Major-General Gerard P R Wheatley DSO

Gerard Percival Ross Wheatley, known to all as Ross, qualified as a doctor from Guy’s Hospital in London in 1933 and became a fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons in 1940. One of the founding fathers perhaps of the airborne medical services, in early 1942 he was posted as Major to the newly-raised 16th Parachute Field Ambulance RAMC as Second-in-Command (2-i-c).

He was one of the first Medical Officers to qualify as a parachutist, going through his Ringway course in May 1942, and went on to assist his CO,  Lt Col MacEwan as they established the unit together to a state of readiness prior to the move to North Africa in November 1942, to take part in the Tunisian campaign.

When Lt Col MacEwan was promoted in June 1943, Ross Wheatley took over command and led 16 PFA on Op Fustian, the Airborne operation intended to capture the Primosole bridge on Sicily, in July 1943. He was attached to Brigade HQ for the drop but the rest of his unit did set up a Main Dressing Station (MDS). Lt Col Wheatley's time in Sicily did not pass without incident however, as one of his officers later recalled:

‘The commanding officer of 16 Para Fd Amb together with his two RAMC staff successfully jumped with Brigade HQ but landed five miles south of the objective. They made their way to the bridge, encountering on the way several casualties who were treated and then left behind until further assistance was found. By the time they reached the bridge it had been captured and Lt-Colonel Wheatley was informed that the MDS had been set up and was open for business.

Finding an abandoned bicycle Lt-Colonel Wheatley set off to see for himself the MDS. The farm which had been chosen as the site for the MDS was at the bottom of some rising ground south of the river. The farm was a one storey building consisting of seven rooms and a kitchen, and it was surrounded by trees and there were additionally some outbuildings. The farm itself was rather dirty but it was quickly cleaned up by a party of Italian prisoners. The MDS consisted of reception, pre-operative room, operating theatre, two post-operative rooms, three wards and a small rest room. Several carts and horses had been found in the stables and were used for the transportation of the wounded. The MDS however was situated between British and Italian positions and there were sporadic outbreaks of small- arms and mortar fire, fortunately only two mortar bombs fell in the area of the MDS.’

The MDS in the course of that first day received sixty-two British and twenty-nine enemy patients and carried out over twenty operations. However during the night enemy pressure forced the Brigade to withdraw from their blocking line on the river. The MDS was now situated in 'no mans land' between the south bank of the river and the high ground further south which was held by the Brigade. As many personnel from the MDS as possible were sent back with the Brigade but the majority stayed behind to tend to the wounded in their care. L/Cpl Geoff Stanners and others from No 1 Section had reported to the MDS from the bridge around 1800 hrs the previous evening, and Lt-Colonel Wheatley told them to keep their heads down in the roof of the farm

Early the next morning an Italian officer arrived and announced that he had captured the MDS but after looking round seemed undecided as to what to do. L/Cpl Stamners later recalled how the Italian officer had requested Lt Col Wheatley surrender his sword so the Italian could break it across his knee - Lt Col Wheatley pulled out his pistol and gave it to him.

The Italian officer had been pleased to note that the casualties received equal treatment regardless of what nationality they were. He initially wanted the MDS to move to Catania but after negotiations a comprise was reached and only the Italian and German casualties would be moved. However before any wounded could be moved a patrol of the 1st Parachute Battalion went past the MDS.

By 0800 hrs the following morning the advanced troops of both the 2nd Parachute Battalion and 50th Infantry Division had made safe the area of the MDS. The MDS remained open until about 1700 hrs, fourteen operations being carried out that day. A total of seventy-one British and thirty-eight enemy casualties had been through the doors since setting up on 13 July.

Ross Wheatley was later awarded a DSO for his actions in North Africa and Sicily. Shortly after Sicily he was promoted and sent as Assistant Director Medical Services (ADMS) to organise the medical services of the new 44th Indian Airborne Division. Although this Division was destined not to see action as such, he ensured that the medical services reached a high standard, which later proved invaluable when in 1945 they parachute into Malaya and Java to care for released Allied prisoners and internees.

Ross Wheatley continued in the Army after the war and eventually became Director of Army Surgery in the rank of Major General. After retirement from the Army he joined the P&O Line and acted as a cruise liner doctor and remained here until ill-health forced a second retirement. He died in January 1988.