Adrian Carton de Wiart

World War One was a devastating time for the world. There were over 37 million deaths, causing chaos from all sides, (How many.) Through the chaos rose heroes. One of Britain’s greatest heroes was a man named Adrian Carton de Wiart, who was known for being “unkillable”.  He went to school in Britain and was highly talented in sports, especially football. Carton de Wiart had the rare opportunity to Oxford but decided to join the military instead in order to help his country. (Smith, Robert Barr.) Throughout the war, Carton de Wiart received bullets in the groin, arm, hand, eye, face, stomach. He was also in a plane crash and was captured by the Italians. After all of this he still survived and kept returning back to the fight. (Cokeley, Sarah R.) Adrian Carton was one of Britain's great heroes. He was one of the bravest men in the world and he inspired his fellow soldiers to fight with him. Adrian Carton de Wiart was not only brave enough to fight for his country but he also had the courage to keep pushing through unimaginable circumstances, which inspired his comrades and the people of Britain, making him a hero.

Carton de Wiart had a passionate internal drive leading to him wanting to continue to help his country through this devastating time. During his time in the war, Carton de Wiart came across multiple horrid experiences. These experiences did not cause him to back out but rather caused him to keep fighting and to be more motivated. “While serving in South Africa with Paget's Horse, he received bullet wounds to his stomach and groin--the first of nearly a dozen grievous injuries he suffered during his career. During a mid-November attack on a Dervish blockhouse Carton de Wiart was shot in one arm and twice in the face, losing part of an ear and his left eye. The first night, as his regiment was relieving an infantry unit, the Germans launched an artillery barrage. Carton de Wiart’s left hand was mangled when his shattered watch splintered into his wrist. When a doctor refused to amputate two dangling fingers, Carton de Wiart yanked them off himself to relieve the pain” (Cokeley, Sarah R.). Carton de Wiart went through unimaginable pain, but each time he was brave enough to return back to fighting for his country over and over again. The mental and physical pain Adrian Carton de Wiart experienced just in the war is already more than most people suffice in a lifetime. During the war, Carton de Wiart and his division were sent off to Ireland, however on their way there their plane crashed and they were captured by the Italians. “Other British officers joined him there, including Sir Richard O'Connor, the British desert warfare genius who had taken a wrong turn in 1941 during the wild desert fighting and driven straight into a German road guard. The imprisoned officers immediately began to plan an escape. After a couple of failed attempts, incredible effort, and endless alarms, they finally tunneled their way to freedom in March 1943. The escapees quickly vanished into the gloom, bound for the Swiss frontier, 250 miles away. Carton de Wiart and O'Connor stayed together, carrying 25-pound packs. They walked hard through the first night, 32 miles. The following days were more of the same, through increasingly heavily populated country with little cover. O'Connor, who spoke Italian, managed to wheedle cowshed accommodations on several evenings and enough meals so they could conserve some of their carefully hoarded supplies. It could not last. They had no papers, and the countryside was, as Carton de Wiart wrote, "stiff with Carabinieri" (Smith, Robert Barr.). “They passed several inspections, but at last could not deceive a pair of policemen with acute instincts, and once more became prisoners. The two officers returned to prison with a certain pride. These two men--their combined age 116--had gone 150 miles through hostile territory. Although they got 30 days in solitary, they had acutely embarrassed the Italians and tasted free air for a few days.” (Smith, Robert Barr.) Knowing it will be difficult to escape, Carton de Wiart and his comrades never gave up hope and continued to move forward and tried over and over again until they were successful and finally escaped on hostile territory. They walked 150 miles with a short supply of food and received help from no one. This shows Carton de Wiart ’s true courage in the sense he knew he had no chance of escaping and if he was caught he would be drastically punished, but he still continued trying. Adrian Carton de Wiart put himself before his country, his strong resistance against the pain and his enemies proves not only to Britain but also to the world that he is a hero who puts the wellbeing of his country and others over his own.

Adrian Carton de Wiart was an inspiration to Britain along with the soldiers who served with him. Carton de Wiart and his men were in France when they were called to help fight in the Second Battle of Ypres. In the battle, he lost a hand. “After three commanders fell in action, Carton de Wiart took control and drove through the German line to help capture the city. He led by example, pulling grenade pins with his teeth and throwing them with his one hand” (Cokeley, Sarah R.). After three commanders fell, the men were feeling discouraged and lost all hope, however, Carton de Wiart stepped up, even though he was in a bad condition and had just lost an arm, and encouraged his men to keep fighting and to push through the pain. Although he was in a tremendous amount of pain, Carton de Wiart set an example to his spillers and led them to victory by pulling the pins of grenades with his teeth and hurling it at the enemy. The inspiration he created for his men shows his true heroism. On his way to Ireland with his crew, his plane crashed into enemy territory. ”His aircraft made Malta in good shape, but near the African coast it lost both engines and crash-landed just offshore. Carton de Wiart was knocked unconscious, and several members of the aircrew were injured. Revived by the cold water, he helped haul injured crewmen ashore through a mile of cold, rough surf, only to be captured by Italian troops” (Smith, Robert Barr.). Carton de Wiart ’s men were frightened, but when he started pulling his men to safety, he inspired all of them to keep going and to push through when times are rough. Adrian Carton de Wiart was a true inspiration to his men and helped guide them during desperate times, not only making him a hero to his men but to his country as well.

Adrian Carton de Wiart is a hero through his bravery of overcoming all his unfortunate circumstances and putting his country before himself and also for being an inspiration to a lot of people. Adrian Carton de Wiart has the opportunity to attend one of the best colleges in the world but rather choose to fight for his country, which caused him a lot of mentally and physical pain. (Smith, Robert Barr.) This inspired his men, his comrades, and Britain to keep fighting and to stand strong. His selfless and courageous attitude and inspiration towards his country and people proves him to be a hero.

Works Cited

Cokeley, Sarah R. "A happy hero." Military History, Jan. 2015, p. 19. Biography In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A387952406/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=41f9c4e0. Accessed 28 Jan. 2019.

Crutchley, Peter. “Adrian Carton De Wiart: The Unkillable Soldier.” BBC News, BBC, 6 Jan. 2015, www.bbc.com/news/magazine-30685433.

“How Many People Died in WW1?” History, 15 Nov. 2018, www.historyonthenet.com/how-many-people-died-in-ww1.

Smith, Robert Barr. “Britain’s Irrepressible General.” World War II, vol. 18, no. 3, Sept. 2003, pp. 64–70. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=khh&AN=10639232&site=ehost-live.

"The other Great Escape; Imprisoned by Mussolini in an Italian castle, the British Generals could have sat out the war in comfort. Instead they tunnelled their way to freedom -- with knives and forks ..." Daily Mail [London, England], 28 Apr. 2017, p. 60. Biography In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A490765687/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=da25deed. Accessed 28 Jan. 2019.