Return to Civvy Street
“Those wretched photos” is how David Bye’s wife forever referred to the clinical images of his reconstructive treatment given to him by John Grocott.
Whilst it is straightforward to describe the technical details of David Bye’s facial reconstruction, the wider implications of this devastating injury upon both him and his family are less easy to see. His diaries portray little emotion. They give a list of procedure dates interspersed with details of battles for financial support and dates of importance in his personal life, such as family members’ birthdays or anniversaries, These include all the preparations for his wedding and setting up a family home.
The entry for 31st March 1945 is David’s first mention of his fiancée May coming to visit on the ward in Stoke. May had waved him off after his last leave to war many months before, a physically and psychologically intact young man. Their daughter, Lesley says their mother was “shocked” when she first saw him, with a tube pedicle flap in a partial state of transfer. Nevertheless, the diaries report the couple went out to dinner that night at the local North Staffs Hotel. This tells us that David not only felt confident enough to venture out, but that leaving the ward during the lengthy reconstruction was both permitted and encouraged. May became a frequent visitor, and the couple married in May 1946 between David’s 13th and 14th procedures.
There is good evidence that the people of Stoke, like those near McIndoe’s unit in East Grinstead, embraced the multitude of injured in their midst, accepting them, without judgement. Indeed, David was also taken out to the local pub by other relatives and friends during his stay in Stoke. Before he regained the ability to fully close his mouth, he had a special “spouty cup” for such occasions. David also made visits to Stoke locals he had befriended such as Horace Macey on 17th June 1945, and the Grahams. Those who knew him said David was an easy man to like.
Before the war David had begun a career in the advertising industry, working his way up from a humble position at the Royds Group. On 17th June 1946 he was warmly welcomed back there after completion of his reconstruction. Working in London, he much later become a Director, managing the property side of the business, and in particular enabling the establishment of Royds’ extremely successful Manchester branch.
David is described as having lived a “normal” civilian life. But however “successful” the technicalities of the reconstruction, he remained all too aware of his different appearance, still wearing a scarf in pubic in 1948. May was very protective should any stranger appear to react in any potentially hurtful way. Despite having lost the tip of his tongue, some taste and wearing a bespoke set of dentures with all sorts of metal struts, he had no problems speaking, or indeed singing! Although due to a lack of feeling in the front of his mouth, he sometimes lost little bits of food.
According to his surviving family, in common with many injured veterans, David did not talk very much about his experience. “It didn’t define him” says his daughter Lesley, “but he couldn’t have forgotten it”. She and her sister Jillie just saw him as “Dad”.
David was 69 when he had a stroke, suffering paralysis to his left side. Hospitalised for six months, he regained enough power in his leg to stand, though not walk. Subsequently rehabilitating at Crabhill House, run by the Winged Fellowship, he later used his business skills and contacts to help them raise funds. David died in October 1993.
“Mr Grocott saved your Dad.” May told her daughters. After he had been finally discharged from the North Staffordshire Royal Infirmary in November 1947, the local Staffordshire Sentinel published a letter from him. “Now how can I just turn round and say ‘thank you’ to a man who has performed these miraculous operations? So if through your columns, you can help me to say how much I appreciate everything that has been done for me in making my life worth living again, I shall be most grateful”.