Travelling on the Main Supply Route Op Granby (The First Gulf War 1990). By Penny Moody

I had not long been posted to BMH Hannover when our daily routine was totally changed by the news that a large percentage of the hospital staff were to be deployed in our operation role as 32 Field Hospital, part of Op Granby. We were lucky enough to have Christmas at home and returned to depart to Saudi Arabia early January 1990.

We flew via Cyprus and on landing in Saudi travelled to Al Jubail to initially stay with 33 Field Hospital and were accommodated in large warehouses, in what had been a tyre factory. It was at this point that we realised that nearly everyone we had ever know during our service was in Saudi which was very reassuring and made us feel quite at home. 

After a couple of days a 32 Field Hospital forward party of about six people, to include a QA nurse, went ahead to do a recce prior to the main body arrival. Unfortunately, for reasons that were not quite clear, they accidentally crossed the border into Kuwait and the BBC news, for a short period, full of this story and we were all on tenterhooks until we were all eventually reunited.

After a few days the rest of us were to head off on the Main Supply Route (MSR) to our destination near the town of Hafar Al Batin, which is 94km from the Kuwait border and 74km from the Iraq border. The 12th of January was the allocated day. I should just say that the MSR was rather like the M1 on speed. Every vehicle was given a twenty second window to join their slot and if they missed their allocated space had to wait a further 5 or so days for another allocation, so planning was of the essence.

Our coach, with an assortment of 32 Field Hospital staff, headed off at the allotted time. It was a bit of a culture shock for us uninitiated to be on such a busy road with every military vehicle imaginable, mostly huge juggernaut transporters, not only British and American but many other allied nations, heading north towards the Kuwait and Iraqi borders. The busyness also translated to the sky along our route where an assortment of military helicopters from Apache to huge transporters also headed north.

Our journey was as peaceful as could be in this frenetic environment until about 3 pm in the afternoon when we took a break at a military ‘watering hole’ where the vehicles refueled etc. Some of us were asked to wait in an empty tent where we napped lying on the sand waiting to continue onwards. Although all seemed tranquil (ish) to us, obviously there was generally heightened tension, because after a short while an officer charged into our tent and told us we must get back to our bus and head back to Al Jubail immediately, as it was thought Iraq was about to invade. (Not quite how he put it but words to that effect). Our return journey is a bit of a blur but we arrived back quite late with only minimal kit as our Bergen’s etc had all been put on separate 4 tonners! However, our hosts at 33 Field Hospital were mega accommodating and pulled out all the stops with toiletries and other requirements to fulfil most of our needs. We remained at Al Jubail until the 17th of January when we were given another timed slot on the MSR.

So again, we said our farewells and headed back up the MSR into what we thought was familiar territory. How wrong we were in that at some point in the journey, I think mid to late afternoon, it became apparent that the war was about to, or had begun. We first got an inkling that all was not quite as it had been when we saw most, but not all, military personnel along the route had donned their NBC kit, but we knew nothing! We remained fairly uninformed as far as I can remember for the remainder of the journey. (I guess it’s called the fog of war). Those with long wave frequency radios tried to tune into a very crackly BBC world service and we eventually discovered that the war had started. It felt like a bit of an inauspicious day to be travelling, as in the mind, having watched too many war films, supply routes seem to be a good target option. However, we continued our journey with slightly heightened tensions making slow progress until around 6 am the following day we were again delayed because at some point one of the coaches ahead of us had collided with another. I think this was quite common as many of the drivers on this arduous journey became extremely tired. If my memory serves me correctly, we finally arrived mid-morning at Wadi Haifa Al our home and hospital for the next 2 months and nicknamed Desert Rose. However, those experiences are another story and all I will say is, that it was called ’WADI’ Haifa Al Batin for a reason!


Lt. Col.(Rtd) Penny Moody

17th January 1991 Start of Gulf War 1 - Letter by Jan Westbury

Thirty years ago whilst serving in the Gulf, I sent the letter below to my husband, reflecting on the first day of the war. I was a nursing officer in charge of a tented 108 bedded low dependency ward. It was a hurriedly scribbled letter and below the letter is the transcription, for ease of reading.

Dear Terry
It is 1730 on the day war was declared. It was stated that we are on active service from 0300 local time, 0100 German time. Incredible really. We were woken at 0330 with an air raid red and then various states of NBC. The B shift were called in at 0400, the A shift had breakfast at 0500 and then went into work.

We were all remarkably calm really and also rather giggly. (We forgot to turn our room lights out). It was really well organised, we had good briefs, the radio gave us information and 0400 we listened to President Bush's speech.
My day on the ward wasn't too brilliant, some of the staff were so tired after a few hours sleep and I had to keep encouraging them to get the work done this morning and that everyone must rest this afternoon. I'm actually in the block at the moment as I have to go back to work tonight. Because of my lack of sleep I felt irritable with the odd few that sat like zombies. In all fairness, most of the staff were great. I now feel better after two hours sleep and more able to cope. The start of war certainly had an effect on me, I think I wavered momentarily. Too much thought of the poor boys.

This morning was spent going into various states of NBC dress and running to air raid shelters etc. One of my straps on my respirator fell apart and one of the patients helped me. They were great.

Well, it was wonderful to talk to you today. Sorry I woke you so early, but it was a real support to me.

Much Love

Jan x

My letters home have been boxed up for 30 years and not seen light of day until December 2020.  It was all due to the Covid 19 pandemic: time to empty out the loft; helping set up this blog and trying to capture our history; 30 year anniversary of the Gulf conflict; a virtual presentation to the student nurses with Merrill Bate and Kay Foster for remembrance in November 1990 and a forthcoming presentation for colleagues at one of our QARANC Jurassic Coast Branch Zoom meetings.

 
Capt (Rtd) Jan Westbury. Served at Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia November 1990 - March 1991

Waiting for War - A Nurse's Story. QARANC. By Kay Foster.

 

22 Field Hospital Bahrain Aug -Dec 1990

In August 1990, I was the Company Commander for Recruit Training at the QA Training Centre. From there, I was deployed to the Gulf with the second wave of medical personal, joining 22 Field Hospital in Bahrain. I was heading into, - to quote Saddam Hussain "the Mother of All Wars".

On our arrival in Bahrain, our group was split up, and we were accommodated in 5-star hotels around Manama, the capital of Bahrain. Week by week the British troops arrived, at first it was the Army, then the RAF. The RAF were to play a significant role in Gulf War 1 with the formidable Tornado and Jaguar planes. For security purposes, the top floor of our hotel was ring-fenced for British troops, which in essence became our bar. Alcohol was permissible in hotels for non-Muslims. Life was pretty comfortable for us for the first few months; accommodation was superb, we could venture around Manama, and spent free time exploring the souks and swimming in the hotel pool.

We did have to work however. We were bused down daily to RAF Muharraq situated near Bahrain International Airport, where 22 Field Hospital was established. Our route was never the same, as we were wary of a terrorist attack. Once at the Field Hospital we spent many hours training, having lectures and practising working in our Nuclear, Biological and Chemical (NBC) kit. These suits were lined with charcoal and on top of these we wore gas masks, rubber gloves and rubber boots over our outdoor military boots. The temperatures in Bahrain in August, September could rise as high as 39C. Climbing into NBC suits was unbearable and therefore practise time was restricted to avoid heat exhaustion. How were we going to cope with nursing patients? This added another fear to my knowledge that I was a novice when it came to working in a war zone. Sadden Hussain's reputation as a thug, bully, murderer was well known. How would we survive if he did use his weapons of mass destruction?



In Maharraq we set up our field hospital. Most of the hospital was established from the remnants of kit from the Second World War 51 years earlier! It was hot and dark working in the green canvas tents. White mesh was used to try and screen the tents from the intense Middle East temperatures.

The order was given that we would whitewash the green canvas tents to reduce the temperatures within, which it did by a degree or two. It was arduous work, and the theatre staff had a brain wave. They collected the fire extinguishers, somehow filled them with whitewash and sprayed them on the tents. This act of using their initiative was not rewarded with the order of merit, but punishment for misuse of Her Majesties property!



At first, the move to Bahrain was exciting, a new place to visit, we still had freedom, we could eat out, shop etc., and the Bahrain people made us feel very welcome. We got invited as guests to some of the local Bahrain and expatriate community for meals. However, there was always the threat of terrorist activities. After a while, it did get a bit tedious; we were waiting for over four months before the War started.

In due course, the American Medics joined us at our base. They arrived in style. Their hospital consisted of mobile containers with air conditioners, swivel chairs, pump up and down beds and all mod cons. All in all this made us feel like their poor cousins. However, The Americans had experienced a long protracted war in Vietnam, since the Second World War and their kit was state of the art. They were now well-disciplined, well-trained troops, very different from those iconic photographs of troops smoking pot through their rifle butts during the Vietnam War. 

Royal Navy Medics were stationed on the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary Ship Argus and could be seen not far off the shores of Bahrain. The Argos was used in the Falklands War and then in Gulf War 1 some ten years later. It had a 70-bed capacity and fitted with ITU facilities. 

Over the five months from August 1990 to January 1991 when Gulf War 1 started, massive deployment of military human resources and equipment from the allies was the largest since the Second World War. There was an anticipation of a brutal war from a ruthless man. The allies knew that Saddam Hussain had chemical weapons, he had used it on the Kurds in 1988. He was, therefore, threatened that if he did use chemical weapons on the allied troops, the consequence could mean a nuclear intervention.



I stayed with 22 Field Hospital until just before Christmas 1990, when I joined 33 Field Hospital in Al Jubail Saudi Arabia. Bahrain was the quiet before the storm. War has been described as “ many days of boredom punctuated with moments of terror" I was to meet the terror on the 17th January 1991, when the War started.


Major Kay Foster (Retd) QARANC. 

I joined the QA's in 1977- 1994. My quest was to nurse, travel, have a career with adventures and excitement. Be stretched in my professional life, no two days to be the same - I am not one for routine. Some posting took me outside the hospital, as Inservice Training Officer, Woman's Services Liaison Officer, Expedition Nurse, Company Commander of NCO Recruit Training. I served in London, Hong Kong, Nepal, Germany, Wales, Canada, Aldershot, Peru, Falkland Islands, First Gulf War. My holidays in these global postings took me many other countries to include Communist China, Alaska, USA, Australia, Bruni, Cyprus, Europe, and countries in the communist Eastern Block.

Gulf War 1 - A Quickie Wedding - by Jan Westbury

In December 1990 I was stationed with 33 Field Hospital in Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia, as the nursing officer in charge of the tented low dependency ward. Matron selected me to return to the UK for a few days to speak to the reinforcements, together with a major whose wife was about to give birth, to prepare the troops for their deployment. I had not wanted to leave my team, but there was not a choice! However, off I went. We flew back as just two passengers on a British Airways jumbo jet, with seats in First Class to ourselves, but without the perks.

I arrived in the UK late on 30 December, to be joined by my fiancée on New Year's Eve, where he had organised leave from his army post in Germany. This was not easy, as he was on duty over Christmas and New Year and had to find someone to cover. It was a difficult time for him as he was one of the few husbands not deployed. How times have changed.

To my surprise he had arranged for us to be married, but I couldn’t, as I was speaking to the troops in Chester on the planned day! Being the determined man he is, he managed to arrange for the registrar to marry us on his day off and before the civic offices officially opened.

I bought a black wedding dress in Swindon, as we were driving past on our way to Cheltenham. Unusual colour, but as it went with my QA handbag and shoes, perfect. However, the black handbag was not needed as a close friend had arranged a beautiful bouquet with just a day’s notice.

On a cold January morning we arrived with close friends to find the civic offices closed and my fiancée panicking. Of course, we were very early. All was well and we were married.

We had a wedding breakfast with three friends and their young children at the beautiful Corse Lawn Country hotel, where we had our one-night honeymoon. The children had made me a beautiful white iced sponge wedding cake, with pretty pink writing and decoration.

I bought two wedding cakes from Marks and Spencer’s, as there was just time to pop in and tell my parents and celebrate before returning to active service, with the other wedding cake for my fellow officers and ward staff.

The CO and Matron were at the airport in Saudi to greet us and all the new arrivals. I was as happy as can be as a newlywed until Matron took me to one side and asked if it was correct I had married? My heart then skipped a beat when he commented, with a very grave face, that I had not sought his permission. For a moment I wondered if my marriage was going to be null and void! After seeing the horror on my face, he smiled and congratulated me and said how the news had cheered everyone up. However, the RSM was very disappointed I had married a xxxxxx. I couldn't possibly write the nickname used for the Royal Military Police.

Everyone seemed so happy for me and it added to my happiness. My prayers at our Sunday service always included a plea to return home safely and have some married life.

Unfortunately, my army career was cut short. The priority for me was to be with my husband in Germany, but the reality in those days was that Matron was unable to offer me a posting and definitely not at Wegberg, as that was the RAF. I could have led the way.

Nearly 30 years married now and depending on Covid 19 restrictions we are hoping to return to Corse Lawn Country Hotel for our anniversary. It is still owned by the same family and continues to have wonderful reviews.


Former Capt. Jan Westbury TA, Regular Service and Reserve 1987-1997.