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Gnr. Leonard Shannon
British Army 3rd Bde Royal Field Artillery
from:Lichfield, Staffordshire
My Grandfather, Leonard Shannon enlisted by lying about his age as he was not yet 17. He served until he was terribly wounded by being blown out of a gun pit in about May of 1918. His first vague memory was waking up being placed in a line up of soldiers who had died. The next time he awoke he was in a hospital in Rouen in the psychiatric ward. He had two pieces of shrapnel hit him in the head. One piece took his right eye and one lodged in his skull above and behind his right ear.
In a letter some nine years later he described his injuries as follows: "I was badly wounded in the war. I had eleven shrapnel wounds, one in the left arm, 2 in the right leg, one in the left hip, 2 in the right arm, 5 in the stomach and one in the head. I still carry the one in the head and it gives me considerable trouble." He failed to mention that the shrapnel that hit his head also took his right eye. He was just 22 years old when he was injured. He did recover, married, immigrated to Canada and had three children. He always was and always will be my hero!
