R J Hetherington:Healer Warrior

Robert John Hetherington: Employment and Military Service Record 1928 to 1964

Cpl. Robert John Hetherington, RCAMC, 1944

Robert John Hetherington

Employment

Farm Labourer: Saskatchewan, 1928 to 1930

Orderly/Nurse: Prince Albert Sanitarium, 1930 to 1935

Quartermaster: S.S. Kenora (CNR), Vancouver, 1935 to 1937

Orderly/Nurse: Vancouver General Hospital, 1937 to 1938

Orderly/Nurse: B.C. Penitentiary (New Westminster), 1938 to 1940

Military Service

Reserve: Prince Albert Volunteers, 1930 to 35

Reserve: 11^th Armoured Car, Vancouver, 1938 to 1940

Enlisted: June 22, 1940; First Battalion, New Westminster

Transfer: Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (RCAMC), October 28, 1940, Nanaimo

Recruiting: 30-04-1941

Transfer: Esquimalt Military Hospital, November 1, 1941 - Orderly

Embarked: Halifax; June 15, 1942; transfer16 General Hospital

Disembarked: Granoch, UK; June 24, 1942.

Leave to visit Ireland

Assigned to: 9 Field Surgical Unit; March 11, 1944

Embarked UK: July 6, 1944; 11 Field Dressing Unit; RCAMC

Disembarked France: July 8, 1944

Embarked NWE: June 29, 1945

Disembarked UK: June 29, 1945

Discharged: September 9, 1945

Reenlisted: March 20, 1954, X-ray technician, Vancouver (Jericho), Prince Rupert and Holberg

Discharged: May 16, 1965

Awards:

Volunteer Service Medal and Clasp

France and Germany Star

Defence Medal

Robert`s Story: Healer - Warrior

Robert set sail from Belfast, Northern Ireland on the S.S. Melita on a farm/immigration program sponsored by the CPR.

He landed in Quebec on May 27, 1928 and went by train to Saskatchewan where he worked for two years as a farm labourer before securing a position at the Prince Albert Tuberculous Sanatorium in 1930. He meet his future wife Pauline Krawchuk at the “San” and also joined the Prince Albert Volunteers during this period.

After his marriage in 1935 he moved to Vancouver where worked as a Quartermaster on the S.S. Kenora (CNR). In 1937 he secured work at the Vancouver General Hospital as an orderly/nurse. In 1938 he secured a job as an orderly/nurse with the B.C.

Penitentiary Service in New Westminster and joined the 11^th Armoured Car, reserve unit in Vancouver. He maintained both positions until he enlisted on June 22, 1940 in New Westminster with the First Battalion. On October 28, 1940 he was transferred to the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps (RCAMC) in Nanaimo.

Nanaimo

He was then transferred to Recruiting from April 30,1941 to November 1, 1941.

He was then transferred to the Esquimalt Military Hospital to work as an orderly.

While there, he requested a transfer to active duty and was assigned to 16 General Hospital and embarked for the UK from Halifax on June 15, 1942. He disembarked at Granoch, UK on June 24, 1942. During his time in the UK he received additional training and took leave to sight see and visit his brother Johnston and his parents in Ireland.

 On leave

Robert with parents 1944

Robert with brother Johnston as children

On March 11, 1944 he was assigned to the 9th Field Surgical Unit 11th Field Dressing Unit; RCAMC and embarked the UK on July 6, 1944. He disembarked on Juno Beach on July 8, 1944.
 

 After landing in France, Robert travelled with the First Canadian Army as it fought its way north.

He cared for the wounded in field hospitals as the Army closed the Falaise gap and liberated Dieppe. He took leave in Amiens and continued north as the First Army moved through the Pas de Calais and into Belgium.

By this time, First Army numbers were badly depleted and were re-enforced by units from other countries.

RCAMC units were increasing engaged in combat as they provided medical triage on the front line.

After the liberation of Antwerp on September 4, the Army was given the task of clearing the entrances to the port and Robert and his entire unit volunteered. He subsequently, was part of the force that crossed and took the Leopold Canal. After Leopold, his unit volunteered to fight with the British Marine Commandos during the battle of The Scheldt. Where three landing craft either broke down or were shot out from under him before successfully landing.

He was involved in the Walcheren Island campaign.

He told one funny story about Walcheren, apparently, he had his pants to his knees behind a wall when a machine gun opened fire on him. With the result that he was force to run hid and return fire while struggling to get his pants up!

Robert told another about treating a newly captured English speaking German officer. After being treated the officer asked if he could put his great coat on. Robert said yes but luckily thought to check the pockets before giving him the coat. It was fortunate that he did as there was a cocked Ruby pistol in the pocket.

In November and December, Robert the Canadian advance paused and Robert was stationed in home of Dutch resistance fighter named Yette in Tilberg, Netherlands. During this period he provided assistance to the Dutch underground as they tracked down NAZI sympathizers. The picture below was taken at Tilberg but is not of Robert. Robert was described by Yette as a hero.

In the final days of the war Robert was actively engaged in fighting in Germany.

It was here that he killed 3 young German Hilter Youth who were defending their village. The boys mother heard the fire and came running yelling `you killed may babies, you killed my babies.` These experiences were to haunt Robert for the rest of this life. Robert was in the field at war's end and embarked NWE on June 29, 1945 and disembarked UK on June 29, 1945. He subsequently returned to Canada and was discharged on September 9, 1945. In Canada he worked at a number of jobs including as an Orderly at the BC Penitentiary in New Westminster. He reenlisted on March 20, 1954, and worked as Army Orderly and X-ray technician in a number of locations including: Vancouver (Jericho), Prince Rupert and Holberg. He was finally discharged on May 16, 1965 and eventually received a military disability pension. He died in his bed in January, 1976.

Descriptions of the role the RCAMC Field Dressing Station

Below are descriptions of RCAMC #8 FSU and Field Dressing Station 10 service at Walcheren (RJH was in #9 FSU - FDS 11 and faced similar challenges):

“We had to crawl two hundred yards on our bellies with the exploding ammunition [from a stricken assault vehicle] shooting at us from one side and the Germans from the other. We finally reached the [No. 10 FDS] tent and found that the Staff Sergeant had organized a rescue team and was going down in that blazing mess and bringing out the survivors. One of the medicals went inside of an exploding Alligator to reach a wounded Commando. He was blown half in two by a mortar bomb. For the next half hour we lay on our faces in the sand dressing wounds, stopping hemorrhages and splinting fractures. Constant explosions were blowing sand over us as we worked. Our heads were retracted down in our helmets until the edge of the damned things almost reached our shoulders“ (John Hillsman, quoted in Bill Rawling, Death Their Enemy: Canadian Medical Practitioners and War, 2001, p. 211).

“8 Canadian Field Surgical Unit, RCAMC who were with the British Commandos when they went in on Walcheren Island.”

"...For the first 48 hours the beachead where the medical units were established was under constant and heavy shell-fire. There were no buildings or shelters available of a safe nature to perform major operations and to properly look after the patient after operation. The area was honey-combed with land mined which could not be detected and removed and the tentage was surrounded by large bomb craters and shell holes containing numerous German prisoners, ammunition, petrol and demolition charges. After the first 24 hours a gale sprang up from the North Sea which, at times, reached a velocity of 50 miles per hour and rain was constant, mingled at times with hail.....

In all 54 soldiers were operated upon, 22 which were major operations and, by some miracle of chance, none of these were abdomens.”

“...One cannot end a report of this nature without a few words of intense admiration of the work done by #10 FDS in connection with the #8 FSU. Under the most appalling conditions the post-op care of our patients by this unit left nothing to be desired. No patient in this beachead suffered from lack of care if it was humanly possibly by any effort on their part to give it to him. ...The work of these stretcher-bearers in, quickly and efficiently, carrying the patients to and from the operating theatre in the face of a terrible gale, blowing wind, hail, and sand, was one of the brightest of the whole operation from the medical side."

 
R J Hetherington: Healer/Warrior - gone but not forgotten