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June 12, 1918. "Dressing the wound. American Military Hospital No. 1 at Neuilly, France (Dr. Johnson)." 5x7 inch dry plate glass negative by Lewis Wickes Hine for the American National Red Cross. View full size.
I can only imagine the death and carnage he witnessed as he transported those poor boys who were blasted, gassed and mangled to a field hospital. Eventually his ambulance was hit by a German artillery shell while he raced back to the front. He was seriously wounded and buried under the debris. Some nearby doughboys pulled him out and got him to a hospital. He survived and was kindest and most gentle man I ever knew.
There was still a lot of fighting happening in 1918. In fact, some of the bloodiest battles in the war, including the Second Battle of the Sommes and the Battle of Amiens, happened in 1918. So, no, the photo is not "staged," nor was it taken post-Armistice. The war ended in November 1918, and January - November is plenty of time to continue killing and maiming one another.
So young to be facing life with such a disability, especially losing his arm almost from the shoulder. I'm sure this one of the less objectionable pictures of WWI wounded, for squeamish people. The facial wounds were the absolute worst, and those WWI vets were largely forgotten after the war was over.
If the date is correct, this is either a staged photo or a post armistice accident.
[Incorrect. Do your homework. - Dave]
Very painful to look at, but a good reminder of what our young soldiers endure no matter what the war. I hope he went on to have a good life
this is one of those times.
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