City of London Cemetery & Crematorium, Manor
Park, Essex
On the southern edge of Epping Forest
NEWS ITEM in Jersey Evening Post
of Friday 18 August 1916
Progressing Favourably. We are pleased
to learn that Riflman Vautier, who was recently wounded
and remained five days on the battlefield before being
picked up, is now in hospital in the south of England
and is progressing favourably.
NEWS ITEM in Jersey Evening Post of
Wednesday 30 August 1916
A Soldiers Terrible Experiences - How
Pluck Pulled Him Through. A short time ago Mr Tom Vautier,
formerly a well known schoolmaster in the Island and
now living in London, was notified that his son, Sergeant
J Vautier, one of three in the services, was missing.
On 21st a notification was received that he was in hospital
at Cosham and Mr Vautier was able to visit him there.
"When I saw him," says Mr Vautier in a letter
to his brother Mr John Vautier of Trinity Road, "they
were just dressing him and when the screen was removed
I would not have known him with his matted hair and
whiskers. He is wounded in the right shoulder, his right
lung is perforated and he has wounds in the thigh, leg
and foot. They say he is doing exceedingly well although
his temperature is still rather high but the wounds
are healing cleanly. His getting back to the British
lines he puts down to his Scouts training which gave
him pluck, resource and coolness. In an attack he was
hit in the right leg and got pitched among the wire
entanglements, these gradually sank under his weight
and he stuck without a move until he reached the ground.
He then wriggled free and another shot hit him in the
thigh. He lay still again for a time and again wriggled
away, but his pack impeded him so he cut it off. As
he got it almost free he was again spotted and a grenade
was pitched at him, the pack got the bulk but a splinter
wounded him below the right shoulder and perforated
the lung. With the shot he rolled over and luckily fell
into a shell crater and rolled to the bottom. He collected
a field dressing and plugged the wounds in his thigh,
leg and foot. He cut away his tunic but could not get
at the wound in his shoulder to bandage it properly
so he thought of his jack knife - he plugged the wound
with a dressing and put the loop over his shoulder tightening
it up with the knife, this stopped the bleeding a little.
He knew it was hopeless to think of trying to reach
our lines until the wounds had set and chances were
more even. On the third night he managed for the first
time to reach the top of the crater and for 6 hours
was dragging himself over the intervening 500 yards
to our lines. He shouted and called in and here he is
now in hospital with every hope of recovery."
