Spiritualism, Superstition and the Supernatural During the First World War
The number thirteen has a long history in superstition. Usually considered an unlucky number, thirteen could also be seen as lucky, especially during the psychological intensity of fighting during the First World War.
The Thirteenth Casualty, A Story of Luck During the First World War The number thirteen had followed Joe Cassells through the First World War. First at Dixmude, then at La Bassée and when ‘crossing the bar,’ now the number would crop up a final and fateful time. From what I can tell, Cassells was still […]
Could Unlucky Thirteen Be This First World War Soldier’s Lucky Number? Joe Cassells and his unusual relationship with the number thirteen during the First World War were not over after the strange events at Dixmude and La Bassée. The Black Watch scout had another tale to tell and this one, more than the others, was […]
Soldier Joe Cassells, a scout with the Black Watch, told several stories of how he came to regard thirteen as his lucky number. Trench superstitions were rife during the First World War, but whereas most people think of thirteen as unlucky, a series of strange coincidences and events convinced Cassells that thirteen would always bring him good fortune.
Joe Cassells, a soldier in the First World War, tells of a strange coincidence concerning the number thirteen on the Western Front. Cassells would come to believe that thirteen was his lucky number.