The records of Major J. W. E. Snawdon of the No. 2 Indian Maxillofacial Unit provide a rare and detailed insight into the treatment of mandibular fractures during the Second World War. Notable features were the high frequency of civilian-type injuries, the considerable delays between injury and definitive treatment, the lengthy periods of intermaxillary fixation required, the high incidence of infections and the common occurrence of delayed union. Despite these problems, only 12% of fractures resulted in non-union, usually when these were missile injuries with considerable destruction. Reporting of the details from Snawdon's records should be of interest particularly to young oral surgeons, whose experience of trauma belongs to an entirely different environment.