Kelsey Fry's bone awl, chrome plated with a nickel plated handle, by V Mueller & Co, mid 20th century, formerly the property of Thomas Pomfret Kilner.
This came from an instrument case used by Thomas Pomfret Kilner (1890-1964) at Liverpool; see BAPRAS/ 242.
Dental surgeons played an important role in the treatment of jaw injuries during the First World War. William Kelsey Fry was one of the most influential dental surgeons of this period. He originally joined the war effort as a Regimental Medical Officer, but returned to Britain in 1916 after being wounded. He was appointed Chief Dental Surgeon to Gillies’ unit at Cambridge Military Hospital, Aldershot. Fry later moved with the unit to the Queen’s Hospital in Sidcup. Together Gillies and Fry fostered an interdisciplinary approach to facial wounds that valued plastic and dental contributions.
