This exhibition features content some might find upsetting.*

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The images and personal accounts of facial injuries presented on this site are undeniably graphic and evocative of the pain and horrors endured during the First World War. In displaying them, there is also a danger that the men who suffered are reduced to a spectacle.

 

The decision, therefore, to show images of these men was not made without consideration. Various experts were consulted, including disability activists with visible differences. 

 

Ultimately, it was concluded that without seeing their faces it is impossible to understand the severity of their injuries; gain an idea of the reactions they elicited; or appreciate the skill of the medical treatment performed. 

 

Moreover, in their own time, these men were heavily censored from public view and, in place of this, written about using dehumanising language. Finally seeing these men and looking them in the eye is an important part in both ending this censorship and being able to deconstruct these prejudicial narratives. 

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With this in mind, it must also be highlighted that some of the language used to talk about disability within this exhibition may be shocking. Anything placed within quotation marks likely comes from a first-hand account from the time and does not reflect the author’s personal opinions. ​​​​

​Take care as you move around the site, both of yourself and these men. Proceed at your own pace and be respectful of the human beings who endured suffering and who sit behind every photograph, statistic and case study.

 

 

*TW: graphic injury, disablist language, suicide and depression.

This exhibition may not be suitable for younger audiences. 

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