Lieutenant-General Sir Adrian Paul Ghislain Carton de Wiart’s military exploits read like something out of an adventure novel. His service during the Boer War, World War I, and World War II epitomized heroism and endurance. His combat scars include an eye loss, multiple gunshot wounds, and plane crash survivals. Known for his Victoria Cross awarded for valor “in the face of the enemy,” Carton de Wiart’s story is a testament to the unyielding spirit of a truly remarkable soldier.
Carton de Wiart was born in 1880 into an aristocratic family. When he grew up, he enrolled at Balliol College, Oxford, but departed circa 1899, either just before or during the Second Boer War, to enlist in the British Army. In the Second Boer War, he was wounded in the stomach and groin. He once described his wartime experience saying, “Frankly, I had enjoyed the war.”
In World War I, Carton de Wiart’s bravery was unmistakable. He commanded three infantry battalions and a brigade and was wounded multiple times. Carton de Wiart was honored with the Victoria Cross (VC) in 1916, the most prestigious accolade for valor in combat presented to British Empire personnel. Despite losing his left hand and eye, Carton de Wiart’s spirit remained unbroken. After World War I, Carton de Wiart was dispatched to Poland as the deputy leader of the British-Poland Military Mission working alongside General Louis Botha. He later played a significant diplomatic role as Winston Churchill’s representative in China during World War II.
His time as a POW in Italy from 1941 to 1943 did little to deter his resolve. After successfully eluding capture for eight days by masquerading as an Italian peasant, Carton de Wiart found himself in a remarkable turn of events. In August 1943, he was removed from captivity and transported to Rome. The Italian government was clandestinely plotting to exit the conflict and sought Carton de Wiart to convey a message to the British Army regarding a potential peace agreement with the United Kingdom. He was slated to travel alongside Italian negotiator General Giacomo Zanussi to Lisbon, where they would meet with Allied representatives to discuss the terms of surrender. Carton de Wiart passed away in 1963, but his legacy of bravery and perseverance endures.
The man’s own words perhaps best encapsulate his views on conflict and life. In his memoirs, Carton de Wiart wrote, “Governments may think and say as they like, but force cannot be eliminated, and it is the only real and unanswerable power. We are told that the pen is mightier than the sword, but I know which of these weapons I would choose.”
While on his way back home through French Indochina, Carton de Wiart made a stop in Rangoon where he was hosted as a guest by the army commander. he accidentally slipped and broke several vertebrae in Burma. Eventually settling in Ireland with his second wife, Carton de Wiart’s extraordinary life was marked by his relentless tenacity and an appetite for adventure that never waned.
Carton de Wiart passed away at the age of 83 on June 5, 1963, leaving behind no written documents.