Military Hospitals
From today's Daily Telegraph Obituaries:
"Surgeon Vice-Admiral Sir Godfrey Milton-Thompson
Milton-Thompson was Surgeon-General of the Armed Forces at the Ministry of Defence from 1988 to 1990. With responsibility for all three services’ medical needs, he fought for the retention of dedicated military hospitals, which were under threat from cost-cutting measures. His pleas to save four dedicated hospitals — at Catterick, Plymouth, Portsmouth and Wroughton near Swindon — went unheeded. Eventually all such hospitals (around 20) were closed down, to be replaced by “military hospital departments” in NHS hospitals."
What a tragedy. Surely the proximity of Wroughton to Lyneham and Brize Norton, with fast transit by helicopter or road, coupled with the outstanding facilities and professional medical care, made it the best choice for expediting the treatment of our repatriated forces.
Vale Admiral Milton-Thompson; God Bless you for your valiant efforts.