2nd Lieutenant Cyril Edwards' in a wheelchair Endsleigh Palace Hospital, September 1917

Photograph compiled by 2nd Lieutenant Cyril Edwards DSO, World War One (1914-1918), 1917.

Cyril Edwards (1893-1978) a member of the 2/7th Battalion The Prince of Wales's Own (West Yorkshire Regiment) was wounded in action in July 1917 when he stood on a hand grenade to save the life of a non-commissioned officer. Edward's foot was blown off, but he became the first officer to receive and survive a blood transfusion at a front line hospital. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) for his bravery.

Edwards was admitted to Endsleigh Palace Hospital on Gordon Street in London between September and November 1917. Like many British hospitals for wounded servicemen, it was formerly a hotel, and had been requisitioned specifically for the treatment of injured officers in 1915. It closed in 1919 and is now the University College London Union.

From a photograph album compiled by Second Lieutenant Cyril Edwards DSO, 1917-1918.