A PROSTHETIC arm worn 90 years ago has been found at a property in Uralla.
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The arm is believed to have belonged to World War I digger Private William Reeves who lost his left arm after being wounded in the Battle of Messines.
McCrossin’s Mill is in possession of the arm and historian Sue Singleton said Mr Reeves was a machine gunner who was shot in the shoulder and hand in an air attack by the Germans.
It was really hard to learn how to use them – from what I understand the vast majority gave up.
- Sue Singleton.
“He then got shipped out from Belgium to England where military records show his hand was amputated,
In 1917 Mr Reeves was sent to the Queen Mary’s Workshop in Brighton, a rehabilitation centre for wounded soldiers who lost limbs in battle.
After three months rehabilitation he returned home to Australia. Obviously things weren’t going very well – infection was a huge issue in those days,” Ms Singleton said.
“We know he was shipped back to Darwin and it appears that the rest of his arm was amputated there.”
The prosthetic arm was manufactured by William Carnes, billed as the artificial limb that “puts you back on the payroll.”
Found at a property in Uralla called Rock Abbey – the arm had been gathering dust on a shelf once owned by the family of Mr Reevesand was in remarkably good condition.
There is speculation that the limb was left on the shelf as Carnes prosthetic limbs were notoriously difficult to operate. They were heavy and made from an early form of fibreglass, called Vulcan, and metal and wood.
“The Australian government issued these arms to injured soldiers as part of the compensation for the loss and their war services, however these arms use amazing engineering,” Ms Singleton said.
“This one would have been made for William especially because it needed to fit well. Straps across his back and chest musclesactivated pulleys and cogs in the arm to create movement.
“It can move up and down, the wrist can move, the fingers can move, but it was really hard to learn how to use them – from what I understand the many gave up.”
The team at McCrossin’s Mill have located members of Mr Reeves family and are continuing to trace the history of the prosthesis.