New nose

One of Gillies' biggest successes was William M Spreckley (pictured) who lost his entire nose in the Battle of Ypres.

The surgeon implanted a section of cartilage from one of Spreckley's ribs under his forehead. Then he "swung" the cartilage and a flap of skin into the nasal cavity to create a new nose. Over time the new tissue fused with the old and filled the hole.

"Gillies' unique idea was to marry cosmetic appearance and function," Dr Bamji says.