Training base will be Forces' centre of medical skills

By akerr

THE TRAINING organisation which enables members of the Army, Navy and Royal Air Force to save lives in the field of combat is taking charge at Whittington Barracks this month.

Defence Medical Services Whittington, as the facility will be known, is to become home to Britain's Joint Medical Command and the Surgeon General from March 31.

RAF Group Captain Keith Lane, who has been appointed commanding officer of the facility, said: "I feel both honoured and privileged to lead the team here as the first commanding officer."

Joint Medical Command is responsible for the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine at Birmingham's Selly Oak Hospital which treats injured soldiers and five military hospital units across the UK.

The Government feels that the move will provide a 'critical mass' of military medical expertise and assets in the Midlands.

Staff are currently relocating to DMS Whittington from Hampshire and London including the Surgeon General for the armed forces, Vice Admiral Philip Raffaelli RN.

By April there will be around 500 military and civilian staff on the site and more to follow.

New accommodation for staff and training facilities will be built, while work has started on refurbishing 40 former family quarters at the site.

Construction of a headquarters started in November 2008 and is almost complete.

The decision has been taken to name it after the most decorated soldier in the history of the British Army.

Born in Burton-on-Trent in 1891 William Coltman VC, DCM and Bar, MM and Bar, served during the First World War as a stretcher bearer, saving many lives in battle.

A soldier with the North Staffordshire Regiment, William was a conscientious objector and won all of his medals without firing a single shot.

Jim Massey of the Staffordshire Regiment Museum said: "We are really delighted with the decision to name the headquarters building after a local hero.

"It is a very fine gesture on behalf of Defence Medical Services."

Currently the country's main medical training facility is Defence Medical Services Training Centre at Keogh near Aldershot.

The intent is that by 2014 combat medics will instead be trained at DMS Whittington.