The Sole Survivor of WW1

The Sole Survivor of World War OneWorld War One ended on the 11th of November 1918.A few weeks later a diary of an unknown soldier wasdiscovered in a German prison camp. Here is his story.Hi my name is Jim O'Brien, I am from a little town calledCastlecomer in Kilkenny in Ireland. We used to live in Dublinbut my father was in the 1913 lockout so my family got quitepoor and I heard that there was a good wage with the army.It was not worth the wage. I will tell you why that is....On the first day of the war I join up with the flying divisionbecause in 1912 I saw a man called Denis Corbett Wilsonlanding his plane in Conahy Polo Ground. When I came toFrance I met Denis. But in May 1915 he was killed in ascouting mission. Soon after there was an air battle.Everyone in my squad were killed except me....I was given a week's rest until my superiors needed men inthe tank division so I signed up. But here is the sad part wehad a mission we thought we scared the Germans away butit was a trap there was a bog, Black Bess as we called ourtank, drove straight in. Then the Germans open a vent in thetank and threw poison gas in and there was only one gasmask everyone gave it to me. Twenty minutes later theGermans moved on I ran back to the front lines and told mysuperiors what happened....

Then I was sent to the infantry division. We were sent on amission and we got captured now we are in a prison campwe were told that if we ever got captured we wouldn't berescued. It is the 27th of October 1918. We will be killed in 3weeks....Today the sergeant started a prison riot but it failed now weare going to be killed in less than 2 weeks. Since I wasn't inthe riot, I get the \"privilege\" of being killed last....Every day I watch someone else face the firing squad.Always one friend dies and I have to watch them die. Todaysomeone new came into the prison I recognised him. Hewas my brother I've been told I'll be killed on the 12th nowhe'll be killed on the 11th.....It's now my day to face the firing squad I survive because atank blasts into the wall. They kill everyone but the lastGerman throws a grenade it blows up the tank with him....I walked to a little village and everyone is shouting war isover I asked some people when it ended they say the 11th

of November 1918 at 11th hour. I think back to the clock inthe prison camp at the time my brother was killed it said11:01...I'm going to live in that village for the rest of my life. I haveasked some kids to bury this diary in that prison camp. Ihope nobody finds this.By Edward ByrneLisnafunchin National SchoolAge 12