newswatcher
11th Apr 2001, 13:27
Extract from a DTel obituary for AVM Patrick O'Connor, who effectively saved this guys life. Apologies to anyone who is familiar with the event, but it made me think!
"In August 1944, a stricken Catalina flying boat ran up on the beach at Sullom Voe, Coastal Command's base in the Shetland Islands, where O'Connor was station medical officer. As he boarded the aircraft, he immediately realised that only a blood transfusion on the spot would give its pilot, Cruickshank, any chance of survival. Using such limited equipment as he had available, including a chamber pot, O'Connor stabilised the wounded man sufficiently to move him to hospital.
Only then did O'Connor appreciate the full extent of Cruickshank's 72 separate injuries, mainly in his legs and chest. Nor did O'Connor learn the story of the action in which Cruickshank had been engaged until the award of the VC came through some time later. Cruickshank had been on an Atlantic patrol when he encountered a U-boat on the surface. He tried to drop depth charges, but these failed to release so he came around for a second run.
This time they were released successfully and sank the submarine, but not before one of its shells had hit the Catalina, killing the navigator and badly wounding other crew members, including the co-pilot and Cruickshank himself. For six hours Cruickshank, bleeding profusely and lapsing in and out of consciousness, coaxed the flying boat back to the Shetlands, reaching Sullom Voe two hours before dawn. All the while he refused to accept any morphia to ease his pain, lest it affect his judgment.
Fearing that the damaged craft would sink on landing, Cruickshank circled around the base until there was sufficient light to land the Catalina in the shallows and run her up on a beach, where shortly afterwards he was found by O'Connor."
Whole obit to be found at:
http://www.dailytelegraph.co.uk/dt?ac=002708188855058&rtmo=QwOzSpzR&atmo=QwOzSpzR&pg=/01/4/10/db02.html
[This message has been edited by newswatcher (edited 11 April 2001).]
"In August 1944, a stricken Catalina flying boat ran up on the beach at Sullom Voe, Coastal Command's base in the Shetland Islands, where O'Connor was station medical officer. As he boarded the aircraft, he immediately realised that only a blood transfusion on the spot would give its pilot, Cruickshank, any chance of survival. Using such limited equipment as he had available, including a chamber pot, O'Connor stabilised the wounded man sufficiently to move him to hospital.
Only then did O'Connor appreciate the full extent of Cruickshank's 72 separate injuries, mainly in his legs and chest. Nor did O'Connor learn the story of the action in which Cruickshank had been engaged until the award of the VC came through some time later. Cruickshank had been on an Atlantic patrol when he encountered a U-boat on the surface. He tried to drop depth charges, but these failed to release so he came around for a second run.
This time they were released successfully and sank the submarine, but not before one of its shells had hit the Catalina, killing the navigator and badly wounding other crew members, including the co-pilot and Cruickshank himself. For six hours Cruickshank, bleeding profusely and lapsing in and out of consciousness, coaxed the flying boat back to the Shetlands, reaching Sullom Voe two hours before dawn. All the while he refused to accept any morphia to ease his pain, lest it affect his judgment.
Fearing that the damaged craft would sink on landing, Cruickshank circled around the base until there was sufficient light to land the Catalina in the shallows and run her up on a beach, where shortly afterwards he was found by O'Connor."
Whole obit to be found at:
http://www.dailytelegraph.co.uk/dt?ac=002708188855058&rtmo=QwOzSpzR&atmo=QwOzSpzR&pg=/01/4/10/db02.html
[This message has been edited by newswatcher (edited 11 April 2001).]