Overview

Rick Jolly was the Senior Medical Officer in the Falklands, setting up and running the field hospital at Ajax Bay, where he and his Royal Marine and Parachute Regiment medical teams treated a total of 580 casualties, of which only 3 died of wounds. The building itself was a derelict meat-packing factory, hastily converted to treat incoming wounded – both British and Argentine – even though two unexploded bombs lay at the back of the building. Rick's diary of the campaign and its aftermath is a fast-paced and gripping account of war experience that covers the entire conflict from initial preparations and passage to the South Atlantic on the requisitioned liner Canberra to daily action reports, and observations and interaction with the key players of the conflict – Col. H. Jones, Brian Hanrahan, Julian Thompson and Max Hastings. Incredible human stories abound, as Rick, a trained commando, dangles from the rescue winch of a Sea King helicopter, saving lives on a daily basis. Yet he also confronts death in a thoughtful, reflective and considered way, helping others to deal with the trauma of war. Now revised and brought fully up to date, this book is a unique first-hand narrative of a conflict that inspired individual and collective heroism among British armed forces, inspiring great pride in 'our boys' by the public back at home, but which also provoked – and continues to provoke – fierce debate.

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9781472841384

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Reviews

Jolly manages to convey so much within a relatively small number of pages, the pace of all 74 days of the conflict immediately apparent. The highs written with dark humour ... The lows are written with a moving sensitivity. I will definitely be reading this one through again very soon. * Rear Party Forum * This is a book for anyone interested in military medicine and psychology, anyone who just wants a fine testament to human endurance, leadership and stoicism in difficult and highly emotional circumstances, but perhaps most of all for veterans of the conflict who had little idea at the time of the miracles being worked on their colleagues as the battles raged around them. Personally, I found it absolutely compelling reading, filling another major jigsaw piece into the complex picture of those few short but bloody weeks in 1982. Highly recommended. * Flagship, the magazine for Seafarers UK *

Author Information

Rick Jolly was a former RM doctor. His first book told the story of the medical base at Ajax Bay in the Falkland Islands, which he commanded throughout the 1982 campaign. A legendary figure in the Navy, 'Doc' Jolly remains the only serviceman to be decorated by both sides: he received an OBE from the Queen and the Oficial Orden de Mayo from the Argentine Government. Rick was also the founding chairman of the South Atlantic Medal Association for Falklands veterans. He died in 2018.

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