| Accession Number | P03217.003 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Print silver gelatin |
| Place made | Australia: New South Wales, Sydney, Ryde |
| Date made | c January 1943 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Left side portrait of QX1253 Captain (Capt) Russell Wilkinson Forster MC on the balcony at ...
Description
Left side portrait of QX1253 Captain (Capt) Russell Wilkinson Forster MC on the balcony at Concord Hospital during his reconstructive treatment for a serious gun shot wound to the lower jaw. Capt Forster, Officer Commanding C Company, 2/9th Battalion, sustained this injury while fighting in Gona, New Guinea, for which he was later awarded a Military Cross for the courage and coolness shown. Capt Forster commenced a period of three years in and out of Concord hospital, undergoing plastic surgery for the serious wounds he had sustained. Capt Forster is wearing a head band with a protective cage around the jaw set in place with plaster. The cage protects the two remaining pieces of jaw closing in and getting out of alignment. A pedicle of skin is attached from jaw to chest, to be used when covering an eventual bone graft when reconstructing the jaw.