White Ship - Red Crosses by Nicci Pugh
With White Ship – Red Crosses, author Nicci Pugh has created a fascinating, comprehensive and historically useful account of the efforts of the medical teams and crew aboard the British Hospital Ship SS Uganda during the Falklands War in 1982. In addition to the conflict itself, the book details in some depth the many transformations of the ship before she was ready to accommodate hospital space, as well as the trials of the Royal Navy Medical and Nursing staff as they fought against time to convert the P&O Cruise Ship Uganda to operate successfully as a floating hospital working in The South Atlantic Ocean.
As a veteran Naval Nursing Sister who served on board The Hospital Ship, the events are told first-hand. As a result, against the backdrop of the conflict we have a story that is infused with empathy, nostalgia and camaraderie. Combined, they lend this fast-moving tale a level of compassion usually absent in factual accounts of war, where single characters are often lost in the masses. The final few chapters bring the book right up-to-date, with comparisons to current conflicts, and the importance for 1982 Falklands War veterans to maintain their links with The Falkland Islands today.
The author has a flair for both technical and narrative-style writing, and she quickly encompasses the reader with an atmosphere of the events as they unfold. The contributions from the British injured servicemen who were treated on board The Hospital Ship at the time add an element of candour that is totally unique. Complete with maps, many unseen photos and relevant documentation this is a well-crafted work that will appeal to a very wide readership.
Click below for an interview with the author on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour.
Find out more at:
tiny.cc/1ovuh
ISBN: 978 190704049 8
Paperback
234mm x 156mm
209 pages
Published: 16th March 2010
4.8 out of 5
21 votes
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5 out of 5
White Ship - Red Crosses: A long overdue record describing the huge surgical and nursing task undertaken and endured in the remote and inhospitable seas around the Falkland Islands in The Hospital Ship Uganda. The narrative makes plain how remarkably resourceful the nursing teams were in transforming Uganda into a safe and hygienic environment. It is hard to believe just how much excellent work was done in the make-shift conditions.
A compelling read for all, especially those service personnel who passed through Her Majesty's Hospital Ship Uganda in 1982.
Review by: Deborah Wingfield on 22nd March 2010
5 out of 5
A superbly written book , she has done a highly skilled job of intertwining the real life stories of those that actually took part in the conflict with her own narrative. And how refreshing to read a book about the Falklands war written by a woman.....at long last!
Review by: Dr PT Bull, Consultant Anaesthetist to The Task Force during The Falklands War on 1st February 2010
5 out of 5
I served with Nicci, the author, during the campaign and she has re-created all of the atmosphere and difficulty which surrounded us as well as detailing our 4 month commission. We were not equipped like modern war campaigns such as Iraq or Afghanistan, nor did we have adequate staff. Because of that we had to adapt and to almost forget modern medicine; to work to basic principles as if we were coping like the last Hospital Ship (Suez in the 1950s). We showed that without modern equipment and only able to use basic drugs we could still have a successful outcome. We only had 3 deaths out of all the horrific injuries we saw but it must never be forgotten that our statistics are only so good because many young injured never reached the sanctuary of our ship, because they died on the mountain. I cannot praise too highly the professionalism of our medical team but particularly the Naval nurses, who had not expected to ever go to sea, let alone to War, were grossly understaffed (72 Naval nurses, male and female, for a 1000 bedded hospital) yet with grit and determination never ever let us down. It is an exceptional achievement to have put this book together with only minimal help from others.
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