WW1 Mystery Solved (1 of 3)

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understandinguncertainty.org was produced by the Winton programme for the public understanding of risk based in the Statistical Laboratory in the University of Cambridge. The aim was to help improve the way that uncertainty and risk are discussed in society, and show how probability and statistics can be both useful and entertaining.

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Two weeks ago I was asked if I could shed any light on how a photographer was killed in the First World War, as the man served in the same squadron as my grandfather. Only the week before, I had received a CD of an old tape recording I had made of my grandmother remininscing in 1965 (the tape was ageing and I'd been meaning to find someone to convert the tape for years). Upon listening to the recording, I was amazed to find that my grandmother had described in detail the bombing incident in which the photographer and several other men had been killed. The men in one of the huts had decided to swap sides for the night. My grandfather refused however and stayed where he was. A bomb from a German aircraft scored a direct hit on the hut and all the men who swapped sides were killed, including the photographer. When I provided the full account, I was given a photograph of a menu card. To learn more about this coinicence, you will have to read 'WW1 Mystery Solved (2 of 3)!
Total votes: 203
Date submitted:Sun, 15 Jan 2012 22:13:10 +0000Coincidence ID:4932