I feel that there probably aren't many of us who will design our own tombstone, but for those with the natural ability like the British sculptor Francis Derwent Wood, then maybe it doesn't come as such a surprise. Like me you may not be familiar with this artist's work and in all honesty I have no idea how well known he was then or now. Born in 1871 he found that he was too old to enlist for active service on the front line in WWI so he decided to sign up for the Royal Medical Corps instead as an orderly. During his time he saw horrendous injures and those with facial disfigurement faced a particularly harsh return into society. Not only were these poor men suffering from PTSD, but they were often shunned because of the fear and disgust caused by the sight of their very visible injuries. Some were treated by the pioneers of plastic surgery which was just starting to come in, but most were given a rubber mask to hide behind. Derwent Wood realised that he could utilise his skills to improve the lot of those afflicted. Using pre-war photos of the individuals once they had healed he made thin metal masks upon which he hand painted in the missing features. This did go some way to disguising the facial horrors inflicted by the war, but they unfortunately proved to be hot and uncomfortable to wear. The soldiers called it 'The Tin Nose Shop'
Wood's grave, along with the photos below, are in the beautiful Sussex village of Amberly, which sits nestled in a valley in the South Downs just a stone's throw from Arundel. As you can see it is delightful....David and I were tasked with the difficult job of carrying out a quality control test on the cakes in the newly taken over tea room. I am delighted to report that they passed with flying colours and we went ahead with the purchase of an afternoon tea voucher for my parents for their diamond wedding present. It was a tough job, but I feel that I am perfectly qualified with the number of cafe trips I have got under my belt since retiring!
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