Brave or foolhardy? It was an extraordinary story revealed by Lance-Cpl F. Howe, of the 1st Bedfords, in a letter published in the Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph on February 20th, 1915.

The newspaper put the incident down to an example of the gallantry and courage of the Bedfordshire Regiment, when Lance-Cpl Howe told of the extermination of a nest of German snipers.

He wrote: "One night the Bedfords were greatly troubled by snipers who had occupied a house some distance off. The Major took 24 men and approached the house. Then, telling his men to keep under cover, he boldly went up to the house himself.

"He was fired at point-blank from the window, but fortunately the shot missed him. What should he do then but enter the house and converse with the snipers in German. They were a craven lot, and on the Major demanding to know what they were doing there, they said they were looking for water.

"The Germans permitted the British officer to go away unharmed, but afterwards they sounded a bugle and brought up reinforcements from their own lines.

"The Major let the Germans all get inside, then had the house set on fire. As the Germans ran out the Bedfords shot them down.

"The nest of snipers was cleared out and a good number of Germans killed at the cost of only five casualties."

[Source: Beds & Herts Saturday Telegraph, February 20th, 1915]