Artificial right leg, England, 1914-1920

Artificial right leg, thigh amputation, part made by Wood Milne, from Provisional Limbs Depot, Stretford(?) 1914-1920

Made from fibre, wood and with leather padding to secure the limb around the waist, this prosthetic leg would have been worn by a person who had had their leg amputated above the knee. The maker is listed as Wood Milne, who were manufacturers of rubber tyres during peace time. Like many companies they would have changed their product range in order to cope with the demands of war.

This leg was issued by the provisional limbs department at a Ministry of Pensions Hospital in Becketts Park, Leeds. This hospital was originally built in 1913 as a teacher training college, but like many large buildings it became a hospital following the outbreak of war, in the course of which 57,200 patients were treated there.