Next morning saw the start of a big army exercise,but before I go on about that, it must have been about midnight,when I heard the Dr shouting from his tent,"Matcham what is wrong with my bed "?I do not know sir what is wrong"?
"I cannot get my legs down"I will have a look for you sir if you stand up"
Without him seeing me do it I unfolded the sheet to its full length again.
"Sorry sir I cannot find anything wrong with it ,try getting into it again while I am still here"
So he got back in this time he could put his legs right down.
"I could not do that just now what have you done"?Nothing sir can I go back to my tent now" I could not stop laughing to myself.He never found out what I had done.
Over the radio came messages and map references where to find casualties,so off we went with our driver knowing where to go,and yes it was raining and cold but they were not real casualties but each one of them was a card pinned to them saying what was wrong with them,so to cut the story down , I went round to treat them or send him back to the sick bay.One chap I came up to .I said what is wrong with you he turned and "I cannot tell you that"why"I said."I am unconscious" laughing I said ok,so I found his card and wrote on it was I have a broken leg and unconscious .So I put a splint on his leg,then the driver and myself got him onto the stretcher and strapped him on it the lifed him into the landrover sliding the stretcher along the rail ,then set off back to our sick bay,must say I was thinking the driver was going to fast across the rough ground,we then hit a rock or it seemed like one,I heard a shout from the back of the Landrover,and on turning round the stretcher and casualty was missing.This is very true,I went round the back to see the stretcher with the casualty still strapped in it A FEW YARDS BEHIND US.
What had happen is I had done right in strappeding him it but when We put the stretcher in the back of the vehicle,II did not put the holding down strapp ,fixing it in so to stop the stretcher sliding out of the back of the vehicle.so when we hit that rock the stretcher and patient rolled out of the back hitting the hard stoney ground behind us
I said c"are you ok mate"No my arm is hurting a lot"So having a good look at it.I said to him. "Well mate you started off as a mock casualty but now you are real one I think your arm is broken" And I was right on getting him back the Dr told the driver to take him to the local Hos/for a xray.
