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’.
By Tom Cotterill
Published 29th Jun 2019, 01:00 BST
Updated 29th Jun 2019, 12:01 BST
Ronald Rose, 97, of Portchester lost his leg fighting through German in 1944. He has since spoken out about the care he received as Britain marks Armed Forces Day.Ronald Rose, 97, of Portchester lost his leg fighting through German in 1944. He has since spoken out about the care he received as Britain marks Armed Forces Day.
Ronald Rose, 97, of Portchester lost his leg fighting through German in 1944. He has since spoken out about the care he received as Britain marks Armed Forces Day.

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.’

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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.’

 

Related topics:BritainPortchester