A Doctor's Sword by Bob Jackson
I caught the second half of the documentary of A Doctor's Sword on RTE in September 2016. I was intrigued that a man from West Cork was at the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940, a POW of the Japanese and survived the atomic explosion in Nagasaki.
A few weeks later I was in Carrigaline Book Shop looking for something else when I spotted the book A Doctor's Sword on the table display. I bought it and read it within 24 hours. A few months later, I found A Doctor's War the original war memoir written by Dr Aidan MacCarthy on which A Doctor's Sword is based.
I caught the second half of the documentary of A Doctor's Sword on RTE in September 2016. I was intrigued that a man from West Cork was at the evacuation of Dunkirk in 1940, a POW of the Japanese and survived the atomic explosion in Nagasaki.
A few weeks later I was in Carrigaline Book Shop looking for something else when I spotted the book A Doctor's Sword on the table display. I bought it and read it within 24 hours. A few months later, I found A Doctor's War the original war memoir written by Dr Aidan MacCarthy on which A Doctor's Sword is based.
My friend Anne rang to tell me Bob Jackson, author of A Doctor's Sword was appearing at the West Cork Literary Festival on the Tuesday at 1pm in Bantry Library.
By the time I arrived at the library ten minutes late it was packed to capacity and standing room only.
I missed the reading and the question and answer session was already underway. When the interviewer turned to the crowd and asked had anybody read A Doctor's War my hand shot up. A few minutes later the question of Dr MacCarthy's attitude to his wartime experiences came up and the interviewer turned to those who read A Doctor's War. Our eyes met and I started talking. There was a tap on my arm and I was handed a microphone. I started again.
"He didn't whinge, he didn't moan. He was very matter of fact about what he was going through, he simply stated the facts as they happened. Whether it was rescuing three men from a burning plane or the repeated beatings from the Japanese guards he remained unemotional."
Then turning to Bob Jackson, I continued, "As for your book, you put his whole experience into context. You tell us his family history before he was born, you tell us about the events that were running parallel to his time as a POW and you tell us about his life after he wrote to book including his radio interview with RTE which by amazing coincidence was aired on the day of the funeral and was heard by the mourners when they gathered in a hotel in Castletownbere. At first they were upset at the sound of his voice but when he was asked how he survived his ordeal he said something like good catholic values, Jesuit education and a lot a lot of luck at which the entire funeral party clapped and cheered. I cried at that and when I finished the book I ran out my front door in order to give the book to somebody and saw my neighbour John clipping his hedge. John read it and gave it to his wife who also read it and gave it to her father. In fact I have yet to get it back. I gave it to my book club when it came to my turn to pick the title and the way you write it, you make it easy to read and it clips along at a good pace...". the crowd in the library started to laugh.
I continued, "My son graduated last year and the president mentioned in his speech another man from West Cork who after he graduated from medicine in UCC in 1913 went to England to find work and like Dr MacCarthy joined the British Army. After he was injured on the Front he returned to Ireland to recuperate. When he recovered he had to report back to Dublin and was walking along the quays with the intention of visiting his sister, he was told by several people to change out of his British Army uniform as there was some insurgency going on in the city. He declined and when travelling in a taxi across O'Connell Street he was captured by the Rebels and brought into the GPO. He waited a full 24 hours before revealing the fact that he was doctor and offered to help. He spent the week tending to the wounded. James Connolly told him he was the best thing they captured all week. After the surrender he returned to the Front and survived the war. It was only towards the end of his life did he tell people of his experiences." And turning back to the crowd I asked, "What is it about West Cork that they produce these extraordinary individuals?"
The crowd laughed.
I drew breath and turning back to Bob Jackson I continued, "And what you don't spell out in the book is his attitude to his experiences. After the Japanese surrender, he walked away from the camp and made the decision then to put it all behind him. He did not hate the Japanese. You quote the fact in the book that POWs of the Japanese are four times more likely to commit suicide than the POWs of the Germans because of the deliberate psychological damage they imposed on the prisoners. Yet Dr MacCarthy refused to let his past dominate his future and before psychotherapy became fashionable he was practising it himself. He persuaded a woman to marry him even though she said, "I'm not sure, I've heard about people like you." They married, had two lovely children, he rose up the ranks of the RAF and lived a full professional life as a doctor. That's a testament to his strength of character."
Then turning to Bob Jackson, I continued, "As for your book, you put his whole experience into context. You tell us his family history before he was born, you tell us about the events that were running parallel to his time as a POW and you tell us about his life after he wrote to book including his radio interview with RTE which by amazing coincidence was aired on the day of the funeral and was heard by the mourners when they gathered in a hotel in Castletownbere. At first they were upset at the sound of his voice but when he was asked how he survived his ordeal he said something like good catholic values, Jesuit education and a lot a lot of luck at which the entire funeral party clapped and cheered. I cried at that and when I finished the book I ran out my front door in order to give the book to somebody and saw my neighbour John clipping his hedge. John read it and gave it to his wife who also read it and gave it to her father. In fact I have yet to get it back. I gave it to my book club when it came to my turn to pick the title and the way you write it, you make it easy to read and it clips along at a good pace...". the crowd in the library started to laugh.
I continued, "My son graduated last year and the president mentioned in his speech another man from West Cork who after he graduated from medicine in UCC in 1913 went to England to find work and like Dr MacCarthy joined the British Army. After he was injured on the Front he returned to Ireland to recuperate. When he recovered he had to report back to Dublin and was walking along the quays with the intention of visiting his sister, he was told by several people to change out of his British Army uniform as there was some insurgency going on in the city. He declined and when travelling in a taxi across O'Connell Street he was captured by the Rebels and brought into the GPO. He waited a full 24 hours before revealing the fact that he was doctor and offered to help. He spent the week tending to the wounded. James Connolly told him he was the best thing they captured all week. After the surrender he returned to the Front and survived the war. It was only towards the end of his life did he tell people of his experiences." And turning back to the crowd I asked, "What is it about West Cork that they produce these extraordinary individuals?"
The crowd laughed.
I drew breath and turning back to Bob Jackson I continued, "And what you don't spell out in the book is his attitude to his experiences. After the Japanese surrender, he walked away from the camp and made the decision then to put it all behind him. He did not hate the Japanese. You quote the fact in the book that POWs of the Japanese are four times more likely to commit suicide than the POWs of the Germans because of the deliberate psychological damage they imposed on the prisoners. Yet Dr MacCarthy refused to let his past dominate his future and before psychotherapy became fashionable he was practising it himself. He persuaded a woman to marry him even though she said, "I'm not sure, I've heard about people like you." They married, had two lovely children, he rose up the ranks of the RAF and lived a full professional life as a doctor. That's a testament to his strength of character."
I was unstoppable and launched into my one of my other heros, Judge Judy and her recent comments on the 'Millennials' with their obsession with political correctness. At that point the microphone was taken off me.
The interviewer said in a dull voice soaked with sarcasm, "The marketing rep from CollinsPress would like to have a word with you after."
I bought four copies of the book and my family each got one that Christmas.
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