20 Incredible Facts About Sir Adrian Carton de Wiart

Rumors dogged Adrian throughout his life: Was he secretly the illegitimate son of King Leopold II? Born in Brussels on May 5, 1880, the rumors intensified after his parents’ divorce in 1886 and his sudden departure for England. Adrian himself dismissed these rumors with humor, attributing his wild spirit to his “mixed blood” rather than to his royal lineage.

Oxford seemed too boring for a 19-year-old eager for adventure. So in 1899, Adrian simply lied about his age, called himself “Trooper Carton,” and enlisted in the Second Boer War, claiming to be 25. His father was furious when he found out, but he eventually gave up trying to stop his son from pursuing his reckless plan.

The Boer War nearly cost him his life in 1900, when bullets pierced his stomach and groin. His recovery in England did nothing to dampen his enthusiasm: he returned to South Africa in 1901 and was promoted to second lieutenant.

After fighting for Great Britain for eight years, Adrian formalized his commitment on September 13, 1907, by taking an oath of allegiance to King Edward VII. The soldier, who was originally from Belgium, needed British citizenship to advance his career, even though he saw things differently. He joked that he was “officially becoming British just in time to get into even more trouble,” with his usual wry sense of humor.

Countess Friederike Fugger von Babenhausen came from a prominent Austrian banking family, and in 1908 she married Adrian. Together, they had two daughters, and this marriage allowed her to enter the circles of Europe’s elite hunters.

The 1914 desert war against the forces of Mohammed Abdullah Hassan placed Adrian at the head of the Somaliland Camel Corps. He commanded the troops in sweltering heat at fortified positions such as Shimber Berris, thereby demonstrating his tactical genius.

Two bullets struck Adrian in the face during the Somaliland campaign at Shimber Berris in 1914–1915. His left eye and part of his ear were destroyed, but he reportedly stitched himself up before being evacuated. These disfiguring injuries did little to slow him down, and he returned to duty remarkably quickly afterward.

Adrian’s bravery in Somaliland earned him the Distinguished Service Order on May 15, 1915. This award recognized his leadership against the Dervish forces before he was called to serve on the Western Front during World War I. But this recognition meant little to him: he would have called it “mere trifles,” preferring actual combat.

The glass eyes deeply annoyed Adrian after he lost his own in 1915. He threw the irritating prosthesis out the window of a taxi and opted instead for his famous black eye patch. The “dapper pirate” look became iconic, and he would joke that it “kept him from seeing the bad side of things” when people asked him about it.

Shrapnel shattered Adrian’s left hand during the Second Battle of Ypres in 1915, but the surgeon refused to perform an immediate amputation. Without anesthesia or authorization, he simply amputated his own injured fingers right there on the spot.

The highest British military honor was awarded to Adrian for his actions on July 2 and 3, 1916, at La Boisselle. Leading the charges under devastating fire as a temporary lieutenant colonel, he rallied the troops despite mounting casualties around him. The citation praised his “remarkable courage.”

A bullet pierced the back of Adrian’s skull on the Somme in 1916, but miraculously missed his spinal cord and brain. It was pure luck that he survived, according to his servant, who witnessed this impossible survival. Adrian later joked that the bullet “must have gotten lost in his thick skull,” with his usual self-deprecating humor.

Eight separate injuries marked Adrian’s service during World War I, in the bloodiest battles on the Western Front. A hip injury at Passchendaele in 1917, a leg injury at Cambrai, an ankle and ear injury at Arras in 1918… the list just kept getting longer.

Just three days before the end of the war, Adrian was promoted to brigadier general on November 8, 1918. He arrived on horseback, wearing his eye patch and with an empty sleeve, to inspect the troops during those surreal final moments. The soldiers reportedly hailed him as a “legend” as he smiled, thinking that the war was almost over.

Great Britain sent Adrian to Poland from 1919 to 1921, where he served as an advisor during the chaotic conflicts with Soviet Russia and neighboring states. He met with Józef Piłsudski and attempted peace negotiations, most of which failed due to insurmountable geopolitical tensions. The two leaders struck up a friendship over cigars and shared their contempt for politicians during their diplomatic meetings.

A plane crash in 1920 over Lithuanian territory led to Adrian’s brief detention during the Polish-Soviet War. The guards were charmed by his endless stories while he awaited his diplomatic release. The whole incident was “just a detour,” he joked with his characteristic unflappable composure throughout the ordeal.

The Soviet Red Cavalry charged Adrian’s observation train in 1920, but he repelled them single-handedly with his revolver. Even with only one eye and one hand, he managed to shoot accurately at the galloping cavalrymen before falling and rushing back on board.

Fifteen years of daily hunting kept Adrian busy during his retirement, from 1924 to 1939, on Prince Radziwiłł’s vast Polish estate. The Pripet Marshes offered wetlands larger than Ireland for his pursuits, allowing him to stay in shape until the Soviet invasion put an end to this idyll.

At age 59, Adrian had not been relieved of his duties when Great Britain recalled him in July 1939 as war loomed once again. As head of the military mission in Poland, he successfully advocated for the evacuation of the fleet, but his advice to withdraw was ignored.

In April 1941, Adrian’s plane crashed into the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Libya. He swam to shore, unconscious, only to find himself face to face with his Italian captors. During his imprisonment at Castello di Vincigliata from 1941 to 1943, he attempted five escapes—including one through a tunnel he dug over the course of seven months—and remained at large for eight days, disguised as an Italian peasant.