Lt Gen Sir Arthur F Smith, KCB, KBE, DSO, MC, LLD, cited in Practical Christianity Jan – Feb 1958, p3-4, published by the Armed Forces’ Christian Union.
In August 1917, when serving on the staff of the XIV Corps during that particular Ypres offensive, my Corps Commander sent me to Langemark to carry out a reconnaissance. I was approaching the trenches occupied by our most forward troops, when I was caught in a German artillery bombardment. It was not long before there was a terrific bang, something seemed to kick my leg, and I found myself on the ground with the two other staff officers accompanying me, who had also been knocked over by the explosion.
We all tried to get up; my brother officers succeeded, but my effort was not successful, for when I put my leg out, I saw my foot swinging about underneath, apparently connected to the remainder of the leg by little else than puttee. The ‘kick’ had done more damage than I had thought, and quite a respectable portion of my leg had disappeared altogether.
In due course I was conveyed to the dressing station aptly called Mendingem, where I remember my final instruction to the American surgeon before the anaesthetic sent me to sleep was, “Don’t take that foot off, doctor, give it a chance.” My first care when I came to was to ascertain if the surgeon had obeyed my instructions. I looked to see if I still possessed a left foot. There it was. I was glad!
A couple of days later when occupying a bed in No 8 General Hospital at Rouen, the doctor examined me and more or less said, “I can leave your foot on, on chance; but you may get blood-poisoning with fatal results; or I can amputate, and you will get on all right. Let me know tomorrow morning what you feel about it.”
The ultimatum did not disturb me at all. Why should I worry in view of Romans 8:28, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose”?
Later in the day, as I prayed about the situation, I took from the locker my Daily Lighti. I had not the slightest idea in mind at the time of seeing if there was any special message from God in it for me about my wound, and almost casually opened the little book at 19 October. The first words I read were, “The Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.” (Proverbs 3:26). That was sufficient Bible reading for the moment, so I closed the book and thanked God.
I still have my own leg and was passed A1 fit in 1925 and wobbled my way in the Army till I retired in 1948.