A rare first-hand account written by a Cork-born medical officer, Dr Jeremiah O’Sullivan, reveals the harsh realities faced by the Royal Army Medical Corps amid some of World War 2’s fiercest fighting.
Dr Jeremiah “Jerry” G. O’Sullivan, born in 1909 and originally from Buxton Hill in Cork city, served with the Royal Army Medical Corps (RAMC) throughout World War 2, providing medical care in some of the conflict’s toughest campaigns. A medical graduate of University College Cork (UCC), he was working at Ancoats Hospital in Manchester when he enlisted in 1939.
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O’Sullivan served his military career with distinction, beginning aboard troop ships transporting men and supplies to the Middle East. He subsequently saw action in North Africa, Sicily and Italy, witnessing some of the war’s fiercest and most gruelling fighting, including the battle of Monte Cassino, which he described as “the hardest battle to win”. Alongside battlefield casualties, he treated numerous cases of malaria, dysentery and pneumonia – these were persistent threats brought on by the harsh conditions faced by the troops.
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A short account of his wartime experiences, handwritten by O’Sullivan himself, was kindly shared with us by his niece Jeanne Elliott (née O’Sullivan). It ends with him expressing his hope that there would never be another war. What follows is his full account of his wartime service years:
In September 1939, in response to a request to volunteer to serve in the Royal Army Medical Corps, I agreed and subsequently entered the Medical Corps.
After a year in England, I served as Senior Medical Officer on Troopships carrying troops and stores to Suez in the Middle East for about another eighteen months.
Then I returned to England until 1942, when I went abroad for the invasion of North Africa and we landed in Algiers (N. Africa), where we set up a 1,200 bedded Hospital.
A year later, I moved across through Sicily to Italy where we gradually advanced up through Italy. All this time we were looking after wounded soldiers until the Germans surrendered. I forgot to mention that the Italians had surrendered in 1943 before I moved from North Africa to Italy and so we had only the Germans to deal with in Italy.
When advancing up through Italy, I worked at Monte Cassino which was the hardest battle to win.
In North Africa and Italy, apart from wounded troops we cared for a lot of illnesses including chiefly malaria, dysentery and pneumonia.
When the Germans surrendered in 1945, I remained in Italy for 3–5 months and finally was released from service in September.
I then returned to England and resumed medical practice in England after a four-month holiday in Ireland.
My experiences in England led me to hope that there would never be another war as the Americans and the British lost a lot of lives and many disabled soldiers, sailors and airmen as the price of our victory.
I had joined the Royal Army Medical Corps as a lieutenant, was promoted to the rank of Captain after one year and later was promoted again to become a major. In 1945 I was due for further promotion to Lieutenant-Colonel but as the war had ended I did not wish to remain in the army and retired from the army to civilian medical practice.
Thus ended my war career as a medical specialist in the British Army.
J. G. O’Sullivan M.D.
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Dr O’Sullivan continued to practise medicine in his private surgery until retirement. A proud Cork man who never lost the accent, he was gifted a UCC medical graduate tie by his niece Jeanne for his 90th birthday, which he wore with pride every day. He died on 10 March 2000, aged 90.
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