This page contains a Flash digital edition of a book.
IV NAVY NEWS UGANDA SUPPLEMENT, OCTOBER 2007
Survey ships linked
Uganda to
Uruguay
IF YOU have a hospital, there is a good chance you will need ambulances
as well.
That was the reasoning of planners who were looking to cover the medical needs of
Operation Corporate, the attempt
to recapture the Falklands.
So with converted educational
cruise liner Uganda lined up as
a hospital, there was a need for a
flotilla of ambulance ships.
They would shuttle inshore in
the event of fighting in the South
Atlantic, carrying casualties out to
sea beyond the edge of the Total
Exclusion Zone where they would
be transferred to Uganda.
● (Above) HMHS Hecla (foreground) and Uganda in Grantham Sound in the Falklands, 1982
Two Hecla-class ocean survey
ships, Hecla, and Hydra, with
‘improved’ sister Herald, were
● HMHS Hydra sails from
accordingly given a new paint
Portsmouth for the South
job, including red crosses, and
Atlantic in 1982(left) where she
sailed south to join the Task Force
was joined by sister ship HMHS
crammed with stores.
Herald (right)
The 2,700-ton ships, which
But despite the end of the almost 200 pints of blood.
had good sea-keeping qualities
fighting, the need for an ambulance Her post-war duties saw her
and shallower drafts than Uganda,
had extra medical staff on board
continued until the airfield at taking a civilian doctor on his
for her expected workload, and
Stanley could be upgraded, and ‘rounds’ to the outlying settlements
emergency operating theatres were
Hydra remained on station in the and islands, which had not had
set up in mess spaces.
Falklands until the end of August, any form of medical cover since
As with Uganda, many on board
long after Uganda had sailed into March.
became part of the medical team,
Southampton. HMS Hecate, the sister ship to
with around 30 sailors rapidly
She made four trips to Uruguay the ambulance fleet, also had a role
trained to help in the treatment over 40 casualties.
over the course of her deployment, in the South Atlantic, arriving in
of patients. The need for diplomatic
carrying more than 250 patients August 1982 to take up the duties
In practice, the risks associated clearance had delayed her trip,
in total, and in one ten-day period of South Atlantic Guardship and
with transferring patients in the with Ascension Island being the
her ship’s company donated ice patrol vessel.
wild winter seas of the South fall-back option, but fortunately
Atlantic were deemed too great, the shorter trip to Uruguay
and Uganda was kept close enough became the norm.
to the battlefields to be able to On her return trip to the war
accept patients by helicopter. zone she delivered several tons of
Tough initiation for
But the new role of the three medical supplies, extra medical
little survey ships was just as staff for Uganda and a party of
vital, and led to them clocking officials from the International
up thousands of miles between Committee of the Red Cross.
the Falklands and South America Later round trips – which took
– by the time Hydra returned to around a week – also provided
newly-qualifi ed nurse
the UK she had steamed 28,000 fresh food for Uganda.
miles. The need to clear post-operative
Hecla was rapidly converted in and convalescing patients from
AT JUST 24 and a “very, very “We didn’t have a ventilator, so Sheffield, who had suffered 60 per to lighten up.
Gibraltar in April before following Uganda, to make room for new
new” staff nurse in the accident we kept him breathing by using a cent burns. “One Royal Marine corporal
Uganda south a day later, though casualties, lent urgency to the
and emergency department of bag which we squeezed by hand, “He was the most amazing was just naughty, giving the nurses
she fell a further two days behind ambulance runs to Montevideo,
RN Hospital Stonehouse, Sally for two hours at a time each.” patient, a man called John Strange. cheek,” said Sally.
on the journey as she was built for and on one occasion Herald
Middleton was about to get the Sally recalls the lectures as the He basically survived on egg-nogs “We had some Marmite on
stamina rather than speed – the carried 100 patients to South
chance to demonstrate her worth ship sailed south, including talks and burns dressings. board, so I gave him a Marmite
Hecla class had a modest top America, with most of the the
in the harshest of conditions. on post-traumatic stress disorder, “He went home and recovered, shampoo.
speed of 14 knots. ship’s company of around 120
Sally, now Dr Sally Simmons, then known as “battle shock”. and went back to work in the RN. “I think it took him days to get
Hydra and Herald left giving up their bunks to the
was one of a handful of staff “The consultant psychiatrist “He is one of the bravest people
it out, and he threatened to throw
Portsmouth at the end of April, wounded warriors.
nurses in Uganda, and mainly spoke to us about being prepared I have ever looked after.
me into the Barbican when we got
and arrived a week apart in the On arrival in Montevideo worked in the burns unit.
for what was to come – both for the “With the Welsh Guards, the
back to Plymouth, but I met him
second half of May, Herald having the patients, accompanied by But her introduction to critical
patients’ sakes and for ours – such Royal Marines bandsmen just
after the war and he didn’t carry
diverted to Brazil to drop off an diplomatic staff, were swiftly care came on the passage south,
as gunshots and burns,” said Sally. kept bringing these guys in.
out the threat.”
injured sailor. transferred by bus and ambulance when she looked after Uganda’s
She also claimed the honour of “They couldn’t see because of
Sally also recalls that the burns
The little white ships then began to RAF VC10 airliners for the 13- captain Brian Biddick, who fell
being the first female Killick of the swelling, and we just got them
unit in the airy Music Room was
their casualty evacuation (casevac) hour flight back to the UK. seriously ill just out of Ascension.
the Mess of a sea-going ship, and into bed.
preferable to the original unit, set
role immediately, and it was Hecla Herald and Hecla both started “As I was newly-qualified and
was determined there would be a “They were in a lot of pain,
up in the ship’s sick bay.
which did the first ‘ambulance the long haul back to the UK at had done intensive care nursing, I
chance to unwind after each long and before the doctors could see
“It had to be kept warm down
run’ to South America, taking just the end of June. looked after him,” said Sally.
day preparing the ship. them we had to give them pain
there, and the smell of burnt flesh
“We worked hard during the relief, although many of the burns
was revolting,” she said.
day, so we socialised later,” she turned out to be superficial.
Sally recalls that some
South Sea pilgrimage
said. “But after the Sheffield was “I remember one lad was going
Argentinians were terrified.
sunk, we thought ‘oh hell, we are to be married two months later,
“I was in Sea View ward
at war – this is serious!’ and we and he was in tears because he
really got down to business. thought his girlfriend would not
where there were some young
“There was a big Crossing the want to marry him as he was in
Argentinians suffering from trench
THIS autumn sees a major pilgrimage to the all concerned,” said Nicci. Line ceremony – it was such fun. such a state.
foot,” she said.
Falklands, and former QARNNS nursing officer “This year I am travelling as the sighted carer “Then, all of a sudden, we “We said he would be fine once
“They were terrified of being
Nicci Pugh will be helping out, as she has done of Steve Tuffen, who was an 18-year-old Para switched off and carried on down the swelling had gone down, and
in beds next to huge Paras and
since 2003. in the Falklands War. south with this very focussed need so it turned out – he did get
roughty-toughty Royal Marines.
The trip is organised by the South Atlantic “Steve sustained a severe head injury at the to get on.” married.
“One Para asked me for a Mars
Medal Association (SAMA82), and with 2007 battle of Goose Green, and was treated on Sally’s greatest challenge was to “There was a lot of anxiety in
Bar, and gave it to the Argentinian
marking the 25th anniversary of the Falklands Uganda. meet the needs of those bombed these young men.”
guy next to him.
War, this year’s pilgrimage has attracted more “Steve subsequently lost the majority of his on the RFA ships Sir Galahad and But there was not always to be a
“The ward went quiet as he took
interest than usual. sight and is registered blind, and although he is Sir Tristram at Fitzroy. happy ending – three of Uganda’s
it, and I think he was concerned at
Some 250 pilgrims are expected to travel for a St Dunstaner we are travelling as part of the
“When the ships were hit I was 700-plus patients died.
first in case it was poisoned.
the week-long event early next month. Royal British Legion group.”
told to set up a burns unit to “One young Royal Marine died
“But then he started smiling and
Nicci said that over the years a small and SAMA82, which was formed ten years ago,
receive casualties as the existing on board the ship, and I was
ate it, and the whole atmosphere
experienced support teams has been built up exists “to maintain and promote a sense of
one was not big enough,” she said. involved in looking after him,”
changed completely.
which will help veterans and relatives pay their pride and comradeship among all veterans of
“I had two hours to set up a 44- said Sally.
“I think the British felt sorry
respects and gain as much as possible from the South Atlantic campaign, and to keep them
bed unit in the Music Room.” “He was mortally wounded
for them.”
the long trip south. in touch with each other in a manner which
The most serious cases were by shrapnel, and to see someone
Sally’s experiences in the
“We went ashore at Stanley briefly at the end respects both individual privacy and personal
treated in other parts of the ship, pretty much your own age dying
QARNNS, in which she achieved
of the war and could see the utter devastation requirements.”
and the majority of Sally’s charges was a bit of a shock.
the equivalent rank of CPO, led
of the little town,” said Nicci. It also maintains contact with other
were Welsh Guards. “It never really occurred to me
her to seek new challenges in the
“Now it is such a pleasure to help people organisations involved in Forces welfare,
“They looked horrendous, that young people died, because in
Army equivalent, the QARANC.
make their return journeys to see how thriving, backing the interests of South Atlantic
though we found out later that Plymouth we were dealing mainly
She left as a major after almost
flourishing and prosperous the place now is.” veterans.
they were not so badly burned,” with broken bones and the like.
nine years, including two tours of
Nicci has been to the Falklands for the past The organisation also promotes strong links
she said. “Seeing this young man dying Northern Ireland which sparked
four years, sometimes paying her own way. with the people of the Falkland Islands.
“One man I remember was a in front of your eyes and knowing her change of career.
“We help support and encourage veterans For more details of SAMA82 and the
Chinese laundryman, whose head there was absolutely nothing you Dr Simmons, whose soldier
and next-of-kin make this rather traumatic Falklands pilgrimages, see the website at
had swollen up like a football. could do for him was terrible.” husband is currently in Basra,
return journey – a very emotional experience for www.sama82.org
“But the worst case I probably Despite the grim nature of the graduated in July and is now
dealt with was a Chief from HMS work, there were still opportunities working in a hospital in Wiltshire.
0XUganda_NN_OCT.indd 4 18/9/07 16:37:16
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52