Optatius Buyssens was a Belgian soldier who fought the Germans during World War I.
His great grandson, Vincent Buyssens, just found out that he had six coins to thank for saving – and endangering – his great-grandfather’s life during the war.
Vincent Buyssens, who lives in Antwerp, said the coins stopped a bullet and saved his great-grandfather’s life. He posted a picture of the three Belgian francs and three French francs on Reddit.
“Ironically, the coins were the reason why he got shot,” Buyssens said. “It was the noise of them clinging together in his breast pocket which gave his position away.”
Optatius Buyssens was initially barred from the army because of a hip injury but eventually joined as a volunteer. He was shot during a scouting mission in September 1914 near Lebbeke, Belgium.
The German soldier who shot him kicked his head and Optatius Buyssens pretended to be dead. Once the soldier walked away, Buyssens and another comrade crawled to safety.
![Optatius Buyssens, a WWI soldier.](https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/181113115220-wwi-coins-save-soldier-trnd-04.jpg?q=x_0,y_0,h_900,w_1599,c_fill)
Optatius Buyssens, a WWI soldier.
Courtesy of Vincent Buyssens
“He was very lucky since the bullet that should have killed him ricocheted off of the coins, thus saving his life,” Vincent Buyssens told CNN.
He said it wasn’t until recently that he discovered the whole story about the coins in a journal kept by his great-grandfather’s brother, who was an avid archivist. Buyssens said he received photos of the journal from a local museum.
Optatius Buyssens survived the war and died of heart disease in the 1950s, according to his great grandson.
“The letters were the missing piece that we didn’t know existed until today,” he said. “And they were kept in a museum just behind the corner.”
News
BREAKING NEWS: Midsomer Murders replaced in ITV schedules
Midsomer Murders replaced in ITV schedules by another crime drama – despite star’s plea to bosses ITV has announced a scheduling shake-up, much to the disappointment of…
Midsomer Murders viewers seriously $h0cked after spotting major change to fan-favourite
Midsomer Murders viewers seriously distracted after spotting major change to fan-favourite – but did you notice? MIDSOMER Murder fans have remarked on the astonishing change they noticed…
‘Grace’ fans are very angry, demanding the ITV station to answer for the disappearance of the series
‘Where is it?’ demand ITV viewers after hit crime drama’s fourth series is kept off screens ITV viewers have been left wondering where the fourth season of…
Nineties TV icon, 56, unrecognisable 23 years after hit show as she appears on TV
Nineties TV icon, 56, unrecognisable 23 years after hit show as she appears on US TV A NINETIES TV icon looked unrecognisable 23 years after her hit…
Meghan Markle makes heartbreaking plea amid Royal Family feud in viral video
Meghan Markle makes heartbreaking plea amid Royal Family feud in viral video Meghan Markle made headlines after her bombshell interview with Oprah Winfrey after she quit as…
Prince Harry opens up about pain of losing his mother Diana in new emotinal video
Prince Harry opens up about pain of losing his mother Diana in new emotional video in which he urges young people who have lost a parent to…
End of content
No more pages to load