THE TOUCHING STORY BEHIND THIS GREAT WAR VETERAN'S CROOKED SMILE

 The touching story behind this Great War veteran’s crooked smile


Private Bertram Byrnes always remembered 2 September 1917 as the day his face was ‘shot away’.  

While advancing toward Péronne, a bullet struck Bertram’s face, with it coming out under his left eye, and shattering his jaw.

Bertram was admitted to Queen’s Hospital in England, which specialised in treating Great War soldiers with facial wounds. 

Yet despite the staff’s expertise, they could do little for him. After all, his palate had been shot away, and most of his teeth were missing. 

Bertram returned to Australia in 1919. The prospect of reuniting with his wife, Elizabeth, undoubtedly filled him with dread. 

After all, in 1916 he had left Elizabeth as a strong and handsome man with sparkling blue eyes, a mop of brown hair and an impish smile, but was returning to her as a disfigured wreck. 

As a testimony to Elizabeth, she welcomed Bertram back with open arms. 

A stoic Bertram never complained, despite having a constant discharge from his mouth and being unable to control his spittle. He lived on what he called ‘slop food’ and took medicine to help his digestion. 

Bertram took up a remote block of land as a soldier settler, but eventually found himself too weak to work it. He and Elizabeth eked out a living on ‘a ridiculously low pension’. 

Bertram always remained proud of his war record. In 1938, he asked for duplicates of his medals, which were lost in a bushfire, so he could wear them in the ANZAC Day march.

Bertram died in 1965.

Photo image: National Archives of Australia 

If you like my posts, you’ll love my books:

‘Pozières: the ANZAC Story’ 

‘This is a staggeringly good first book; as good a piece of military history as I’ve read in a long time.’

- The Canberra Times

‘Night In Passchendaele’ 

‘Bennett makes a brilliant foray into fiction … a must read’.

 - Better Reading 

‘The Nameless Names’ 

‘This is an admirable book, superbly researched and insightfully written’.

- Ross McMullin, Author of Pompey Elliottt 

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