Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Introduction
Francis Derwent Wood is a name not often seen in history text books, movies, or television. For us, this lack of coverage and information seemed unjust considering how much Wood was able to do for World War I veterans. Wood was able to take his own talents and use them to help people, something that all people should strive to do. Our goal in this blog is to honor the memory of Wood and the people he treated, as well as display a hero that has been nearly forgotten by our world.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Biography
The devastation caused by World War I exceeded any and all expectations. In light of the small skirmishes that occurred in the few years before, people were anticipating a quick, efficient war, but they neglected to realize the raw destructive power of the new technology used in warfare. The brutal weapons used in the war left surviving soldiers of artillery strikes or gunshot wounds permanently scarred, often to the extent of losing much of their limbs or even faces. For these people peacetime meant one thing, healing and hope, which, due to the immense numbers of people with similar disfiguring injuries, was on the rise. The sheer numbers of patients in demand of a way to return to their old lives brought about new medical techniques and other more artistic forms of healing. We chose to study Francis Derwent Wood because of his unique approach to helping the victims of such gruesome injuries. Not only was he a gifted artist, but he was also quite compassionate, and dedicated his time and talents to helping rebuild these people's shattered lives.
Francis Derwent Wood was a sculptor born in Keswick, England in 1871. He grew up poor, but was educated and cultured through his youth. While studying at The School of Art in Karlsruhe, he developed a talent for model making and upon returning home, his mother asked sculptor Sir Hamo Thornycroft to take him under his wing (Wood). The two became lifelong friends and Thornycroft helped to support Wood's career in the arts. In 1890, he entered The National Art Training School where he studied under Edouard Lanteri (Wood). Finally, after finishing school, Wood taught modeling at the Glasgow School of Art from 1897 to 1900. When World War I began, Wood was in his 40s, and too old to enlist. This did not deter him from helping his country however, and instead he decided to join the Royal Army Medical Corps in 1915. His contribution to the war effort was substantial and Wood was able to change many lives by salvaging soldiers' identities and their dignity.
The weapons used in World War I had devastating effects on anyone standing in their way. Powerful rifles, automatic machine guns, artillery shells and shrapnel from explosives no longer inflicted the small cuts and clean wounds that people had grown accustomed to in previous wars. These new weapons inflicted major damage, often resulting in wounds that made soldiers unrecognizable. While some veterans managed to return home without scars or psychological damage, a staggering number of them did. Among these damaged soldiers were men that had lost more than just a limb, but instead they lost their identity due to horrific and disfiguring wounds to their faces. With thousands of men coming back with shattered faces, plastic surgeon Harold Gillies sought to give the men some confidence and dignity. Plastic surgery was still a crude and new practice, and many plastic surgeons gave little attention to aesthetics. Soldiers went to Gillies because he worked with artists to try and restore the soldiers face to the best of his ability (Alexander). With the tools available to Gillies, he was remarkably successful. However, in many cases, there was only so much he could do. When this occurred, the soldiers turned to Francis Derwent Wood. Wood set up what would become known as the “Tin Noses Shop” however it was officially known as the “Masks for Facial Disfigurement Department”. The “shop” was located within the 3rd London General Hospital (Alexander). Using pre-war portraits of the soldiers, Wood crafted metallic masks that were more permanent than other rubber prosthetic masks issued in the past (Abbott 22). Wood proudly explained how his masks allowed soldiers to re-acquire their self-respect, self-assurance, and self-reliance. Although the masks were far from perfect, the small amount of confidence it gave them was usually enough to give them some of their life back (Greenwald 64).
Francis Derwent Wood managed to give many wounded soldiers their dignity back and gave them a chance at living a somewhat normal life after the hell they had gone through. Coming home from active duty was, and still is, always a very difficult time in a soldier’s life. When you add a disfiguring injury, people can feel like they’ve lost their identity and can be afraid to appear in public. Wood’s hand-sculpted and painted masks gave the soldiers a second chance. He received many grateful letters written by the soldiers and their families. After the war was over, Wood continued to support and honor veterans and victims of the war by creating memorial statues in their honor. His sculpture, even after he had done this, honored both those who died or survived the war through his sculpture.
Wood's most well known work is the Machine Gun Corps Memorial, which he created in memory of the “glorious heroes of the Machine Gun Corps who fell in the Great War.”(Wood). The piece consisted of a bronze cast of David leaning against Goliath’s sword with machine guns wrapped in wreaths and a soldier’s helmet and pack on either side of him. On the memorial, an inscription reads, “Erected to commemorate the glorious heroes of the machine Gun Corps who fell in the Great War” and also includes information about the number of men who were lost (Wood).
Francis Derwent Wood contributed a great deal to the war effort, but unfortunately isn’t recognized to the full extent that he should be. There isn’t much information on him in textbooks, but his actions speak louder than words. He not only succeeded as an artist, but used his abilities to help the disfigured soldiers heal physically and emotionally after the war. The human spirit is not easily broken, but when that occurs it is not easy to repair. What Wood was able to do is to mend those wounds and allow the brave soldiers to have a more normal civilian life in spite of their horrific scars. Before wearing the masks, the wounded would sometimes feel like monsters and did not want to be seen in public. While fighting for their country, they lost a part of themselves that is an essential part of being human. When Wood liberated these men and gave them their identity back, he did something that at the time seemed impossible. Instead of being a bystander, he used his skills as a model maker to take action and help suffering human beings.
Francis Derwent Wood was a sculptor born in Keswick, England in 1871. He grew up poor, but was educated and cultured through his youth. While studying at The School of Art in Karlsruhe, he developed a talent for model making and upon returning home, his mother asked sculptor Sir Hamo Thornycroft to take him under his wing (Wood). The two became lifelong friends and Thornycroft helped to support Wood's career in the arts. In 1890, he entered The National Art Training School where he studied under Edouard Lanteri (Wood). Finally, after finishing school, Wood taught modeling at the Glasgow School of Art from 1897 to 1900. When World War I began, Wood was in his 40s, and too old to enlist. This did not deter him from helping his country however, and instead he decided to join the Royal Army Medical Corps in 1915. His contribution to the war effort was substantial and Wood was able to change many lives by salvaging soldiers' identities and their dignity.
The weapons used in World War I had devastating effects on anyone standing in their way. Powerful rifles, automatic machine guns, artillery shells and shrapnel from explosives no longer inflicted the small cuts and clean wounds that people had grown accustomed to in previous wars. These new weapons inflicted major damage, often resulting in wounds that made soldiers unrecognizable. While some veterans managed to return home without scars or psychological damage, a staggering number of them did. Among these damaged soldiers were men that had lost more than just a limb, but instead they lost their identity due to horrific and disfiguring wounds to their faces. With thousands of men coming back with shattered faces, plastic surgeon Harold Gillies sought to give the men some confidence and dignity. Plastic surgery was still a crude and new practice, and many plastic surgeons gave little attention to aesthetics. Soldiers went to Gillies because he worked with artists to try and restore the soldiers face to the best of his ability (Alexander). With the tools available to Gillies, he was remarkably successful. However, in many cases, there was only so much he could do. When this occurred, the soldiers turned to Francis Derwent Wood. Wood set up what would become known as the “Tin Noses Shop” however it was officially known as the “Masks for Facial Disfigurement Department”. The “shop” was located within the 3rd London General Hospital (Alexander). Using pre-war portraits of the soldiers, Wood crafted metallic masks that were more permanent than other rubber prosthetic masks issued in the past (Abbott 22). Wood proudly explained how his masks allowed soldiers to re-acquire their self-respect, self-assurance, and self-reliance. Although the masks were far from perfect, the small amount of confidence it gave them was usually enough to give them some of their life back (Greenwald 64).
Francis Derwent Wood managed to give many wounded soldiers their dignity back and gave them a chance at living a somewhat normal life after the hell they had gone through. Coming home from active duty was, and still is, always a very difficult time in a soldier’s life. When you add a disfiguring injury, people can feel like they’ve lost their identity and can be afraid to appear in public. Wood’s hand-sculpted and painted masks gave the soldiers a second chance. He received many grateful letters written by the soldiers and their families. After the war was over, Wood continued to support and honor veterans and victims of the war by creating memorial statues in their honor. His sculpture, even after he had done this, honored both those who died or survived the war through his sculpture.
Wood's most well known work is the Machine Gun Corps Memorial, which he created in memory of the “glorious heroes of the Machine Gun Corps who fell in the Great War.”(Wood). The piece consisted of a bronze cast of David leaning against Goliath’s sword with machine guns wrapped in wreaths and a soldier’s helmet and pack on either side of him. On the memorial, an inscription reads, “Erected to commemorate the glorious heroes of the machine Gun Corps who fell in the Great War” and also includes information about the number of men who were lost (Wood).
Francis Derwent Wood contributed a great deal to the war effort, but unfortunately isn’t recognized to the full extent that he should be. There isn’t much information on him in textbooks, but his actions speak louder than words. He not only succeeded as an artist, but used his abilities to help the disfigured soldiers heal physically and emotionally after the war. The human spirit is not easily broken, but when that occurs it is not easy to repair. What Wood was able to do is to mend those wounds and allow the brave soldiers to have a more normal civilian life in spite of their horrific scars. Before wearing the masks, the wounded would sometimes feel like monsters and did not want to be seen in public. While fighting for their country, they lost a part of themselves that is an essential part of being human. When Wood liberated these men and gave them their identity back, he did something that at the time seemed impossible. Instead of being a bystander, he used his skills as a model maker to take action and help suffering human beings.
Works Cited
Abbott, Mary. Family Affairs A History of the Family in 20th Century Britain. New York: Routledge, 2003. Print.
Alexander, Caroline. "Faces of War." Smithsonian Magazine. Smithsonian, Feb. 2007. Web. 11 Nov. 2009..
Evans, Suzanne. Mothers of Heroes, Mothers of Martyrs World War I and the Politics of Grief. New York: McGill-Queen's UP, 2007. Print.
"Francis Derwent Wood, R.A. (1871-1926)." The Victorian Web: An Overview. n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2010. http://www.victorianweb.org/sculpture/dw/index.html.
Greenwald, Laura. Heroes with a thousand different faces real stories of people with facial differences and their quests for self. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Clinic, 2006. Print.
"Wood, Francis Derwent (1871-1926) sculptor - Your Archives." Your Archives. n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2010..
PICTURES:
http://yourarchives.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php?title=Image:Machinegunmemorial_.jpg
http://yourarchives.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php?title=Image:Machinegunmemorial1.jpg
http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/photos/uncategorized/mask_pair4.jpg
http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/_images_articles_2007_feb_pop_mask_pair-789097.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Francis_Derwent_Wood_by_George_Washington_Lambert.jpg
Alexander, Caroline. "Faces of War." Smithsonian Magazine. Smithsonian, Feb. 2007. Web. 11 Nov. 2009.
Evans, Suzanne. Mothers of Heroes, Mothers of Martyrs World War I and the Politics of Grief. New York: McGill-Queen's UP, 2007. Print.
"Francis Derwent Wood, R.A. (1871-1926)." The Victorian Web: An Overview. n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2010. http://www.victorianweb.org/sculpture/dw/index.html.
Greenwald, Laura. Heroes with a thousand different faces real stories of people with facial differences and their quests for self. Cleveland, OH: Cleveland Clinic, 2006. Print.
"Wood, Francis Derwent (1871-1926) sculptor - Your Archives." Your Archives. n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2010.
PICTURES:
http://yourarchives.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php?title=Image:Machinegunmemorial_.jpg
http://yourarchives.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php?title=Image:Machinegunmemorial1.jpg
http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/photos/uncategorized/mask_pair4.jpg
http://www.thehumanmarvels.com/uploaded_images/_images_articles_2007_feb_pop_mask_pair-789097.jpg
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Francis_Derwent_Wood_by_George_Washington_Lambert.jpg
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