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Portrait of army medic Glynn Evans

Medical examiner keeps soldiering on

Colonel Glynn Evans has dedicated much of his life to public service.

Glynn retired from the Army last year but continues working for the NHS as one of the trust’s medical examiners and Guardian of Safe Working.

“It’s been an interesting life,” said Glynn who joined the army reserves as a teenager  and later signed on with the regular Army.

He has seen active service as an anaesthetist in Northern Ireland, Bosnia, Kosovo Iraq and Afghanistan where, on his final tour, he was the Commanding Officer of the  trauma hospital in Camp Bastion - the only consultant to hold such a position.

The majority of regular military medical staff serve in NHS hospitals during peacetime and are recalled when needed, while the reserves have full-time NHS jobs and train at weekends and on annual training exercises held all over the world.

Medical treatment of soldiers is often restricted to communal colds, twisted ankles and an assortment of fractured and broken limbs not uncommon to marches, navigating assaults courses and simulated combat.

However, Afghanistan and Iraq provided far more trauma wounds from gunshots and blast injuries.

Glynn added: “Helicopters and field ambulances bought us wounded soldiers day and night and it was the first time I was involved in treating double and triple limb amputation. These are injuries that would be thought of as un-survivable in the NHS, even now.

“Improvements in trauma care in the past decade have been quite extraordinary and soldiers who would have died of their injuries then are often saved now. It’s sad but medical advances often go hand-in-hand with conflict.”

Working in a field hospital was not without its risks even if you are behind the wire.

Bases were shelled, sniped at and assaulted and Glynn and his colleagues often had to temporarily suspend procedures while they reached for helmets and flak jackets to protect themselves and their patients on the operating table.

“Luckily, some of the shells were duds and didn’t explode including a rocket that came through the roof of our accommodation. It was unnerving because you couldn’t hear anything until it landed.”

Glynn’s brief forays outside bases like Camp Bastion including retrieving wounded British soldiers from American bases. On one occasion, his helicopter had to remain hovering over the base while it was being mortared by enemy troops.

“It was a bit hairy but the adrenaline was going and I was focused on looking after my patients. The one thing about the Army is the camaraderie. We’re there for each other through the good times and the bad and that helps pull you through a lot of situations. There is a humour that goes with it

“It was the right time to leave the Army when I did but it was a privilege to serve and I’d recommend the Army Reserves to anyone looking to better themselves. You learn a lot about yourself and make some great friends along the way.”

Glynn has his memories, his medals and the mother of all souvenirs at home in the shape of a piece of bannister retrieved from the wreckage of a Palace owned by Iraq’s former leader.

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