There are 3 replies in this Thread which has previously been viewed 1,868 times. The latest Post () was by Rice.
Oh no! I was just so appreciating him after reading your link on the Veterans thread. This man will long be respected, in both Great Britain and Argentina.
The Green Machine On This Day: October 29th, 1946:
Surgeon-Captain Rick "The Doc" Jolly OBE, the only man to be decorated by both sides of the Falklands War was born in Hong Kong.
The son of a Polish soldier and veteran of the second world war, Jolly was born in the Far East before moving to Britain and qualifying as a physician.
Jolly joined the Royal Navy initially as a reservist on a five year contract. He completed the Royal Marines Commando course before serving as a medical officer in Northern Ireland where he insisted on being out on patrol in the event of any casualties.
In 1982 during the Falklands War, Jolly was Senior Medical Officer of 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines and commanded the field hospital at Ajax Bay. Despite poor conditions in the remote islands, Jolly and his team would provide care and treatment for more than 600 wounded British and Argentine personnel. Jolly himself demonstrated exceptional physical courage, volunteering to be winched down into the freezing waters of the South Atlantic to rescue survivors of HMS Ardent.
It was not until 1998 that the Argentine government became aware of Jolly's role in the Falklands War when he enquired after the wellbeing of the Argentine casualties he had treated. He was invited to Buenos Aires where he was appointed 'Oficial' (Officer) in the Order of May in recognition of his outstanding work in saving the lives of many wounded Argentine soldiers and airmen and the Queen herself authorised Jolly to wear his Argentine decoration on all occasions alongside his British medals.
Jolly’s devotion to the welfare of Falklands veterans of both sides never faltered. In 2002 he led a group of 250 former British personnel on a visit to the islands to mark the 20th anniversary of the conflict. Five years later, he stood outside the Imperial War Museum in London to welcome former Argentinian pilots arriving for the opening of a major exhibition on the history of the war. He also campaigned for the recognition of post traumatic stress disorder for all Falkland veterans in aid of the South Atlantic Medal Association.
Jolly passed away aged 71, in January 2018.
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Pictures shown: Surgeon-Captain Richard Tadeusz Jolly OBE
Worth remembering for such a good man and Royal Marine.
Yes indeed. And he looked like a lovely man.
