Burton Smith, Royal Navy beginning 1907 - scar on cheek?

[dtcoulson]

Hello people,

I'm not trying to trace this ancestor but I want to query a statement made on his service record.

His service record says he had a scar on his right cheek, yet a photo of him in Navy uniform shows no scar on his face. Either he acquired a scar later in his Navy service, or the scar that he had at enlistment healed perfectly or is so small it can't be seen in the photo. For the second option to be possible, the physical description on his service record would have to have been modified after enlistment. Did this ever happen? My interpretation is that a physical description on a service record is the man's appearance on the day he enlisted and was not modified after that.

Thanks
-DC

[Jebber]

Scars fade with time, they may be apparent at a medical examination, yet not show up in a photograph.

My late husband had a small scar on his face from a childhood accident, it is noted on his military records yet doesn't show up in any photograph, but anyone meeting him face to face may well have noticed a very fine line.

I have  a twelve inch scar from surgery on my torso, it is now so faded that even I have to look hard to see it,

[dtcoulson]

I suspected this was the case. and so your stories give me all the confidence I need to accept this as a conclusion. Thanks.

-DC