Albert Whelan

Many of us have cause to be grateful to the likes of Albert Whelan. We soldiers derived courage and great comfort in the knowledge that these brave men would be following us into action. Who were they who risked their lives, suffered casualties like the rest of us, yet did not carry a rifle nor throw a hand grenade? They were the Royal Army Medical Corps, to which ALBERT WHELAN proudly belonged. Many a frightened soldier in the heat of battle was calmed at the sight of these brave men with the red crosses on their arms, tending the wounded.

ALBERT WHELAN  was a Manchester man born at Beswick, attending school until 14 years of age. He then began work at George Peakes in Piccadilly, sorting parcels for despatch around the country. When the firm was subject to a 'take-over' many, including Albert, were out of a job. He therefore found work at the Manchester Constitutional Club, frequented by politicians and officers of the armed forces. Starting as a Page Boy he worked his way up until at the outbreak of war he was in the. cocktail bar. At this time he was a keen cyclist and went camping whenever he could.

Albert was called up on that historic date, 6th June, but this was in 1940, reporting to the RAMC Depot at Becketts Park, Leeds for his six weeks basic training. This included 'square bashing' and medical lectures. On completion he was posted to a Regimental Medical Post at Andover. It was from here that he dealt with his first (of many) casualties, a Fleet Air Arm pilot who had been shot down. The pilot had a broken leg and Albert, making his patient as comfortable as possible, got him to hospital.After Andover Albert moved to a Medical Inspection Room at Marlborough in Wiltshire, attached to the 474 Battery RA. His duties here were mainly dealing with sick parades and visiting gun sites with the M.O. It was here that Albert committed what many of us in the army considered to be a mortal sin. He volunteered for something. I am sure, however, that there were many men forever grateful that he did.

Albert responded to a circular calling for volunteers for service out east, and was posted to a Holding Depot in Leeds where the 3rd Light Field Ambulance was formed. From there he went to Carlton High Woods near Malton, N.Yorks for intense training including map and compass reading, route marches day and night (oh yes, these men had to be fit for any eventuality) and lectures. Training completed, then on to Stevenage, then Woking before going north to Glasgow where the unit boarded the Strathvaver. Sailing via Cape Town they arrived at Port Tewfik in Egypt, then on to Moascar.

Life here was fairly easy and Albert went through the 'knee browning' process. But this did not last, and soon they were sent to the 23rd Armoured Brigade and into action in the desert, then on to Tripoli in Syria during July 1942 to look after a General Hospital. Patients here were generally scabies and jaundice and some minor injuries and illnesses. August 1942 and back to Cairo and a camp close to the Pyramids.

After seven days leave in Cairo, back into the desert in preparation for the El Alamein build up. Albert was now at Field Ambulance H.Q. digging holes in the sand to put canopies over to shelter the wounded. This work was completed on time, but not without suffering painful blisters on his hands.  Once the action started the advanced sections began sending back the wounded. Albert was kept very busy dressing injuries ready for evacuation out of the battle area to a Casualty Clearing Station or on to a hospital. They followed the advance to Mersa Matruh. Eventually the unit was sent back to Heliopolis for replacements of their own casualties. Here they joined with, and became, 150 Light Field Ambulance. Back into the desert, and Albert was now allocated to a forward section whose duties included treating and evacuating the wounded from where they fell. They carried on to link up with the 1st Army and then onto Algiers.

The war ended in N. Africa, but it had not ended for Albert. The unit went back to Sousee in Tunisia to prepare for the invasion of Sicily. After the landings Albert became one of the casualties - he contracted Malaria and was sent back to Egypt to a 'New Zealand General Hospital' where he spent three weeks. After a short convalescence Albert was posted back to Heliopolis where he joined the No.1 Mobile Military Hospital which was a tented hospital.

Soon he was on the way to Italy, landing at Foranto about three weeks after the invasion. His unit set the hospital up in a building, and Albert worked on a medical ward. The hospital moved on to Brindisi then Bari and up to Ancona. It was from here that Albert was posted to 9 Indian Casualty Clearing Station to help on the Post Operative wards. There were no lights and the medical staff had to carry their own lamps - shades of Florence Nightingale. There were twelve wounded on each ward all on blood transfusions and staff dare not leave the ward all night unless relieved. Albert was working a twelve hour night duty, and after breakfast usually attended army burials "to pay our last respects, even to enemy dead".

After a month at Ancona Albert was sent back to the No. 1 Mobile Military Hospital and went with them to Florence, Bologna and Milan from where Albert took a well earned month's home leave. This was August 1945 and during this leave Japan surrendered. Albert now looked 'forward to demob, but when he returned to Milan he learned that he was to be posted to Greece (Pireaus) at another General Hospital, in reception. Albert stayed until May 1946 and then returned to Boyce Barracks in Aldershot for demob on 7th June 1946 - six years and one day from call up.

Civilian life again and Albert began work with Atlas Stores, a Mail Order firm, starting in packing and eventually becoming Head of Electrical Goods Department from where he retired. He likes gardening, crosswords and jobs around the house, and wished he could grow enough vegetables to last the year round. Albert married in April 1947 to wife Evelyn and has a son and daughter, a 9 year old grand daughter and 3 year old grandson. Evelyn did not enjoy the best of health and Albert took as much loving care of her as he did of all those wounded comrades during the war.