Medic: Saving Lives - From Dinkirk To Afghanistan

by John Nichol, Tony Rennell, Eleo Gordon (Editor)

Doctors, nurses, medics and stretcher bearers go where the bullets are thickest, through bomb alleys and mine fields, ducking mortars and rockets, wherever someone is hit and the shout goes up - 'Medic! We need a medic over here'! This title tells the story of these brave men and women.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, War, Military Fiction, Medicine, Military History, World War II

464 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.

Flight Lieutenant Adrian John Nichol (born December 1963) is a retired Royal Air Force navigator who was shot down and captured during the first Gulf War.

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book it was very insightful into the RAMC and the sacrifices Medics make. In Arduis Fidelis

[Sequelguerrier · Rating 5 out of 5]

It isn't often that I am moved to tears by non fiction. (Tears of boredom sometimes but not real tears of emotion.) The further I got into Medic by John Nichol and Tony Rennell the more I learned to expect being moved deeply. Nichol and Rennell retrace the history of the Royal Army Medical Corps from its beginnings to the present mainly through direct testimonies. The tales of horror and heroism are heart rending and awe inspiring not least in the passages about the Falklands war. It is the authors' knack at including little details about friendships and personal motivations among the fighting men and their medics that makes this more than a history book or even the portrait of a heroic and long ill-recognised branch of the forces. It's unputdownable and should inspire authors who write military fiction. There are a hundred and more seeds for fictional stories in there. Writers, take one look at Surgeon Commander Rick Jolly of the Royal Marines, below right in 82, the Falklands, and tell me it doesn't inspire a tale.
The book, beyond its emotional side, is also hard hitting about the recurrent neglect the RAMC faced each time one might have thought it had proved its worth and indeed the armed forces' crucial need for a professional medical service. Instead, all the way to the 21st Century, the RAMC faced the need to improvise and reinvent with ill prepared and under-equipped medics. The book, perhaps not surprisingly since one of the authors is an ex RAF flight Lt who was downed during the first Iraq war and captured, also has a few, strong things to say about PTSD and its long lasting effects. For once I agree with the amazon reviewers. This is a five star read!

['Aussie Rick' · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book traces the role of the combat medic from World War Two through to the current conflict in Afghanistan. It concentrates of the British Armed Forces but I am a sure that the stories and accounts presented in this book stands good for all combat medics worldwide.

These men & women really are the hidden and mostly forgotten heroes of our combat forces. Parts of the book, accounts of these brave medics giving their lives to save another nearly had me in tears.

So many great accounts in this book, I enjoyed it from start to finish and have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone who enjoys a well written book filled with accounts of brave men & women giving their all for their fighting comrades-in-arms and others injured and hurt during wartime operations.

Well done to the author/s for highlighting the role of these oft forgotten heroes.

[Paul Evans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book and gives a good insight into the role of the medic. Weird to read the words of your friends who were in Afghan and Iraq with you but it’s great that our story is told.

[Fionnuala · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid, and pretty much what I was hoping for. It does a very good job of blending in background information about the conflicts featured alongside its specific subject, and manages something similar with other important aspects of context such as military culture and the like. It all comes together to create an in-depth look at the role of medics throughout the years, how this role has evolved and how it's stayed the same, the new challenges they face and the ones that are no longer such an issue, and thankfully it doesn't skimp on the gory details. I say that not as a voyeur, but as somebody who often finds myself frustrated by the catering to sensibilities I can sometimes find when I'm trying to research nastier subjects. Some people might want to skirt close to the edge of the horrific, assured that they won't ever come across something too disturbing, but I want the details. This book has got plenty, and its refusal to shy away from the horrific damage that weaponry can do to the human body only serves to make what the medics manage to achieve even more remarkable. When you look at the conditions they're working under and the dangers they face, it's incredible that anyone survives at all.

(I will note, for those of you who are squeamish, that this book contains graphic photographs of injuries, one of them in full colour and even gory by my standards.)

Overall a decently solid book, easy to read and useful for both general information and reference. On occasion it can come across as a little patriotic, but given the context it's bearable, coming across less as propaganda and more genuine pride in what these people do. Nothing wrong with that, but it sits differently in the chapters on World War Two than it does in the chapter about Afghanistan, as you can imagine. Probably most people wouldn't notice, but as somebody who has read a lot of background information on the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, it's difficult to separate the fact that all these injured people should never have been in that situation to begin with.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! Not for the faint hearted though as it goes into graphic detail of treatments and injuries! Amazing journey to follow and strange how some things evolve others stay the same and how things go full circle!
Great tributes to the bravery if the medics who risk their lives to save others had a lump in my throat at certain parts and glad I never had to make those decisions on a daily sometimes hourly basis! Playing god at times is not for me!

[Alexandra Vinther · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesserer du dig for samaritternes arbejde i krig og de problemstillinger, de har stået overfor fra anden verdenskrig til i dag, anbefaler jeg denne bog. Det samme gælder hvis du vil have et andet perspektiv på krig end soldatens.
I bogen findes beretninger fra alt fra krigskirurgen til samaritten, der følger soldaterne i kamp. Det er barske historier, der ikke skjuler voldsomheden i de situationer og sår fortællerne stilles overfor, men som på den anden side heller ikke svælger i grusomhederne. Følgevirkningerne af krigen – de sår på kroppen, der ikke kan læges, og sårene på sindet – tages også op. Også de sår samaritterne selv kommer hjem med.
Bogen handler om engelske læger og samaritter.

[Tim Corke · Rating 5 out of 5]

For accounts of heroic and selfless people putting their own lives in danger for the welfare of others there's no other book like it. Medic presents stories from the battlefields of Dunkirk through to Afghanistan where the unsung medics have continuously worked in the most appalling conditions and seen the most upsetting and traumatic elements of warfare.

This is a history book of the progression of combat medicine that has saved countless lives but also a testament to the brave men and women that have the front line; the human face of this advancement.

Beautifully written for anyone who has an interest in the military, military history or medical backgrounds.

[David Walley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have worked as a physician in an emergency department for about 40 years. I think the guys who are medics sometimes see more in one day than I have done over my whole career and they have done it under enemy fire. Whereas all my work has been done safely in an emergency room in hospital with no threat to myself. I take my hat off to these guys. They are extremely brave and selfless, and often pay for their devotion with their lives.

[John Ollerton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harrowing but very inspiring

[Brentman99 · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very honest account of the history of combat medicine in the British Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC). While the title indicates Dunkirk, the book does include information from WWI and mentions as far back as the Crimean War. The book highlights how the RAMC has evolved, while highlighting some of the more heroic events of its medics in the various conflicts.

One of the more interesting aspects was that up until Afghanistan, there was not a lot of difference between how things were done in WWII and the Falklands war. Weapon technology had changed rapidly, but ideas on how to treat the wounded were relatively static.

All of the stories and a few of the pictures are quite graphic, but they all tie together well. As a retired Army Officer who served overseas, it was quite revealing and made me think of the evolution of Canadian pre-deployment training from my first tour in 1993 to my last in 2009.

Worth reading.

[Pauline Dawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantasic account of the role of the Medics and how they have evolved through the years. This book tells it like it is with no holds barred. Gritty, gruesome and at times down right difficult to read - sometimes through a mist of tears - but also was unable to put it down. Everyone should read this book and get to the real truth of what the forces have to face.

[Siân · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is THE best book I have ever read.

It made me laugh a lot, shocked me and even made me cry.

Everyone should read it including those with deep political opinions on the government, MOD and war and understand why a lot of men and women join the forces or TA. It's not all about wanting to see action or bravado.

[Silvana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book. It renewed my respect towards the medics. Some parts are a bit dragging and repetitive, but I appreciate the efforts to pull all the heroic stories from various wars and battles. I especially like the Falklands part, so gripping. A must read for all military history buffs.

[Adrian Trenerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good research and interesting facts

[John Wynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gripping read

[Kirsty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating and harrowing account of the role of medics from The First World War to Afghanistan; thought provoking, tear inducing and very graphic but that's the way war is. Highly recommended.

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's good, but it's not the comprehensive study of the role of the medic in warfare that I thought it was going to be.