Soldier whose face was blown off lived another 60 years because of Kiwi plastic surgeon

Sidney Beldam, who was injured at the Battle of Passchendaele, underwent 46 operations to reconstruct his face by pioneering surgeon Harold Gillies. Photo / GilliesArchives.org.uk

By Shari Miller

A 19-year-old soldier, who was not expected to survive after his face was blown off during the Battle of Passchendaele, went on to live another 60 years thanks to the life-saving work of a pioneering New Zealand-born plastic surgeon.

Sidney Beldam was just one among hundreds of thousands of casualties who fell during the bloody battle, which began 100 years ago this week.

Pioneering medic Sir Harold Gillies, who is credited as the father of plastic surgery.

The young soldier, who was serving with the 9th Scottish Division, fell in and out of consciousness after the front of his face was ripped off, according to the Daily Mail.

But he went on to survive his injuries, largely because of the innovative work of Harold Gillies, a New Zealand-born surgeon credited with helping thousands of young men disfigured during World War I.

Gillies and his team, based at Queen's Hospital in Sidcup, carried out 46 operations, including reconstruction and skin grafts, on Beldam's face.

The brave soldier's granddaughter, Marilyn McInnes, said he likely survived initially because he fell forward, meaning he did not suffocate on his own blood.

She told the Sunday Telegraph: "He was left for dead, face down in the mud. When they were clearing the bodies, one of them kicked his body to roll it over and said 'My God, this one's still alive'.

"With that, my grandfather's war was over.:

While recuperating at Queen's Hospital, Beldam met his wife, Winifred, who visited the hospital and played piano to the patients. He later became a chauffeur to Gillies.

McInnes said of the man credited with saving her grandfather's life that all the patients liked Gillies.

"He was very charismatic and treated them like human beings."

Beldam went on to fully recover and became a successful case study for plastic surgeon Gilles. Photo / GilliesArchives.org.uk

Gillies is renowned for developing the first skin grafting and plastic surgery techniques to treat WWI soldiers with severe facial disfigurements.

The physician performed about 11,000 operations at the Queen's Hospital in Sidcup, Kent, between 1917 and 1925.

His work was so groundbreaking that he eventually received a knighthood in 1930.

In 2012, on the 130th anniversary of the surgeon's birth and 95th anniversary of the Sidcup hospital where plastic surgery began, details of the pioneering surgery were released online.

The records are an index of the 2328 soldiers treated at The Queen's Hospital during the war and in its aftermath, with information including their names, regiments, ranks and the injuries they sustained.

While recuperating, Sidney Beldam met his wife, Winifred, who played the piano to patients. Photo / GilliesArchives.org.uk

Debra Chatfield, family historian at findmypast.co.uk, said: "The medical world owes a great deal to Dr Gillies, as do those who were treated by him in the early 20th century and anyone who has ever received plastic surgery treatment since then.

"Without his pioneering developments in this field, plastic surgery might not be as advanced as it is today.

"These records are an important source of information for historians, the medical world and those interested in learning about the reality and aftermath of the First World War."

Royal College of Surgeons director of museums and archives, Dr Sam Albert, said the British surgeon was a "founding figure in the history of plastic surgery".

"[He developed] innovative procedures to help reconstruct the faces of badly injured soldiers and airmen, whose facial injuries were caused by bullet wounds and flying shrapnel and needed extensive bone, muscle and skin grafting to restore their appearance.

"Most notably, Gillies introduced the tubed pedicle, which used the patients' own tissue to aid reconstructive surgery and reduce the chance of rejection."

An estimated 325,000 Allied soldiers, including many Australian, New Zealand and Canadian casualties, died at the Battle of Passchendaele.

German forces lost between 260,000 and 400,000 soldiers.

The battle lasted 103 days between July 31 and November 10, 1917 and saw some of the most terrible fighting conditions in history.

This was largely because of the worst weather in 30 years hitting the Flanders region and reducing the Belgian battlefield to a hellish quagmire of mud and shell craters.