victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
- Posts: 1,075
Very true sir it was the same when we was in Cyprus over salt tablets I told them they must take one and one only, but some took more and they paid the price for doing that.
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victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
- Posts: 1,075
Thank you sir, it was the same in Cyprus I told them one salt tablet a day and one only ,but some took more and paid the price for doing it.
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victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
- Posts: 1,075
The war games were now stepping up a pace,with a lot of mock war casualties with labels tied on them telling us what was wrong with them ,and we had to treat them as real casualties. Also we now had a real army to fight in mock wars etc ,and they were the French canadiens. and their regiment was made up of the French VANDOES WHICH WAS EQUIVALENT TO OUR S.A.S. but they went about it as they would do in a real war.As yiu know we was very short of medical orderlys which in turn meant I had to join in the wars at times ,and it was one morning we had to go out in a convoy to attack the enemies,well we was going a long this track in the woods my jeep was the last in the convoy with big red cross on it showing it was a medical wagon.we had about 6or seven vehicles in our convoy,we was driving slowly because of all the tall trees each side of the track when all of a sudden the trees each side of the track fell across the bonnets of all our vehicles bar ours ,and what had happen was a ambush by the other side they did not care what damage was done to the lorrys or if anyone was hurt then they rushed out of the woods shotting at us, they were not using live rounds but they were fighting as though it was a real battle ,but I FOUND it great fun to be in it all.And how they done it all was to cut the trees down then hold them up ropes and as we went by they let go of the ropes ,which meant that the trees fell down over the bonnets of the vehicies and made them jackknife alot of damaged to them and they could not be driven ,so we were captured and that was the end of that war all done in about 1hour.
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victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
- Posts: 1,075
victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
- Posts: 1,075
Well of late I had been working very late into the night and one night I was knackered and just had to call it a day and went to bed in the morning I was about 30mins late in going round the camp spraying the D.D.T. ,any way I set off in my jeep stopping at times to spray round the tents etc.I got to the officers mess tent sprayed all around it ,next thing that happen all the officers "YOU TRYING TO KILL US ALL.? I could not stop laughing and the more I laugh the more his face went red with rage.Sorry Sir I waslate this morning and forgot you all were eating.They were all coughing and some could not even see ,and were splattering all of the place It was the RSM SHOUTING AT ME
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victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
- Posts: 1,075
I was going through one of the bad times we all get at times,tell it to you later again it is fun to read but not so for me at the time.
victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
- Posts: 1,075
Well it was in the morning ,sorry but cannot remember the time but the sun was up and it was very hot, and the others medical team with the cpl had to go out on exercise that just left me running the camp,and then I had a call you must go to this map reference and pick up a bad injury soldier,well the Field Ambulance had gone with the other team,all I had was the jeep but it did have two stretches strapped in the back ,but I was on my own and I needed a person with me to put the injured person in the back,so went and saw the duty sgt and luck would have it he gave me a man.
victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
- Posts: 1,075
So off we went got to the field where the man was on his back lieing down, I said to him"Please tell me what is wrong with you,?"Sorry mate but I am unconscious so read the note on my chest".I was not happy this was a mock casualty .So on reading the note it said man blowen up by mine ,patch him up and take to your own Dr in the main camp.So it look like a broken leg and bad cuts to his arms and face,any way I patched him up and got the help of the person with me ,we put him on the stretcher and straped him in it ,and then we lifted him into the back of the jeep, the stretcher was sticking out of the back but that was not important, so off we went got to the gate of the field ,I got out to aps open it,on looking in the back of the jeep there was NO PATIENT ! what had happen was I had strapped him on the stretcher but forgot to stap the stretcher to the holding stretchers in the back of jeep so reversing back across the field till we found him he was shouting ""My arm my arm" and Looking at it I saw the only big stone in the field ,he had hit it when he fell from the jeep.
I said"Well mate got some bad news for you and some goods news for myself" You now have a real broken arm which is the bad news,but I now have a real injury to work on and that is the good news for me."
s
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victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
- Posts: 1,075
If you like that one the next 3 true storys will make you smile
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victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
- Posts: 1,075
well on we march as the words put it in that hymn,the next true story of my stay in the Canadian forests. I was in the morning when the C.S.M.of HQ company came to see me.,"Matcham I have been told we can use you for the next 24hrs,and I have a job for you and its right up your street.You are to go with this lance CPL and take over a Bridge and indoing so you will releave the two men there for ten hrs, the cpl knows what has to be done.
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victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
- Posts: 1,075
When we got there ,we drove there by a jeep the bridge was over a river and high up, as were told two men was there and took over the duty and they went back to camp with the jeep we drove up in,so we was there for the next ten hrs like it or not.
The Weather was again very hot it had been raining in the night so it was mud and more mud on the rd.
Vic we will go up on the ridge where the day tent is and the sentury box and I will explain our orders to you.
So up we went,"our job is to make shore no one goes over that bridge ,the reason for that is in a short time from now, a plane is going to fly over it and in this mock war ,is going to blow the bridge up ,but not for real but we must act that it has been destroyed ,and as this wood is so big when the red flag is up civilians must not use the bridge but because it is a very long way round it they might try to cross it.
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victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
- Posts: 1,075
sorry missed out some words, but I will carry on. He went on to say Matcham you are to go down to the bridge put the road cones and then put the red bar down over the road to stop any one from going over. at some point the plane will come over dropping a bag of flour on to it the note on it will say Bridge now destroyed so do not let the public across it. And that is what happen when the bag was dropped I put our road cones out and lowed the red bar the red flags were up.
Well after about one hour I could see a car coming up the road to the bridge .when it got to where I was standing the lady got out and she was a very big lady, She said to me"I need to cross over the bridge "Sorry you cannot do that ma,am it bridge is destroyed and if I let you carry on you are going to end up in the river"Don,t be silly I can see the bridge is there,"Sorry it is not I have a note here telling me it has been destroyed"Anyway she was shouting at me and swearing at me.I can see it is there so let me cross it
Must say I got fed up with this so I said to her look in that sentry box up the hill is the person in charge ,go and see him, still shouting back at me she climbed up to the S\box to were the cpl was standing
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victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
- Posts: 1,075
And she was shouting at him as well "please tell me what is wrong and I will try to put it right. She went on and told him that Iwould not let her across the bridge because it has been blowen up, and I can see that is not true. "Well I would like to help you,but sorry I have been dead for the last 3 days, I could not stop laughing and the lady jump in the car and tuning it round went off in great speed .this a a very true story.
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victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
- Posts: 1,075
thank you for your remarks and glad you like it,lots more to come yet 19 years then 80years now,At this time I have a sad part which happen in Canada,and can not make up my mind if I should write about it yes it is part of my story and what happen was my fault, and still think about it today, you will have to be patient with me for a day or two .
The Gov- Registered: 24 May 2020
- Posts: 151
Mr Vic. Please carry on don't leave us hanging. We want to know the good and bad bits if you don't mind. it make it better reading.
I wish I could do it.
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victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
- Posts: 1,075
Yes sir I will carry on but there will be parts left out ,like names, and the rank of the person ,it will not be the complete story ,but as you righty said a life story is a life story good and sorry parts. I will do this part later today.
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victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
- Posts: 1,075
This is just along the lines what happen,some parts are left out.
Most of the battalion was out on exercises just leaving a very small rear party which like most times I was left looking after the med\\centre and again I was on duty 24\ but I could go to bed etc but they could call on me at any time.As there was only a very few in camp I was thinking could I aske to go down to the main Canadian camp, they had shops there and even a cinema, so having not been out of camp for a few days I was very bored with just doing some paper work records keeping etc and did not even get a patient to look over. Again it was so hot, me being what I am ,I went and saw a N.C.O. that I got on with and aske him are you good at first aid if the need be,he said he was ,the next thing I asked him"I have been shut up in this camp some days now,can I go down to the main camp just for two or 3hours I will take the jeep .The chances of things going wrong here are very small because of the few numbers of men in the camp.So please can I nep out "He said ok Vic but do not be long as I am a first aider I will cover for you. Great I will be about two hrs ." So I jumped in my jeep and headed for the C\camp I had a quick look round and was heading back to camp but to do that I had to go pass the cinema .I went in just to have a look ,and only just got in the door and two MP came up to me .Are you Matcham,?yes I replied,"You are under open arrest and we have to take you back to your camp immediatly.
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victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
- Posts: 1,075
When we got to the camp guard tent I was handed over to our own RPS I was then taken round to the officers mess room and in side was the duty SGT AND my mate who said he would cover for me and the Officer who was in charge of the rear party."Matcham you are a bloody idiot, you were on duty at the time ,and you left the camp,but we have now called the ambulance and it is on its way in the mean time do what you can do to help the officer.I will now tell you what happen after I left the camp this officer was pumping up a Canadian lamp which he had just filled up with fuel and it had blowen up in his face,the cpl with a first aid had tried to help him,but in doing so and really did not know how to help him he made it worse then it was,just as I washed my hands and trying to do what I can ,the ambulance turn up and he was taken away to a Hospital but not the one in the main camp.More about all this later.
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victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
- Posts: 1,075
more to come on this part of my life story
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victor matcham- Registered: 5 Oct 2021
- Posts: 1,075
I was told that I would be put on a charged,of going absent while on duty ," LEAVING my post and camp without pemission,and neglection of duty putting men at risk. They were going to throw the book at me. But the only thing that saved me from being put in the jail of the big Canadian camp was my belief it or not was my skills at what I was trained for in other words they could not get a replacement .So I was still to be paced on open arrest till we went back to the UK,I still had permission to go to any hospital to take a patient etc, but had to sign in and out . and when working in the camp I had to report in the day every 4hours and at night every 6hrs unless I was treating a patient. Anyway I did get down to the Hospital where the officer who got the injury with the lamp. He was all bandaged hands to and his face, I apology to him and how sorry I am over what happen, and cannot stop thinking about it. I got to see him just a few times before they took him back to the UK for more treatment. We had a log cabin in our camp which was to keep our weapons in etc there was always a guard on duty\7 days aweek, anyway and this was going to be where they held a enquiry into what happen and to hear the charges against me. I was asked if I wanted a officer to speak on my behalf.
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coming later on what happen when I over slept