Six coins in a World War I

Six coins in a World War I

The coins that saved a WWI soldier’s life… after nearly getting him killed:

Belgian soldier Optatius Buyssens gave away his position to German troops when these coins began making a clinking noise in his pocket - but they also saved his life when their bullet ricocheted off them

A blessing (and a curse): Belgian soldier Optatius Buyssens gave away his position to German troops when these coins began making a clinking noise in his pocket – but they also saved his life when their bullet ricocheted off them.

Ironically, the coins were the reason why he got shot,

It was the noise of them clinging together in his breast pocket which gave his position away.

A remarkable tale of how a stack of coins saved the life of a Belgian World War I soldier has been revealed by his great-grandson.

Optatius Buyssens had been carrying some loose change in the breast pocket of his jacket when he went on a reconnaissance mission near the Belgian town of Lebbeke in September 1914.

The clinking noise of the metal in his pocket alerted nearby German troop, but when he came under fire, the bullet ricocheted off the coins, saving his life.

Optatius Buyssens, a WWI soldier.

Lucky escape: After Buyssens was shot, the German soldier who had fired kicked him in the head and left him for dead.