WW2 Combat Medics

Hello MLU-ers All,

With the talk about health things in other threads of MLU, I've been thinking a lot about Combat Medics during WW2 and how I'd like to see a thread in honour of, and specifically about, them. There are posts here and there throughout the forum about them, but none specifically FOR and ABOUT them, that I know of (unless I missed that?)

I've seen movies and have read little bits of autobiographical details, but all I know is it was one hell of a job working under extreme conditions. These men were amazing ... and I know so little about what being a medic was "all about" and how they were equipped and did their jobs ...



(hmmmm ... and I whine about arthritis sometimes. How dare I? )

Karmen.

Hello,

I was searching for "Canadian" medics memories and photo's but don't know what to search for? I DID find some photos in the Juno Beach Center website but the photographers names were listed and I don't know if it's okay to copy them and post them in here?

I DID find this story by a gentleman Medic who landed on SWORD BEACH on D-Day.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/s.../a2784521.shtm

I'll continue searching for images and stories.

K.

[Alex Blair (RIP)]

Originally posted by Vets Dottir
Hello,

I was searching for "Canadian" medics memories and photo's but don't know what to search for? I DID find some photos in the Juno Beach Center website but the photographers names were listed and I don't know if it's okay to copy them and post them in here?

I DID find this story by a gentleman Medic who landed on SWORD BEACH on D-Day.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar/s.../a2784521.shtm

I'll continue searching for images and stories.

K.

Copyright...
This is posted with the link....
Pay attention to the last paragraph....

Scroll through 144 fact files using the arrows, or jump to a particular year or period using the tabs.

This timeline contains 144 fact files which relate to some of the key events of World War Two, arranged in chronological order to help you track the battles, campaigns and home front events from 1939 to 1945.

The timeline is intended as a means of navigating through the categories of the WW2 People's War Archive. As such, the timeline reflects the themes covered in the Archive, and should not be interpreted as a comprehensive account of World War Two. The theatres of war where the British operated are given emphasis here.

In the case of events that took place over a period of days or months, only the start date is given in the timeline. The full dates are given in the fact file text.

Credits - images from the timeline have been sourced from contributions to WW2 People's War and Corbis. Copyright remains with them and these images may not be reproduced.

Originally posted by Alex Blair
Copyright...
This is posted with the link....
Pay attention to the last paragraph....Credits - images from the timeline have been sourced from contributions to WW2 People's War and Corbis. Copyright remains with them and these images may not be reproduced.

Thanks for pointing that last out for me Alex. I missed reading it (I tend to skim things usually because I find reading a real struggle sometimes and often miss lots I shouldn't )

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

The only 'combat medic' I've ever known I've met is one Ted O'Halloran of the Queen's Own Rifles. I met him in my time with Metro Ambulance here in Toronto, early to mid eighties, when Ted was on light duties prior to retirement. At the same time, as Peter will attest, Ted was still a bugler with the QOR.

Anyway, Ted landed with the Regiment on D-Day and was with them all the way through, until April '45 when he was wounded. That ended his war. There's no telling how many lives he saved, but he's a quiet man and would never boast about it either. I suspect they're all like that, having seen the worst of war close-up.

I've also read tales of Vietnam-era combat medics - they had the highest casualty rates of all troops in contact. Loaded down with a seemingly absurd quantity of medical supplies, they were also well-armed, as their red crosses were just targets for the Viet Cong and NVA.

[Ken Hughes]

my late uncle was a medical orderly in the nzmc 5th field ambulance in Libya ww2. 20th battalion.
he was captured at belhamid taken to Italy by submarine
and spent time in camps 85,57,and148, then as the allies advanced he was moved to Germany to Lamsdorf camp , then moved across Germany as the Russians advanced and was finaly liberated by the Americans,i still have his usa issue water bottle.
he came home a very changed man,would not talk about his army life at all although at xmass time for a treat he would speak German to the children
we heard through other returned soldiers that he was working as an orderly the whole time while a pow and was highly thought of

[Geoff Winnington-Ball (RIP)]

You know, if you want the quintessential account of serving in a Field Surgical Unit (FSU), there's one book you have to find. It's called ELEVEN MEN AND A SCALPEL, by John Burwell Hillsman M.D.; it was written in 1948 and is hard to find, but I got my copy through abebooks.com. I've read it numerous times, and it's a magnificent story.

Thanks for adding here Geoff. You know that kit of medical supplies you have in the sunroom? Is that a actually a "medics kit" or a standard first aid kit?

Ted O'Halloran sounds like he could certainly tell a lot of first hand experiences of being a medic. From the training and prep and through to D-Day and way beyond, the (kit?) supplies and tools they had to work with (or had to do without and had to improvise. WHY did they do without? HOW did they improvise?) and then the realities of actually doing that job. I know that becoming, and being, a medic, has a lot of unique experiences to that group going through the war ... as medics. I imagine everything from humor and hilarity to pride to frustration to boredom to extreme grief, and amazing successes, and everything in between, etc. All the ups and downs of being a combat medic, up to and including when not actually involved in combat (things quiet and no combat happening today, "down time" sort of thing)

I also can't imagine any other position of service that can have so many extreme highs and lows as does being a medic dealing with the immediacy of major trauma crisis of wounded and/or dieing, especially when all hell has broken loose with combat happening all round them, as "this is the job description". I can't imagine, for any reasons, any vet ever boasting ... or even wanting to talk too specifically about the actual details of the actual medical emergencies with people and specific scenarios they experienced unless it served some "good" purpose to do so or they were sharing with their trusted comrades ... especially about the losses

I don't want to focus on just the saddest aspects, because there's so much more involved in being a medic than those parts. Like, what is a medic, what is their role and how were they prepared and how did they do their jobs. What do they have to work with? ... and so on

Here's one, what did they DRIVE!!! I KNOW one or some of you will post some photos now

Thank you,

Karmen

Originally posted by Geoff Winnington-Ball
You know, if you want the quintessential account of serving in a Field Surgical Unit (FSU), there's one book you have to find. It's called ELEVEN MEN AND A SCALPEL, by John Burwell Hillsman M.D.; it was written in 1948 and is hard to find, but I got my copy through abebooks.com. I've read it numerous times, and it's a magnificent story.

Dammit ... and I STILL haven't read that book and now I'm here, and it's way over there on your bookshelf! (I actually did skim parts of it ... amazing little book)