ON THE FRONTLINE

ON THE FRONTLINE: KIM AND MARTYN GIBBONS

Our charity supported Kim to retrain as a nurse after her husband Martyn was operationally injured in Afghanistan. She is now working as an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurse, caring for patients with COVID-19.

Kim, dressed in full PPE after a hospital shift.

Martyn is a key worker at a local high school. “I trained as a theatre nurse.” Kim says. “My usual job involves caring for patients with cancers of the prostate, bladder and skin. But when COVID-19 hit, I was redeployed to the ICU almost overnight. We are the frontline, suited and booted, gowned and masked, helping patients on ventilators and blood filtration machines. It’s very challenging.”

Kim has been a nurse for four years. She left her previous job when her husband Martyn sustained life-changing injuries during his final tour of Afghanistan. Martyn served with the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers for 17 years, including tours of Northern Ireland, Kosovo, Bosnia and Afghanistan. In 2009, Martyn was struck by a 82mm mortar fired by a recoilless rifle when his unit came under attack in Sangin. Despite sustaining serious injuries to both legs, he refused to leave his troops until he had briefed his second-in-command. He was subsequently awarded an MBE for his gallant and distinguished service.

While Martyn was recovering at home, specialists trained Kim to administer his medication. One of the doctors from the local surgery recognised her abilities and encouraged her to become a nurse.

Our charity supported Kim with an Access to Higher Education course, enabling her to study nursing at the University of Central Lancashire. She is now a qualified Staff Nurse for East Lancashire Trust. She was working as a theatre nurse when the coronavirus pandemic struck. Kim laughs: “So, I suppose if you think about it, ABF The Soldiers’ Charity got me into this!”

Kim has nothing but admiration for the regular ICU nurses she supports, who work in incredibly challenging circumstances with the most severe cases of COVID-19. The work is fast-paced and fluid. One day, Kim might be in the theatres helping with caesarean sections and delivering babies of mothers who are suspected of having the virus; the next, she is ‘scrubbing up’ for emergency operations for patients who are in a critical condition. The camaraderie she shares with the other nurses is vital. Kim says: “I imagine it’s similar to the Army. You know that you’re in this together, and you support one another because you care about the patients.” Martyn says: It’s scary when people’s lives are in danger. That is the same with the military on the frontline. It’s frightening, and anyone who says otherwise is lying.” Martyn himself is also a key worker. As a Head of Year at a local high school, he is responsible for supporting staff and students who are home-schooling. He says: “Although I’m a designated key worker, for me the really vital workers are the people working for the NHS like Kim. They’re the ones who are really doing their bit.”

Kim says: “We’ve had so much generosity from the public. Only today, I received some home-made scrub bags which means I can put my uniform straight into the machine without handling it. It’s something so simple but it’s incredibly appreciated.”

On behalf of the charity, I would like to say how incredibly grateful we are to Kim and all of her NHS colleagues for the work they are doing to support COVID-19 patients in hospitals across the UK.

Brigadier (Ret’d) Robin Bacon, Chief of Staff, ABF The Soldiers’ Charity

VE DAY 75

2020 marks 75 years since the end of World War Two in Europe. In this image, crowds gather in London’s Piccadilly Circus to celebrate the first Victory in Europe Day, 8th May 1945.

VE DAY 75: COMMEMORATING OUR VICTORIES

On 8th May 1945, Winston Churchill broke the news of Germany’s unconditional surrender, bringing an end to the war in Europe after six years of brutal conflict. This year, the nation came together to mark the 75th anniversary of Victory in Europe. We organised a series of VE Day 75 initiatives to honour the service and sacrifice of the World War Two generation. HELPING VETERANS IN CARE HOMES CELEBRATE VE DAY Many care homes were forced to put their VE Day celebrations on hold due to coronavirus. To boost morale and bring a smile to residents’ faces, we worked with five leading veteran care providers: Royal British Legion Industries in Kent; Broughton House in Salford; Erskine in Scotland; the Royal Star and Garter in the South East and West Midlands; and the Royal Cambridge Home in Surrey to bring VE Day street parties into the homes.

On 8th May, residents enjoyed music, singing and other reminiscence activities, including a two-minute silence to remember those who fought during World War Two. Staff ensured that even those self-isolating in their rooms had the party brought to them with bunting, room decorations and VE Daythemed tea and cake.

VOICES OF VE DAY PODCAST We distilled over 1,000 years of experience to capture what VE Day was really like for those who lived through it. The special podcast episode features a rich tapestry of memories from guests including Dame Patricia Routledge, Sir Derek Jacobi, Baroness Boothroyd of Sandwell and historian Christopher Lee. Also featured are Captain Jack Swabb MC of the Royal Artillery, 102; Geoffrey Winter of the York and Lancaster Regiment, 98; Barbara Weatherill of the Auxiliary Territorial Service, 94; Bletchley Park veteran Betty Webb, 96; Chelsea Pensioner Bob Sullivan, 96 and Allan Jackson of the Coldstream Guards, 95.

A second episode, ‘The Medals on Grandad’s Chest,’ features Antique’s Roadshow’s Arms and Militaria expert, Mark Smith, discussing the medals of Word War Two. Mark says: “The guys and girls that you see wearing medals over VE Day went through some rough times. The more you understand about the medals the more you can see how rough those times may have been. Their story is on their chest because their medals will tell you where they were.”

To listen to the episodes, search ‘Voices of VE Day’ on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Audioboom. Alternatively, visit www.soldierscharity.org/ve-day-2020

CELEBRITIES AND AMBASSADORS PERFORM ‘INVICTUS’ INVICTUS Written in 1872, William Ernest Henley’s famous poem ‘Invictus’ offers a timeless perspective on courage, resilience and fortitude in the face of adversity. It feels especially pertinent at the present time, as we reflect on the legacy of the victory in Europe while facing sacrifices and privations of our own. In a fitting tribute to VE Day, we were delighted that celebrity friends of our charity including Joanna Lumley, Ray Winstone, Jenny Agutter, Martin Clunes, Johnny Vegas and Luke Pasqualino joined some of our inspiring beneficiaries and ambassadors in a powerful video recital of the poem.

INVICTUS

By WILLIAM ERNEST HENLEY

Out of the night that covers me, Black as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever gods may be For my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance I have not winced nor cried aloud. Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Beyond this place of wrath and tears Looms but the Horror of the shade, And yet the menace of the years Finds and shall find me unafraid.

It matters not how strait the gate, How charged with punishments the scroll, I am the master of my fate, I am the captain of my soul.

VE DAY 75: FROM VAUXHALL TO BOCHAM

On 8th May 1945, Les Fryatt’s regiment halted its advance on Berlin to hear Prime Minister Winston Churchill break the news of Germany’s unconditional surrender.

Les Fryatt was born one of 16 children in Vauxhall, London, in 1924. The family home was near the South Lambeth Road, close to where his forbearers sold fruit and vegetables from a barrow. His grandfather kept horses and used the clippers to trim the children’s hair. “You could always tell the Fryatts,” Les says. “Because we all had blonde hair.”

War was declared in 1939. In 1942, shortly after his 18th birthday, Les was conscripted into the Army with his two friends, Dennis Coleman and Freddie Ellis. The trio had been in the same class at school and did everything together. “It was funny really. I was a bit bored at the time, so when I got my papers I was quite pleased. I felt for my mum though – out of 16 children, eight of us boys joined the Army, my sisters volunteered for the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAFs) and the three youngest were evacuated, so it was very hard on her.”

Les bade farewell to his two best friends and reported for duty in Naughton Barracks in Worcestershire before being selected for gunnery training. From there, he joined the Royal Artillery in St Albans. While the regiment was based in Scunthorpe, Les joined some friends at a viewing of an American film. “There were paratroopers sitting in front of us, wearing these berets. And me being smaller, I couldn’t see anything, so they moved along and took off their berets.” One of the men turned around and Les found himself face-to-face with his childhood friend, Dennis Coleman. “That was the last time I ever saw him,” Les says. “Him or Freddie Ellis.”

Above. Les (back right), pictured with his regiment.

Right. Les (back row, third from left), pictured with members of his family.

Shortly afterwards, the regiment began preparations for D-Day. “We weren’t really told anything; we just started doing intensive training, waterproofing the vehicles and going out to sea. When we left, we were on the troop lorries and people were shouting: ‘Give them hell, lads’ – and we thought ‘something must really be happening.’”

On D-Day, Les departed the London docks aboard the MV Empire General, landing near Caen on D-Day +1. As they approached land, Les and his comrades shinnied down a rope ladder laid against the side of the ship onto the landing craft, weighted down with packs, pouches, ammunition and rifles. As Les stepped off the ladder, the landing craft shifted suddenly in the current and he was left with one foot dangling above the water. He recalls his friends shouting: “Jump, Fryatt. Jump!” A wave brought the craft back towards the ladder and Les was able to scramble aboard. He remembers: “The chaps were laughing – couldn’t stop laughing!”

In Normandy, enough ground had been gained to bring the guns ashore. As part of a five-man gun detachment, Les operated 5.5 Howitzer guns supporting the infantry down on the beaches. He witnessed the destruction of Caen and later played a crucial role destroying German positions inland. He was subsequently appointed Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur for the part he played in the liberation of France.

Les was part of the advance in Europe, spending time in Belgium and Holland before crossing the Rhine. He was in Germany for VE Day, and recalls listening to Winston Churchill’s broadcast over a tannoy. “There were speakers on the guns, and that’s where we heard the special announcement that the Germans had surrendered. Oh Lord, I was choked. But I felt confused about what was going to happen. And we didn’t get a drink to celebrate or anything like that!”

Les narrowly avoided redeployment to Japan and remained in Germany for two years as part of Britain’s occupation force. His regiment moved to the town of Bochum in Germany’s Ruhr valley and then to the Harz Mountains, where they worked felling trees for export back to Britain. In 1946, Les was witness to the MonopolGrimberg mining disaster, when fire and underground explosions trapped 550 people. British troops rushed to assist German rescue squads, who worked all through the night to bring survivors to the surface. 417 men lost their lives in what remains Germany’s worst mining disaster.

Les was finally demobbed in 1947 and returned home to find a dramatically altered London. He recalls: “I didn’t know how to survive. It was difficult because you couldn’t go back to the old way of life. All my mates had disappeared. There was no Dennis Coleman or Freddie Ellis.” Les struggled to find permanent employment, and for a while life was very tough. “Things slowly became more stable, but building a future was a real concern. You had to stand on your own two feet.” Les finally found work with British Telecom and joined the Territorial Army, where he served for 16 years. He married his wife Jeanette shortly after the war and had two children.

It is with great sadness that we must report that Les passed away shortly after sharing his memories of VE Day. This article is dedicated to Les (1924-2020) and his wife Jeanette (1934-2019), treasured friends of ABF The Soldiers’ Charity.

VE DAY 75: REMEMBERING BLETCHLEY

In 1941, Betty Webb left a domestic science course to volunteer for the Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS). Her journey would take her to Bletchley Park, the nerve centre of Allied code-breaking during the war, and afterwards to the Pentagon in Washington DC.

WHEN DID YOU JOIN THE ARMY? I joined the ATS in 1941. I think it was September. I did my basic training with the Royal Welsh Fusiliers in Wrexham. Because I was bilingual, they sent me to London for an interview with an Intelligence Corps officer and he decided I was suitable to go to Bletchley. COULD YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT YOUR TIME AT BLETCHLEY AND WHAT YOU WERE INVOLVED IN DURING THE WAR? To begin with, it was clerical jobs because I was only 18 and I hadn’t had much experience in life. My first job was to register all the enemy messages which came in across Britain and the world.

DID YOU FIND IT A GREAT PRESSURE NOT TO DIVULGE WHAT YOU WERE DOING BY DAY TO YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY AT HOME? No. It wasn’t a pressure. It was something I had to do. Once you’ve signed the

Official Secrets Act, you know you’ve got to be very disciplined with yourself. We were not allowed to say anything about what we read or heard outside the individual offices, and that was throughout Bletchley. WERE YOU CONSCIOUS OF THE VITAL ROLE YOU WERE PLAYING AT THAT TIME? No, not at that time. It was only after the veil of secrecy was lifted and lots of books were written.

WHERE WERE YOU ON VE DAY ITSELF? I went up to London to join in with many thousands of other people down by the Thames, all being jolly and singing and shouting and drinking and so on. I don’t remember any particular incident except there were so many people that I really didn’t have to consciously walk. I was just carried along with the mob. AND BECAUSE YOUR FOCUS WAS ON JAPAN, DID THAT DAMPEN THE SENSE THAT THE WAR WAS OVER IN EUROPE? No, not really. We were all absolutely delighted that the war in Europe was over. Though I was having to concentrate on the fact that I was being posted to the Pentagon in Washington, which was very exciting. I’d never done anything like that in all my life. HOW DID YOU COME TO BE POSTED TO THE UNITED STATES? In 1944, I was in the Japanese section and my job was to paraphrase decoded and translated Japanese messages for transmission to the commanders in the

field in Burma. It was decided that I was rather good at this transcribing business. After VE Day, I was sent to Washington to support the American effort in the Pacific.

DID THE UNITED STATES SEEM A DIFFERENT WORLD TO BRITAIN? Oh, absolutely. They had a little food rationing, but it was nothing like ours. When I went over in June, you could get most things to eat in restaurants, but not meat. Then, after the Japanese surrender in August, the restaurants produced meat which they’d obviously been saving up for the day. WHAT WAS THAT MOMENT LIKE? We didn’t have anything to do except celebrate, and that was another interesting time. The Americans went completely crazy and came out and climbed the railings of the White House and it seemed that almost every car in Washington fixed its horn for 24 hours so the cacophony was quite something. AFTER THE WAR, YOU LEFT THE ARMY FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME AND THEN RE-JOINED THE WOMEN’S ROYAL ARMY CORPS? Yes. I did. I had a couple of jobs first and then I went back into the Territorial Army. One of my ATS friends from Bletchley was married to a Colonel in the Cheshire Regiment. He encouraged me to go down to the drill hall and see if I could do anything, and eventually I became the Adjutant of the 321 (Cheshire) Battalion.

AFTER THE WAR, WAS EVERYTHING SLIGHTLY BORING BY COMPARISON? It was different, of course. I wouldn’t have said it was boring but it was totally different. We had to get used to the fact that we were free to go everywhere and food was becoming more plentiful and so it was a very different world. I think I missed the camaraderie of Bletchley very much.

IN 2015, YOU WERE AWARDED AN MBE FOR YOUR WORK FOR BLETCHLEY? Yes, it was a tremendous privilege. It was for remembering and promoting the work of Bletchley, which I still do. I can’t tell you how many talks I’ve given. Coming up to a couple of hundred by now. LOOKING BACK AT THE SECOND WORLD WAR, 75 YEARS ON, WHAT DOES VE DAY MEAN TO YOU? I feel it’s very important that it is recognised because of the sacrifices that our troops made, and not only our troops but all the people in the country, the munitions workers and those in the food industry and everybody else. It is something that history must never forget.

Opposite: Bletchley Park House. © Crown Copyright 1947. Betty arrived at Bletchley Park in 1941, aged 18. Image used with kind permission of Bletchley Park.

Above: 76.3% of the staff at Bletchley Park were women. Bottom: Hut 7 when it was first built in May 1940, housed Bletchley Park’s early card index system and its Hollerith punch card machines. The machines were used at Bletchley Park to create an ‘index’ recording vital information regarding Axis messages and was used as a reference for Bletchley Park’s cryptographers. Images used with kind permission of GCHQ.