hey Hospital, Liverpool. Despite his injuries, Mr Davies quickly re-adjusted to civilian life and started selling the local newspaper, the Liverpool Echo, from a pitch outside the famous Adelphi hotel for 20 years. Mr Davies and his wife also had four more children, including Mrs Alderson’s mother, Veronica, and her twin in 1919. Mr Davies wartime experience, however, never left him and he died aged 68 on December 9 1949 of lung problems caused by exposure to mustard gas.
William Davies bravely snuck into German trench in the dead of night .
His comrades were starving, so he undertook the daring mission .
Weeks later, a German attack robbed him of his arm and a leg .
He survived for four days in freezing mud before he was rescued .
The bombardier never complained about ordeal and worked his whole life .
Now his granddaughter is leading a tribute to the heroic former soldier .
With his regiment weak with hunger and short of ammunition, William Davies knew there was only one way to save himself and his fellow soldiers. In an extraordinary act of bravery, the bombardier crawled across No Man’s Land and into the German trenches in the dead of night to steal rations for his World War I comrades. A few weeks later, he lost an arm and a leg in a German attack, but despite his injuries, miraculously survived for four days in the freezing mud, before being rescued by American medics from the Allied Army. Hero: William Davies who crawled into a German trench to steal food for his friends in World War One. A few weeks later, he lost an arm and a leg in a German attack. He is pictured with his wife Mary . The act epitomised the courage of Mr Davies, his granddaughter Cathy Alderson said, who never once complained about his war time experience or injuries. Although he received three war medals, Mr Davies’ bravery was never formally recognised and she has decided to tell his story for the first time ahead of the 65th anniversary of his death next week. ‘He was an extraordinary man,’ Mrs Alderson said. ‘A real character, but very self-effacing. ‘His comrades used to come to see him after the war and talk about what he did, but he was always of the attitude that he had been left with no choice, someone had to get a grip of the situation. ‘There’s been a lot this year about the 100th anniversary of the Great War and honouring those who died, everyone is touched by their stories. Stoic: Cathy Alderson from Stoneycroft, Liverpool, says he never once complained about his war time experience or injuries. Although he received three war medals, Mr Davies’ bravery was never formally recognised and she has decided to tell his story for the first time ahead of the 65th anniversary of his death . ‘But it also struck me that there were a lot of men who came back that suffered terribly and had to scrape together a living. My grandfather was one of those and I wanted to tell his story to coincide with the anniversary of his death next week.’ Born in Kirkdale, Liverpool, in 1881, Mr Davies was 34, married and a father to seven children by the time he was called up with the Royal Field Artillery, in 1915. His fellow soldiers quickly nicknamed him ‘Bunloaf’, after the traditional fruit cake he was sent from home by his ‘nanny’ that he generously shared out in the trenches. But by February 1918, as the war neared its end, food on the frontline were scarce and Mr Davies’ regiment were starved of rations. Despite his injuries, Mr Davies quickly re-adjusted to civilian life and started selling the Liverpool Echo from a pitch outside the Adelphi hotel for 20 years . ‘His regiment were stuck for food and ammunition,’ Mrs Alderson said. ‘He crawled all the way over to the German trenches to steal what they needed, and then crawled back. ‘He did it under the cover of darkness, he had to crawl quietly on his stomach, elbows and knees under lines and lines of barbed wire. He said he could hear the Germans talking but took what he could, stuffed it under his battle dress and crawled back. It must have taken a great deal of courage.’ A few weeks later, the regiment was situated close to the infamous Somme, which claimed so many British lives, when the Battle of St Quentin began. More than a million shells rained down on the Allied positions, in some of the heaviest German bombing of the war. Describing the moment which would change her grandfather’s life forever, Mrs Alderson said: ‘He was holding two horses and a copy of Tit-Bit magazine. ‘The magazine had fallen to the floor, and he bent down to pick it up. As he did so a shell crashed down which blew up his horses and the two officers stood up right next to him - taking his left arm and lower leg with them.’ As he lay motionless amid the destruction, a German soldier tried to ‘finish him off’ by stabbing a bayonet in Mr Davies’ neck, she added. Mrs Davies was sent a telegram to say her husband was presumed dead, but incredibly he survived. ‘Four days later some young American medical volunteers were sent in to pick up the corpses,’ Mrs Alderson, a retired Macmillan nurse, said. ‘Miraculously, when they picked William up, they saw his eyes flickering. He must have been hypothermic, as the body can sometimes last much longer when it’ s freezing cold.’ He was initially taken to an American field hospital because he was wearing an American uniform, having discarded his own after a mustard gas attack. What remained of his leg was amputated at the mid-thigh, and he was sent home to be rehabilitated at Alder Hey Hospital, Liverpool. Despite his injuries, Mr Davies quickly re-adjusted to civilian life and started selling the local newspaper, the Liverpool Echo, from a pitch outside the famous Adelphi hotel for 20 years. Mr Davies and his wife also had four more children, including Mrs Alderson’s mother, Veronica, and her twin in 1919. Mr Davies wartime experience, however, never left him and he died aged 68 on December 9 1949 of lung problems caused by exposure to mustard gas.
ammunition, William Davies knew there was only the German trenches in the dead of night to steal later, he lost an arm and a leg in a German survived for four days in the freezing mud, into a German trench to steal food for his lost an arm and a leg in a German attack. He is character, but very self-effacing. ‘His comrades Liverpool, says he never once complained about