Artificial leg, Europe, 1914-1918

Artificial limb made for a British Merchant Seaman by the Artificial limb made for a British Merchant Seaman by the Artificial limb made for a British Merchant Seaman by the

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Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

Buy

License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

License

Creative Commons LicenseThis image is released under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 Licence

Buy this image as a print 

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License this image for commercial use at Science and Society Picture Library

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Artificial limb made for a British Merchant Seaman by the
Science Museum Group
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Artificial limb made for a British Merchant Seaman by the
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Artificial limb made for a British Merchant Seaman by the
Science Museum Group Collection
© The Board of Trustees of the Science Museum

Artificial limb made for a British Merchant Seaman by the ship's carpenter of a German raider after his ship was sunk in the Red Sea. Worn until repatriation to England. Made during 1914-18 War.

Made from heavy oak wood and weighing over 4 kg, this prosthetic leg was made for a British merchant seaman whose ship had been sunk in the Red Sea – located between Sudan and Saudi Arabia – during the First World War.

When the seaman was captured by a German vessel, the ship’s carpenter made this leg for him. The seaman wore the leg until he returned home after the First World War. The leg is jointed, with toes, ankle and knee all able to bend.

Details

Category:
Orthopaedics
Object Number:
1999-431
Materials:
oak (wood), iron, bitumen, cotton (fibre) and rubber
Measurements:
overall: 180 mm x 900 mm x 270 mm, 4.42kg
type:
artificial leg
credit:
Richmond Twickenham and Roehampton Healthcare NHS Trust