NAVY NEWS UGANDA SUPPLEMENT, OCTOBER 2007 III
‘We felt we had
really gone to war’
AMONG those who flew out “We all felt that it would be theatre teams, and we ran a Naval and character.
in an RAF Hercules to join
sorted out round the table,” said watch system of two on, one off. “That was certainly the case
“I was struck by how flexible, with the QARNNS.
Uganda in Gibraltar were
Christine.
“I thought we would get to cheerful and helpful the Royal “We were dealing with many sad
QARNNS officers Nicci Pugh Ascension and be turned back, Marines stretcher bearers were. and tragic injuries, and we knew
and Christine Poole.
so I was quite surprised when we “They did anything that was we had to be strong and reliable
Nicci, then a 31-year-old
were told to continue on down. asked of them – carting people for each other and for our patients
Senior Nursing Officer, had
“On the passage from Ascension around on a ship at sea is not easy. – there was a quiet professionalism
some idea where the Falklands
I was actually seasick – I wasn’t “At busy times P&O staff also for those who suffered.”
some stage.”
used to going to sea – but no one helped as and when they could.” Christine cannot recall seeing
were and what to expect – her Nicci was given 48 hours leave
was too ill to work. Christine agreed: “The P&O any badly-injured Argentinian
father, an RN captain, had
then reported to RAF Lyneham
“All the fitting out of the wards crew were marvellous, and did casualties, but does remember
been Senior Naval Officer
for the flight to Ascension.
and cleaning had to be done, and things like cutting away blisters thinking the Argentinian hospital
at HMS Philomel in New
Christine was a Superintendent
there was plenty of dust and dirt after having been given a crash- ship was “a bit of a rustbucket”
Zealand, on a similar latitude
Nursing Officer in charge of
around from where the welders course – sometimes just ‘watch when it approached Uganda to
male and female surgical wards
to the Falklands.
had fitted the flight deck.” what we are doing and do the take off casualties.
at Haslar, and like Nicci, as a
She and almost 40 QARNNS
With the QARNNS on board, same thing for him’.” “I do not know the politics of
member of the Surgical Support
colleagues joined Naval Party
Uganda – the RN’s first hospital The regime in the Falklands was why they did not go to their own
Team, expected to be involved.
ship in 30 years – had the honour as gruelling as they had feared. hospital ships straight away,” said
● (Above) Nicci Pugh at work in
1830, a contingent of 135 officers
an operating theatre on board
She recalls the “very noisy”
of hosting the first RN female “The work was harrowing and Nicci.
Uganda in the South Atlantic
and ratings, and P&O civilians,
Hercules flight as being an early
junior ratings to serve at sea. difficult, and there was not much “But their nationality wasn’t an
to continue the job that had been
hint of discomforts to come, but
As Uganda left Gibraltar she time off,” said Nicci. issue when they needed medical
started by Gibraltar dockies.
Uganda provided some solace.
received a signal from the Medical “Once into watch-keeping, you treatment. All patients were treated
“I was working as an operating ● (Below) QARNNS nurses
“She was a comfortable ship,”
Officer in Charge which epitomised would have to catch up with sleep with the same trust and respect.”
– with their mascots – set off theatre sister at Haslar when we said Christine. “We knew it was
their mission: ‘Heal Navy’. when you were off duty.” When Uganda was redesignated
from RN Hospital Haslar in May heard of the invasion,” said Nicci.
not going to be luxurious, but it
It was a motto Uganda lived up Christine, who was in charge a troopship, and the hospital was
1982, bound for Gibraltar to join “I was already in the Haslar
was better than other ships.”
to in and around Falkland Sound. of the ship’s dormitories, looking packed up, Christine said the mood
HMHS Uganda before she sailed Surgical Support Team, so I knew
At that stage there was still
Nicci noticed a change of mood after recovering patients and those on board quickly brightened.
south to the Falklands that I would be selected to go at
hope for a positive outcome.
after Uganda left Ascension and with less severe injuries, also “People seemed a bit more
the prospect of bloodshed loomed. remembers the fatigue. happy, and boat trips were
“It was quite sombre on board arranged into Stanley, so we knew
generally,” said Nicci.
“We did six-hour watches
it must be safe.
“And you could not get away
on the dormitories, as the
“It was an experience to go up
from it, like go for a walk ashore
timespan was more suited
the main street and into the shop,
on your day off.
to the work,” she said.
to be there like the others, even
“When we heard about the “Most of the time, when we though it was only for an hour.”
General Belgrano and the were not working we were chatting Nicci said: “We all remember
Sheffield, like everyone else in the about it or sleeping, and the talking our one or two trips ashore to
Task Force we knew this was for was important because you did this day.
real and we would really have to not want to bottle it all up.” “I had to collect some
knuckle down and get on with it.” “I went to help in the theatre, instruments from the hospital in
Christine also recalls the change cleaning instruments and so on, Stanley, and bought some old first
in mood: “I remember thinking: when I could, and we just chatted day covers from the Post Office.
Gosh, this is it, and thinking we while we were working. “I had them framed, and still
have got to get into gear.” “It was sombre, but everybody have them at home.
Nicci said: “We were aware that was there to help everybody else.” “We were all saddened to see the
we were the only Forces females in The Fitzroy bombing stuck destruction of what had obviously
the combat zone, but we had little in Christine’s memory, as her been such a lovely little community,
time to reflect on it at the time. dormitory handled more serious and hoped the troops ashore could
“We were not military nurses casualties when the ship was busy. help get things back to some sort
for nothing, and we were under “On that one day we had 150 of normality.”
Geneva Convention rules, which brought in in a short time, mainly Uganda’s homecoming was
gave us some protection. burns – and some were quite something of a surprise.
“While the battles were going horrific, though they didn’t come “We had seen the crowds
on in and around San Carlos straight to our ward,” she said. welcoming Canberra and the QE2
Water, most of us were so busy “We had those with burned back, but we thought no one would
treating casualties that we had hands and feet, but whose bodies be there to welcome us back.
little time to see or hear what was were not caught. “But there were bands, and
going on. “The worst were in intensive crowds cheering, and flags – it
● HMHS Uganda at anchor off Ascension Island in the Atlantic
“Surgical operations involving care and the surgical wards, and at was so amazing because we didn’t
all our operating theatre teams that time we thought ‘if this goes expect it at all.
Memories – good and bad
had to continue in spite of the on much longer we will not be “But we felt we had really gone
proximity of the air attacks. able to call on any more help’. to war. We could hear the planes
“San Carlos Water is less than “But we knew we would have overhead, and did our job, and we
two miles from Grantham Sound, coped, whatever happened.” felt we were part of it.”
where we frequently anchored to Nicci added: “The majority of The transition back to
ONE of the younger members combat zone effected a dramatic Joanne’s mother wrote every
receive casualties.” our casualties were severely injured, ‘normality’ at Haslar was rapid.
of Naval Party 1830 was Joanne change, and Joanne’s memories day to keep her in touch.
The ship’s regular withdrawals many with mortar, shrapnel and “When we got back we had
Anderson-Scade, who was a of that period are not so happy. Joanne recalls parcels arriving
to the “red cross box”, 12 miles off gunshot wounds, and many were two weeks off and then we were
22-year-old Naval Nurse with a “I remember we had a slops
from well-wishers, featuring items
Cape Dolphin, brought medical hurt by the indiscriminately-laid straight back to work,” said Nicci.
year’s experience behind her. bucket in the operating theatre,
staff little respite, as there was Argentine landmines. “Personally I wasn’t able to talk
such as vests and hair brushes.
Joanne had been working where I worked, with all kinds of
little shelter from foul weather and “As it all started to mount up, talk about it to many people for
And the trip back brought new
alongside Nicci Pugh in the things in – I won’t go into detail
high seas. you could not say there was a many years.
experiences – Gurkhas taught
operating theatres at Haslar, and – and that had to be emptied at
“Often the surgical work would routine. Pipes were going off all “In some ways perhaps that was
Joanne and her colleagues to
had no hesitation stepping up night,” she said.
start during that evening, once the the time. the best thing for me, to get back
with Nicci for the deployment. “It was not one of the most
shoot, with balloons as targets.
day’s fighting was over and the “But in many cases the challenge to a normal routine.
“I was not apprehensive, joyous things to do, but so long
Joanne is still in nursing, casualties had been brought on of working in difficult, dangerous “The levels of trauma we saw
and I loved every minute of the as the wind was in the right
managing operating theatres at a board,” said Nicci. and arduous conditions can help there in such a short time I think we
Hercules flight to Gibraltar – I direction it was okay.”
hospital in the Home Counties. “There were three operating to strengthen your professionalism would be unlikely to see again.”
liked everything that moved.” The gruelling, often unpleasant,
The lack of a desalination work meant there was little time
plant on board to produce fresh to watch the action unfold just a
water led to water rationing on couple of miles away across a
the voyage south – and a strict headland – but sometimes the
monitoring system as well. action came to them when the
“They used to time us in the ship was ‘buzzed’ by Argentinian
showers, and we were allowed aircraft.
no more than a minute, although
“We just knuckled down and
it was not really a problem.”
got on with our work – though I
Such minor discomforts, and
do have some pictures of Argie
the constant safety drills, were
planes going over us.”
more than compensated for by
The effects of the fighting on
the fact that Uganda retained
the locals was brought home
some characteristics of her
to Joanne during the children’s
cruising days.
party on board after the war.
“The food was very good, and
“At one point some balloons
we were waited on by the P&O
burst, and some of the children
staff, who were excellent,” said
were upset – they thought the
Joanne.
gunfire and bombing had started
“We had a lovely chap to look
again,” she said.
after our cabin, had our laundry
A ‘Half-way to Christmas’ party
done, and there were a couple
in June seemed appropriate,
of hairdressers on board, too,
given the midwinter weather,
who were lovely lads.
but thoughts of home were
“We had impromptu concerts
never far away.
by the Royal Marines band, and
Joanne had to miss out being
a friend of mine celebrated her
a bridesmaid for a friend, and
21st birthday on board.
another friend had a baby, but
“One film they showed was
The Green Berets with John
● Uganda at anchor off
Wayne…”
Ascension Island during her
The ship’s arrival in the
passage south in 1982
0XUganda_NN_OCT.indd 3 20/9/07 09:38:34
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