To Those Who Fell

1917

Broken Gargoyles

Reporter: Good evening folks, I am Kiera Winters with an exclusive interview with a veteran of a war that seems very different in people's eyes in today's world and fought for very different reasons. I am talking about World War One, the so-called war to end all wars. It drastically changed a generation's outlook on life with a war so destructive, it shocked the world. Tonight I am joined by Mr. Edward Smith, a veteran of the great war is here to talk to us about his experiences in a very unusual aspect of the war not many think of. Mr. Smith, how are you tonight?

Smith: Not too bad Ms. Winters, it is a pleasure to be here.

Reporter: Now you've served England through the entirety of the war, how would you describe your time during it?

Smith: Words cannot describe what I've seen, there is no way for me to put it into words. It should never happen again ever, it breaks my heart that the world was willing to tear itself again a second time 20 years later.

Reporter: Do you think you can?

Smith: Wet, endless zigzagging trenches. Many of my friends from my childhood died in the most horrible ways right in front of me. Now, can you imagine seeing your own brother getting torn in half by a shell? I saw that more than once happened to good people too.

Reporter: That sounds terrible. No, I can't imagine anything like that. This is the western front you are talking about here? You had mentioned trenches

Smith: Yes, the western front. Hell is a better way to put it. Nothing else on earth could match it. Sorry if I tear up, I still haven't fully processed what happened there 60 years later... I'll miss them so much.

Reporter: We can take a break if you want to

Smith: Please... *sniffles*

Back after the break

Reporter: Welcome back folks, we are here again with Mr. Edward Smith a veteran of the great war. Are you feeling better?

Smith: Yes I am, ma'am

Reporter: I heard something about you that mentioned being one of the first people to receive reconstructive surgery. Is that true and if so do you mind telling us a little about it?

Smith: I don't mind. It was 1917, nearly 60 years ago that I took a face full of shrapnel from a shell exploding mere meters from where I stood. I nearly died from it, but a medic was able to get to me before anything worse could happen. I remember it clear as day, he carried me to a casualty clearing station, propped me up against a wall and mouthed to me "Are you alive?! Can you hear me?". I couldn't hear the poor lad over the ringing in my ears and the intense pain I felt from my face. The lad gave me a look of horror at my injuries, I didn't know the extent of them until much later in my life when I found some photos taken of me.

Reporter: What was the extent of your injuries?

Smith: I had my nose blown off entirely. Nothing of it was left or found. I spent three years in the hospital going through multiple surgeries to get my face back. I cannot say much about the surgeries themselves since I was put under each time, I do recall rib cartilage was attached to my forehead first and after that healed it was swung down to form what would become my new nose.

Reporter: Interesting, now what happened after that?

Smith: I believe it was more surgeries after that to make sure all the pieces to my new face were in the right places and remove excess skin.  I avoided looking in a mirror for years because I could just tell from the way it felt that was not a pleasant sight. A few years ago I actually looked in a mirror to find much to my surprise much of my scars have since disappeared, my features still look a bit off but not much to attract the sort of attention I used to get.

Reporter: What happened to others like you? I can imagine others were not as lucky.

Smith: Many others like me were not so fortunate, their wounds were beyond the capabilities of surgery at the time, so many had metal or tin masks made for them to cover up their injuries. It allowed some to return to normalcy though there was always a stigma that they carried with them. I heard many times they referred to themselves as broken gargoyles. With their faces destroyed they could not be themselves from before.

Reporter: We are almost out of time Mr. Smith, any final words you would like to say about the war to the people watching tonight.

Smith: I do. I felt then, as I feel now, that the politicians who took us to war should have been given the guns and told to settle their differences themselves, instead of organizing nothing better than legalized mass murder.

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