December 1990 and we had decorated our tented ward and sleeping accommodation as if it was Christmas back home.
However, always mindful that the Christmas season is our holiday and not celebrated by our enemy, at the time, NBC training and alerts continued. Kay Foster in her blog two weeks ago, Waiting for War, described the quiet before the storm.
Christmas morning came, I arranged to go on duty early so I could relieve some of the night staff. The patients were still asleep. I woke each of them with a cup of tea and the tiniest swig of whisky from a miniature bottle someone had sent me in the post. It really perked the troops up. Not for staff though as it was not allowed, but they did have a quick sniff of whisky for the fun of it. Amazing how non whiskey drinkers took a keen interest. Personally, I hate the stuff and was amazed it had not been confiscated.
The same person had sent me a huge Stilton that was "high' and a loaf of bread that was very green. We enjoyed the Stilton though and it went a long way.
Uniform was relaxed for the day and we could wear Christmas T- shirts, one of many designs created throughout the deployment.
A senior dental officer was our Santa Claus distributing presents, followed later by a trolley full of gifts given out by our matron and senior doctors.
Our Church service, under canvas, was very special, but obviously reminded us of our loved ones back home.
We had arranged for a table to be laid for Christmas lunch. The catering officer was magnificent and had organised white tablecloths and a bottle of beer for each patient, but I cannot remember if it was non-alcoholic.
A great day, and the staff and patients had arranged short sketches, so lots of hilarious entertainment. I was a little nervous of what the group of patients in the photograph were going to do or say, as they were rather boisterous. I did not need to worry, humour that was unlikely to offend anyone.
By evening all was quiet with everyone having time for reflection on what had been a very different Christmas, far from home and wondering what lay ahead in the coming weeks.
Capt (Rtd) Jan Westbury. Deployed to the Gulf 1990/1991
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