Second World War veteran whose leg was blown off by a German mine praises Britain for its care on Armed Forces Day
‘THE care my country gave me after I lost my leg battling the Nazis was second to none’.
That’s the view of Second World War veteran Ronald Rose, who lost his leg after triggering a mine hidden by the Nazis in Germany 75 years ago..
The 97-year-old, of Portchester, said: ‘Christmas time came, 1944, and we got moved again to another area. Then we got into a place in Germany called Emmerich, which had been bombed and was a wreck, to scout out new places to go and that’s when my leg was blown off by some sort of hidden device.’
After being evacuated to the UK, Ron had a new limb created for him by the team at Portsmouth Enablement Centre – a site he has received ‘fantastic care’ from for 73 years.
One person who has seen Ron through a great deal of this process is Erica McCarthy, a clinical lead prosthetist at health hub who has been treating Ron for 22 years.
He said: ‘I’ve known Erica for a long time and I think she’s really lovely, when I last visited they put a new foot on my leg. Erica and her daughter even came to my 85th birthday. She’s been a saviour to me really.’
Since Ron was first treated, prosthetic limb creation has significantly developed.
Ron said: ‘The limbs are different now, they’re lighter. I used to have a limb held up by a
belt over my shoulder and a leather corset.’