Ministerul Educației

Colegiul Național „Vasile Alecsandri”, Galați

The Great War Story of „The Unkillable Soldier” Carton de Wiart

Student: Constandache Vlad-Ciprian

Coordinator: Bătrînu Nicolae

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 1. Table of Contents
1. Table of Contents.......................................................................................................................................2
2. Intention.....................................................................................................................................................3
3. Early life.....................................................................................................................................................4
4. Military Career.........................................................................................................................................12
4.1 The Boer War.....................................................................................................................................8
4.2 World War I ....................................................................................................................................10
....................................................................................................................................................
4.3 World War II....................................................................................................................................12
5. Interwar Period.........................................................................................................................................14
6. Later Years...............................................................................................................................................17
6.1. Reflections on the wars and on changing society.............................................................................19
6.2. Contributions to society....................................................................................................................20
7. Legacy......................................................................................................................................................22
7.1. His lasting impact on society............................................................................................................23
7.2. Awards..............................................................................................................................................24
8. Bibliography............................................................................................................................................25

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2. Intention

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 3. Early Life

Adrian Paul Ghislain Carton de Wiart was born in 1880 in

Brussels, Belgium, to a family with substantial connections.

One cousin was a former Prime Minister, the other a political

secretary to the King. It was even rumoured that de Wiart was the
illegitimate son of Leopold II. His father, who practiced international
law in Egypt, hoped that his son would follow in his footsteps, but de
Wiart had different plans. After he failed his Law Preliminaries at
Oxford, he chose to enlist, to live life “rough and tough and full of
bitter experiences.”

De Wiart didn’t really care for what he fought or even for

whom. In his romanticised vision of war, he considered serving the British Empire or perhaps in the
French Foreign Legion, or even fighting for the Boers against the British in South Africa. This ambivalence
was caused by his rather youthful ignorance when it came to world politics, as he later mentioned in his
book “Happy Odyssey” : “I know that the ideal soldier is the man who fights for his country because it is
fighting, and for no other reason. Causes, politics and ideologies are better left to the historians.”

Carton de Wiart's personal life included his marriage in 1908 to Countess Friederike Fugger von
Babenhausen, with whom he had three children. His early military experiences continued as he
participated in colonial campaigns in Africa, including the Congo and Somaliland.

World War I played a significant role in shaping Carton de Wiart's life. Serving on the Western
Front, he demonstrated exceptional courage, earning a reputation for resilience despite sustaining
severe injuries, including the loss of his left hand and an eye.

Throughout the interwar period, Carton de Wiart remained active, participating in campaigns in
Poland and Ireland. His versatility and adaptability in various military and diplomatic roles highlighted his
commitment to service.

As World War II unfolded, Carton de Wiart played a crucial role in multiple theaters, from the
Norwegian Campaign and the Battle of Narvik to the Middle East, where he served in the Western
Desert Campaign and the East African Campaign. His early life experiences, coupled with his indomitable
spirit, made him a standout figure in military history. Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart's early years set the
stage for a life marked by courage, resilience, and a relentless dedication to duty.

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 4. Military Career

4.1. The Boer War

A small introduction to the Second Boer War, also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–
Boer War, or the South African War, is that it is a conflict fought between the British Empire and
the two Boer Republics (the South African Republic and the Orange Free State) over the
Empire's influence in Southern Africa from 1899 to 1902.

4.1.1. De Wiart enlists

Adrian first fought with the British against the Boers in South Africa, as it turned out. Because he
was still underage and a foreigner, de Wiart enlisted with a fake identity. The British recruiter didn’t look
twice and assigned him to a yeomanry regiment. Arriving in South Africa, de Wiart got a first glimpse of
what modern war was like. A group of entrenched enemies behind a fence of barbed wire proved
almost impossible to dislodge. De Wiart volunteered to dash forward to remove said wire, and his more
level-headed colonel denied the request, called him a fool, and most likely saved his life. Broodingly, de
Wiart conceded. “War was still eluding me, and my vivid imaginings of charging Boers single-handed and
dying gloriously with a couple of posthumous VCs were becoming a little hazy.”

Though, Carton de Wiart's bravery on the

battlefield did not go unnoticed. He was
promoted for his courageous actions, showcasing
early signs of the leadership qualities that would
later define his military career.

Like many soldiers in the Boer War,

Carton de Wiart faced the harsh realities of
combat. He sustained injuries during the conflict,
which included being shot in the stomach and
groin. Despite these wounds, he demonstrated
resilience and recovered to rejoin the fight. His
wish to die in battle was nearly answered then
when he received a bad stomach wound and a
bullet straight through his groin. De Wiart
respectfully later admitted that “the Boers were
indeed very good shots.” He would survive, but his identity was revealed, which got him sent back to
England. Although his peers at Oxford celebrated him as something of a hero, Carton thought that it was
“not possible for anyone to have had a duller dose of war, and [he] returned bereft of glory.”

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4.1.2. Fascinated by war

With a strong desire to experience the

excitement of war, de Wiart decided to
continue his adventures with the British Army.

On July 23, 1914, he boarded a ship

bound to fight the rebels in British Somaliland
– just a few days before Europe exploded into
the Great War. The irony was not lost on him.

“It seems extraordinary to think of my

utter ignorance of world affairs, but at that,
even then, pregnant moment I fondly imagined
I should be one of the few people to see a shot
fired in anger, and I could hardly believe my ears when at Brindisi or Malta we heard that
Germany and Russia were at war. And my cup of misery overflowed when on arrival at Aden I
learned that England also had declared war on Germany.”

Stuck in a sideshow to the great conflict, his war was now against the “Mad-Mullah”,
Mohammed Adbulla Hassan, who challenged British rule with the support of his Dervishes. De
Wiart fought together with Indian and Somali troops to quell the rebellion. In November 1914,
by a well-fortified blockhouse, de Wiart and the Somalis advanced as far as they could – close
enough that he could touch the Dervishes’ rifles in the loopholes with his walking stick. Trying
to get another glimpse of the defences, de Wiart was hit, and a splinter buried itself in his eye. A
few moments later, another bullet exploded, hitting the same eye. Although he was basically
blind with pain at this point, he refused surgery, knowing that it was his one chance to get back
to Europe, “eye or no eye.” His plan worked – he was sent back to England, and on January 3,
1915, his eye was removed.

De Wiart’s request to fight in Flanders in the Great War was easily granted, as everyone
was in dire need of experienced officers by then.

The only problem was his wound. British High Command “did not wish the Germans to
think that [they] were reduced to sending out one-eyed officers.” After agreeing to wear a glass
eye, he got his papers signed, but then tossed the “startling, excessively uncomfortable glass eye”
out of the window of his taxi and replaced it with a black eye-patch. This soon became his
signature.

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4.2. The First World War

4.2.1. Reflections
De Wiart found that fighting in Somaliland was nothing compared to this war. Curious
more than anything, de Wiart made his way to the frontline, as the shelling increased.

“I was standing next to my second in command wondering what to do, when he said “I
wish you’d duck when those shells come.” I was on the point of telling him that I was a fatalist
and believed in the appointed hour, when we heard another shell coming and he ducked. The
shell burst quite near us and I was thrown some distance. I picked myself up, and started to move
my men, when I noticed a hand on the ground. The hand was encased in a special kind of leather
glove, which I recognised instantly as that worn by my second in command. His body was thirty
or forty yards away.”

De Wiart continued along the bombed-out Menin Road, but when they passed some dead
Germans, he thought something was off. There had been no reports of the enemy breaking
through in the region, but before he could finish the thought, the silence was broken by a torrent
of German fire. De Wiart found himself flat on the ground in a pool of blood. His hand was a
damaged, gory mess. He got up and ran like hell through the storm of bullets back to the lines.

“My hand was a ghastly sight; two of the fingers hanging by a bit of skin, all the palm
was shot away and most of the wrist. For the first time, and certainly the last, I had been wearing
a wrist-watch, and it had been blown into the remains of my wrist. I asked the doctor to take my
fingers off; he refused, so I pulled them off myself and felt absolutely no pain in doing it.”

4.2.2. Battles
Adrian Carton de Wiart participated in several battles during World War I, serving on the
Western Front. Some notable battles and campaigns in which he took part include:

Battle of the Somme (1916):

The Battle of the Somme, one of the largest battles of World War I, saw Carton de Wiart
in action on the Western Front. He served in the British Army and experienced the grueling
trench warfare characteristic of this conflict.

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Battle of Passchendaele (Third Battle of Ypres, 1917):

Carton de Wiart was involved in the Battle of Passchendaele, a particularly challenging

and costly campaign known for its difficult conditions, including heavy rain and mud. The battle
took place in the Ypres salient on the Western Front.

Italian Front (1917-1918):

Carton de Wiart also served on the Italian Front, where he participated in battles against
the Austro-Hungarian forces. His experiences on this front showcased his versatility and ability
to adapt to different theaters of war.

4.2.2.1. Battle of the Somme

By December 1915, de Wiart was

sick of the surgeons trying to save his hand
and had it cut off.

After his health returned, he was

back to the war. With one eye and one hand,
he attached himself to the infantry. Fighting
in the trenches made de Wiart realise just
how important the role model of the well
behaved and disciplined officer truly was. His Battle of the Somme
own deeds could make or break morale within
Jul 1, 1916 – Nov 18, 1916
a regiment. Even if it meant exposing himself
to great danger – an invisible commander was not a source of inspiration. At the same time however, it
made de Wiart a pitiless and unforgiving man, who valued duty over personal fears.

“I was looking round our trenches when I saw a man who was certainly not going forward. I
asked him the reason for his dawdling, and he replied that he had been wounded three or four times
already, and simply couldn’t face it. I told him I had been hit oftener than he had but still had to face it,
and to give a little point to my argument I gave him a push in the right direction, and on he went. (…) I
never carried a revolver, being afraid that if I lost my temper I might use it against my own people, so
my only weapon was a walking stick.”

In time for the Battle of the Somme, de Wiart was to attack La Boisselle, one of the strongest
German positions. On the morning of July 3, 1916, he led his men. As de Wiart described it: “dead
everywhere, not a house standing, flattened as if the very soul had been blasted out of the earth and
turned into a void.” By nightfall, nearly all of de Wiart’s accompanying officers were either dead or
wounded, and he found himself in “a most unhealthy spot and a magnet for shells of every size.” He was

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suddenly knocked to the ground. Bleeding profusely, he checked his body and found that the whole
back of his head had been blown off by a machine-gun bullet. Luckily, it had missed all the vital parts,
but once more, he was brought to the dressing station.

After three weeks in the hospital, and receiving the Victoria Cross for his actions, he was once
more back at the front.

4.2.2.2 Battle of Arras and Passchendaele

During the battles of Arras and Passchendaele in 1917, de Wiart could see how the
British Army had progressed. Now it was their artillery that dominated the battlefields and shells
were available in abundance. But that didn’t mean that he was out of danger. Once more, de
Wiart found himself caught in a German barrage. His clothes blown into his hip by an exploding
shell. The wound went septic, yet de Wiart pulled through. By now, not only his doctors but also
the General Staff urged him not to return to the frontlines. Only de Wiart’s personal appeal to
General Hubert Gough got him back to the front, just in time for the German Spring Offensive of
1918.

The Kaiserschlacht badly mauled

the British, but the front held. Thanks to
de Wiart’s ‘magnetic personality’, he
found himself once more in the middle
of heavy fighting, when a large piece of
shrapnel buried itself in his hip, very
nearly costing him his leg. Returning to
hospital for surgery, de Wiart found out
that his fame as the unkillable soldier
had spread.

“I was lying on a stretcher feeling extremely bad-tempered and disgusted with my last
brief stay in France, when a well-meaning clergyman came up to me. Seeing the disgruntled
expression on my face and my one eye, he told me to cheer up, as it might have been much
worse; he said he had such a cheerful follow through his hands a few months earlier, a man who
had lost both an eye and an arm. I asked him the man’s name and he said “General Carton de
Wiart,” and seemed quite hurt when I lost interest in the conversation.”

Once more, de Wiart returned to the war in October, but this time only to witness its
conclusion.

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 “The Armistice brought a momentary thrill of victory which soon faded. I think only the
civilians get any real joy out of the end of a war, and the release from the strain of eternal
waiting … Frankly, I had enjoyed the war…”

4.3. The Second World War

World War II, a global conflict that spanned from 1939 to 1945, witnessed the heroic
contributions of countless individuals, and among them, the name Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart
stands out as a symbol of indomitable courage, resilience, and unwavering commitment to duty.
Throughout the war, Carton de Wiart's remarkable military service spanned multiple theaters of
operation, leaving an indelible mark on the annals of military history.

Born on May 5, 1880, in Brussels, Belgium, Carton de Wiart had already earned his
stripes in World War I, where he exhibited extraordinary bravery on the Western Front. As the
storm clouds of World War II gathered, he once again answered the call of duty, embarking on a
new chapter of service that would see him contribute significantly to the Allied cause.

One of Carton de Wiart's notable engagements during World War II was in the
Norwegian Campaign of 1940. Deployed to Narvik, Norway, he played a crucial role in the
Battle of Narvik, where Allied forces sought to deny the strategically important port to the
Germans. Carton de Wiart's leadership and combat prowess were on full display as he faced the
challenges of mountainous terrain and harsh weather conditions, demonstrating a resilience
honed through decades of military service.

Following the Norwegian Campaign, Carton de Wiart's journey took him to the deserts of
North Africa, where he participated in the Western Desert Campaign. His experiences in the
unforgiving terrain of the desert showcased not only his adaptability but also his ability to lead in
diverse and challenging environments. Carton de Wiart's strategic insights and battlefield
acumen contributed significantly to the Allied successes in North Africa.

The Middle East became another theater where Carton de Wiart left his mark. As the
Commander of the British Military Mission to Yugoslavia in 1941, he played a vital role in
supporting Yugoslav Partisans against Axis forces. His diplomatic skills and military expertise
were instrumental in fostering collaboration between Allied forces and the Yugoslav resistance.

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 Carton de Wiart's wartime odyssey continued in 1943 with his assignment to the East
African Campaign. As Commander of the British-Indian Division in Ethiopia, he led Allied
forces against the Italian occupation. The success of the campaign was a testament to Carton de
Wiart's strategic brilliance and leadership capabilities, contributing to the liberation of East
Africa.

Despite being in his

60s, Carton de Wiart's
energy and determination
seemed boundless. His
next assignment took him
to the Italian Front, where
he served in the grueling
and challenging terrain.
Here, he faced the
entrenched German
defenses with the same
tenacity that had
characterized his actions in
previous campaigns.

Carton de Wiart in the Cairo Conference, behind

Soong Mei-ling on the right.
The war's conclusion did not
mark the end of Carton de Wiart's
contributions. In the post-war period, he continued to serve in various capacities, including
diplomatic roles. His dedication to the principles of justice and peace underscored his
commitment to a better post-war world.

Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart's contributions during World War II extended beyond the
battlefield. His leadership, adaptability, and unwavering commitment to the Allied cause made
him a respected figure among his peers and a source of inspiration for generations of military
personnel.

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 5. Interwar Period
In Poland (1918-1922)

After the First World War, Much to Carton de Wiart’s surprise, the War Office
nominated him to be second-in-command to General Louis Botha, the former South African
prime minister, who had been selected as the British military delegate on the Inter-Allied
Commission to Poland.

He mentiones in his book “Happy Odyssey” that : “My geography being a little shaky, I
had only a hazy idea as to the whereabouts of Poland, but I knew it was somewhere near Russia
and that the Bolsheviks were fighting there. I could not think of any adequate reason why I had
been chosen for this inviting job, and I accepted it with alacrity before anyone had time to
change his mind. Then I proceeded to find out all I could about the situation there.”

Sir Esme Howard, the Peace Conference’s senior in charge for “the Baltic Provinces,
Russia, Poland, Ukraine, Caucasus” on November 13 1918, writes in his diary about “General
Carton de Wiart, VC, said to be “the bravest man in the British Army”, who has thirteen wound
stripes and has lost a hand, a foot and an eye, comes to Warsaw with us. He seems a first rate
fellow . . . a splendid man and withal the most modest of men.’ In another entry, he mused that
‘Carton de Wiart was, I think, mainly interested in the Polish problem from the military point of
view, because it offered him the chance of hearing bullets whizzing about his head once again, a
chance of which he freely availed himself on the Eastern frontiers of Poland.”

During the four years he spent in Poland, Carton de Wiart had made the transition from
that of an inspirational and legendary battlefield commander to one of a consummate diplomat,
mixing in the highest political echelons and earning the confidence of world leaders. Trust in the
world of politics is rare but Piłsudski and his generals endowed Carton de Wiart with theirs and
he cherished it above all else. In his usual understated way, he summed up his time in Poland by
declaring ‘our military mission had had a most interesting and happy time. We had assisted at the
birth of the new Poland, and had seen a 108 Lt General Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart nation
emerge alive, strong and kicking. The joy of the Poles was infectious, and we shared their
feelings’.44 The war he had witnessed in Poland had been markedly different from that on the
Western Front where industrialized nations had clashed on a hitherto unknown scale, inflicting
appalling casualties on one another. The PolishRussian war of 1920 was almost redolent of an
eighteenth-century campaign with armies living off the land as they advanced or retreated.
Soldiers were underfed, ill-equipped, often without boots and their uniforms in rags; medical
care for the wounded was primitive or non-existent. On the battlefield, scant regard was paid to
the First Geneva Convention, particularly by Budyonny’s Konarmiya which massacred captured
soldiers and civilians alike as it rampaged across the countryside. On top of this noxious fusion
between a vicious civil war and an international armed conflict lay a bloody blanket of

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murderous excesses of nationalism and clashing ideologies: the Bolshevik armies made short
work of ‘enemies of the people’ like priests and landowners, the large Jewish communities in the
borderlands were regularly attacked and decimated, looting and desecration of churches and
country houses became commonplace. Although he had only been an observer, all this was a far
cry from Carton de Wiart’s youthful quest for glory in South Africa and Somaliland and the
ordered world of the British Army in France. Yet he was far from repelled by his experiences;
indeed, the exact opposite reaction set in and he determined to return.

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 8.Bibliography
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adrian_Carton_de_Wiart

https://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205022089

https://www.sabaton.net/historical-facts/sir-adrian-carton-de-wiart-dies/

https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-30685433

book : The Life and Times of Lieutenant General Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart (Soldier and Diplomat) by
Alan Ogden

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