A glimpse into the remarkable story of Adrian Carton de Wiart, ‘The Unkillable Soldier’.
(Updated September 2025)
Here’s the latest in my series of Famous Belgians. This person just about qualifies as Belgian. He was born in Belgium and had a Belgian father, but later took British citizenship. His story is quite amazing.
Born in Brussels, Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart was a one-eyed, one-handed war hero who fought in three major conflicts across six decades: the Boer War, the Great War, and the Second World War. He was shot in the face, head, stomach, ankle, leg, hip, and ear; was blinded in his left eye; survived two plane crashes; tunnelled out of a prisoner-of-war camp; and tore off his own fingers when a doctor declined to amputate them. No wonder that he became known as ‘The Unkillable Soldier’.
The birth of the Unkillable Soldier legend
Adrian Carton de Wiart’s journey began amidst the opulence of Brussels. He was born on 5 May 1880 in Brussels. His Belgian father was Léon Constant Ghislain Carton de Wiart, a well-known and connected lawyer. His mother, Ernestine Wenzig, was Irish. At the time there were rumours that he was an illegitimate son of King Leopold II of the Belgians. Adrian grew up in an affluent household. In 1891 he was sent to boarding school in England, going on to study law at Oxford.
The Boer War: Bullets in the stomach and hip
In 1899, Carton de Wiart wanted to experience war first-hand. Unfortunately for him, he was under military age, and did not have his father’s consent. Not that those obstacles stopped him. Abandoning his studies, he pretended to be 25 and signed up under a pseudonym (Trooper Carton). He left for South Africa to serve with the British Army during the Second Boer War. For three years (1899-1902) he served with distinction, eventually ending when he received bullet wounds to the stomach and groin, necessitating a return to England.
British Somaliland: Losing an eye and part of an ear
His next stop was with the Somaliland Camel Corps, fighting the forces of the Dervish movement. During an attack on an enemy fort at Shimber Berris, he was shot in the arm and in the face, losing his left eye and part of an ear. He received the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for his exploits. He returned to England to recover, and was given a glass eye. It caused him such discomfort that he allegedly threw it away and instead acquired a black eye patch.
Ypres: Losing a hand
World War One beckoned, and Carton de Wiart answered the call. By November 1914 he had become a British citizen. As commanding officer during the Second Battle of Ypres (1915), during a German artillery barrage Carton de Wiart’s left hand was shattered. According to his autobiography, he tore off two fingers when the doctor refused to amputate them. Later that year, his hand was completely amputated by a surgeon.
Battle of the Somme: Shot in the head
By 1916 he was back in action, leading the 8th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment in the Battle of the Somme. With one hand, one eye, and unwavering determination, he led his men into the fray, earning the prestigious Victoria Cross, the UK’s highest military decoration awarded for valour “in the face of the enemy”. Those of his men who survived, recounted stories of Carton de Wiart pulling the pins of grenades out with his teeth and hurling them with his one good arm. But he received another serious injury at Devil’s Wood during the Battle of the Somme, when he was shot through the back of the head, but fortunately it missed his spinal cord. He hadn’t finished escaping death. During the remainder of the First World War, he was shot through the hip at the Battle of Passchendaele, through the leg at Cambrai, and through the ear at Arras.
World War Two: His aircraft is shot down
With the outbreak of World War Two, there was to no staying at home in comfort for Carton de Wiart, despite now being in his 60s. In April 1941 he was dispatched to Yugoslavia to form a British military mission. However, his plane was shot down over the Mediterranean. He managed to swim to shore where he was arrested by the Italians and put in a PoW camp. He made numerous attempts to escape, once evading re-capture for eight days.
Sent to China: Breaks several vertebrae
Carton de Wiart was eventually released over two years later and was then sent to China by Winston Churchill to be his personal representative to Nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shek, a post he held until 1946. In Rangoon, he slipped on coconut matting on some stairs, fell, broke several vertebrae, and knocked himself unconscious. He was treated in Rangoon Hospital. He retired from the military in 1947 at the rank of Lieutenant General.
The Unkillable Soldier retires
In retirement, Carton de Wiart found peace in the tranquil landscapes of County Cork. He bought Aghinish House in Macroom and moved there with his wife. Despite his advanced age and numerous injuries, he remained active and continued to pursue various interests such as fishing. He wrote his memoirs titled “Happy Odyssey,” which recounted his remarkable life and experiences. Thankfully we don’t have any more records of him breaking any more bones.
His awards include the Victoria Cross, Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Companion of the Order of the Bath, Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, Distinguished Service Order, Virtuti Militari (Poland), Croix de Guerre (Belgium), Legion of Honour (France), and Croix de Guerre (France).
Although seemingly indestructible on the battlefield, The Unkillable Soldier died peacefully on 5 June 1963, aged 83.
Three interesting addenda
- What did he call his wife? She certainly had plenty of names. In 1908, Carton de Wiart married Countess Friederike Maria Karoline Henriette Rosa Sabina Franziska Fugger von Babenhausen, the eldest daughter of Karl, 5th Prince von Fugger-Babenhausen and Princess Eleonora zu Hohenlohe-Bartenstein und Jagstberg of Klagenfurt, Austria. They had two daughters.
- Two of Carton de Wiart’s cousins were Count Henry Carton de Wiart, who was Prime Minister of Belgium from 1920 to 1921, and Baron Edmond Carton de Wiart, political secretary to the King of Belgium and director of La Société Générale de Belgique.
- Carton de Wiart is the subject of the 2022 song “The Unkillable Soldier” by Swedish heavy metal band Sabaton on their album The War to End all Wars.
Frequently Asked Questions about Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart
Why was Carton de Wiart called “The Unkillable Soldier”?
Because despite being wounded multiple times — shot in the face, losing an eye and a hand, and surviving plane crashes — he kept returning to active service across three major wars.
In which wars did he fight?
He fought in the Second Boer War, the First World War, and the Second World War, making him one of the most experienced and decorated soldiers of his time.
Did he really write a book about his life?
Yes. His autobiography, Happy Odyssey (1950), recounts his extraordinary adventures in a surprisingly light and humorous style.
Where is he buried?
After retiring in Belgium, he died in 1963 and is buried at Killinardish Churchyard, County Cork, Ireland.
More Famous Belgians
If you have enjoyed this story of the Unkillable Soldier, you may be interested in other Famous Belgians who have led amazing lives:
- Suzanne Spaak was a courageous Belgian operative in the French Resistance during the Second World War who saved Jewish children from being sent to concentration camps.
- Gabrielle Petit was a Belgian woman who spied for the British Secret Service during the First World War.
- Hortense Clews (born Hortense Daman) was a courageous member of the Belgian resistance movement in the Second World War while still in her teens, and a survivor of the Ravensbrück concentration camp.
- Marie-Louise Habets was a Belgian nurse and former nun who was portrayed by Audrey Hepburn in the 1959 movie “The Nun’s Story.”
Where to stay in Belgium
Belgium is a delightful place for a short city break or a longer vacation. If you are looking for accommodation possibilities in Belgium, feel free to use this link:
I created Discovering Belgium in 2011 to share the country’s hidden stories, fascinating places, and remarkable people. Through articles, photography, and audio walks, I share discoveries that reveal Belgium beyond the obvious. Hope you enjoy this site.
I had heard the name Carton de Wiart before, but never of this one.
I also wonder how contemporaries pronounced his name. “Carton the Wired”?
Indeed. Would you pronounce it wee-art?
I’d say “We Are” I think.
Is he unlucky to get injured so much or lucky to survive them, or both!
I think both!
His name would be pronounced ” Wi- art with the emphasis on “art” with a hard a.
Thanks Werner
What a man! A real life Man of Steel.
Who hopefully did not rust when it rained! 🙂
If he were born later, he would have been quite the original Bionic Man. Fabulous story, Denzil.
Yes, and a much cheaper version too.
I was thinking too that he could have been the inspiration behind the Six Million Dollar Man. He must have been a tough character. And, what did he call his wife?
I believe he used a different name every day! ?
Well, that could be a bit confusing.
Sounds like he deserves his own ‘Die Hard’ movie 🙂
Maybe he was the origin of the movies?
Wow what an incredible story
many thanks Mr Denzil Walton for your article on Carton de Wiart. You mention two of his cousins but did you know that another cousin Etienne Carton de Wiart was consecrated (auxiliary) bishop by Cardinal Mercier for the archdiocese of Mechelen? Later was moved to Tournai when becoming diocesan bishop there. see article in fr.wikipedia. I worked 15 years for both Card. Suenens and Danneels as press secretary for the archdiocese of (now) Mechelen-Brussel. In the 70’s and 80’s the name of Etienne CdW was still very well known by the general public of Mechelen. The Carton family had a summer estate at the outskirts of Mechelen, ‘Dijkstein’, that during WW2 became a hiding place for British pilots, jewish children etc. In weekends and in summer some young boys (flemish) formed there a scouting group which served as cover for the children hidden in the building: at least on scouting days they could mingle and come out in the sun. Canon Ceuppens, later Mgr, was the animator of all these undercover activities and worked at the archiepiscopal palace as a private secretary for the then cardinal Van Roey.