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Auction: 18002 - Orders, Decorations and Medals
Lot: 199

A scarce South Atlantic Medal awarded to Medical Assistant L. P. Aldridge, Royal Navy, a member of Naval Party 1830 who served in the hospital ship Uganda

South Atlantic 1982, with rosette (MA L P Aldridge D 1653690 NP 1830), good very fine

As a member of Naval Party 1830, Aldridge served in the hospital ship Uganda from April to August 1982. The ship’s medical staff carried out over 500 surgical operations and treated 730 casualties, among them the grievously wounded Robert Lawrence, M.C., Scots Guards, who was not allowed to sleep for more than a few minutes at a time in case he slipped into a coma. Nonetheless, Lawrence awoke from a nightmare on one occasion and to found himself attempting to strangle one of the Uganda’s medical team; see When the Fighting is Over.

Called away from her role as a passenger liner, Uganda underwent a three-day refit at Gibraltar in April 1982, where she was equipped with a helicopter platform, fittings for replenishment at sea, satellite communications and wards and operating theatres. In accordance with the Geneva Convention she was painted white, with eight red crosses, two on each side of the hull, one facing forward on the bridge superstructure, one on the upper deck visible from the air, and one on either side of her funnel.

In the same month, a team of 136 medical staff including 12 doctors, operating theatre staff and 40 members of the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Naval Nursing Service, left Portsmouth to join her, taking large quantities of medical supplies with them. Aldridge was among their number.

Uganda received her first casualties on 12 May, wounded men from the Type 42 destroyer H.M.S. Sheffield and, by the end of the month, following the action at Goose Green, her medical staff were caring for 132 men. She operated under the call sign ‘Mother Hen’ between ‘Red Cross Box 2’ – at position 50°50'S 58°40'W - and Middle Bay, transferring those who were well enough to three converted survey ships for passage to Montevideo.

Uganda also co-ordinated the movements of the three British and three Argentine ambulance ships Almirante Irízar, Bahía Paraíso and Puerto Deseado; she rendezvoused with the latter on four occasions.

By 10 July her role as a hospital ship was over and the crew held a party for 92 Falkland children more in keeping with her peacetime role. Three days later she went back to Grantham Sound, to embark the men of the 7th Duke of Edinburgh’s Own Gurkha Rifles and their equipment, before sailing for the UK on 18 July.

She arrived at Southampton on 9 August 1982, 113 days after she had sailed to join the Task Force. In that period she had sailed 26,150 miles, consumed 4,700 tons of fuel, received more than 1,000 helicopter landings on her flight deck and 3,111 personnel had been transferred to or from her.

For a special B.B.C. report on the Uganda’s return to Southampton, see:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6FowyYMokg

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Sold for
£600