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Among the many events to mark Remembrance Sunday, one of Alderney's doctors took a central role at a key national service with an emotional reading of letters she wrote home while serving on a hospital ship during the Falklands War.
Dr Sally Simmons, who was born in Guernsey, has worked as a GP in Alderney in recent years. Before that she was in the armed forces.
During the Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance on Saturday evening, Dr Simmons recalled the part she played in the Falklands War as a newly qualified staff nurse.
She read out extracts of a letter she had written to her "ma and pa" in 1982 while she was stationed on the hospital ship SS Uganda.
"Dear ma and pa, I am in charge of my watch and we now have 26 patients.
"The ships were bombed four days ago and the soldiers all have burnt hands and faces. They look very, very disfigured as their faces and eyelids are so swollen and blackened and they are in a lot of pain.
"One of them was really upset about his facial burns. He told me he was due to get married when he got back, but he didn't think his fiancee would want to marry him now because he looked so ugly. He was just a bit younger than me and it was heartbreaking how distressed he was."
Dr Sally Simmons was born in Guernsey, she is an ex Armed Forces doctor.
— Alex Snowdon (@AlexSnowdon5) November 13, 2022
Alderney Resident, Dr Simmons gives powerful account of her military service during - Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance 2022 @BBCGuernsey @BBCNews pic.twitter.com/TG01DAu8Ri
The Falklands War saw 255 British Servicemen and three female civilians killed, along with 649 Argentines. Many more people were injured including Simon Weston who suffered facial disfigurements.
He suffered burns to 46% of his body in 1982 when the ship he was on, the RFA Sir Galahad was destroyed. He then spent time on the SS Uganda receiving immediate medical treatment from the nursing staff, which may have included Dr Simmons.
His website, Simonweston.com details his injuries, his recovery, and his life since the Falklands.
Pictured: Simon Weston CBE was among the Falklands veterans treated onboard the SS Uganda by Staff Nurse Sally Simmons and others.
Dr Simmons moved to Alderney in 2017, following a career as an Armed Forces doctor, after initially training as a nurse.
As well as providing GP services in Alderney, she has experience in the work of the hyperbaric chamber in Guernsey and as a motorcycle fanatic she has provided medical care at the TT races in the Isle of Man too, along with other motor racing events,
In 2021, Dr Simmons was nominated for a place on a map of Guernsey for International Women's Day. It was to reflect inspirational women across the Bailiwick.
The three people who nominated Dr Simmons wrote:
"Since arriving on Alderney Dr Sally has worked tirelessly to improve our island’s health care and this hard work is certainly showing results. We all felt very vulnerable on Alderney when the COVID pandemic broke out, as the majority of our population are elderly and we have limited medical resources, but Dr Sally’s calm and professional manner has given us confidence in knowing that we are in very safe hands."
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