Beth Hall-Thompson - Expedition Member
Early Days
Born and bred a traveller; grew up with early days in Northern Ireland and formative (wayward) years in Cork and Dublin. Eldest of three girls & two younger boys, and retains the bossy stature that role necessitates
Hockey caused relocation to Somerset for latter years of schooling; and introduced the happy-hippy world of living in Glastonbury; somehow went almost directly from Glastonbury festival to Sandhurst and the rigors of Officer Training, (excess piercings removed en route).
Was lucky to study Biological Sciences/Tree Hugging at Oxford; the excess blues hockey, college rowing, orienteering and officer training corps activities caught up with the degree result however!
Army Years
Enjoyed the compulsory freezing, drowning, overheating and actively enforced insomnia of Sandhurst and digging remains a particular skill!
Worked in provision of humanitarian medical services in Bosnia and Kosovo, and the medical planning phase of the Iraq deployment during 3 years of regular service based in Germany. Both military and drinking skills were exercised in Holland, Poland, Spain, Canada and across Germany.
Medicine
Studied Medicine in Liverpool and with great enthusiasm moved to Lancaster, gateway to the Lakes, for the latter 2 years. Finally learnt to climb….. in snow for first 3 climbs, luckily loved it!
After qualification, took a year out to explore mountaineering and humanitarian medicine in unexplored Greenland, Nepal, the Andes, and finally rural Ethiopia and the Kenyan desert. Spent 6 weeks at Pheriche clinic, 8km south of Everest Base Camp, and 2 weeks exploring locally; can’t wait to go back; other side of Chomolunga this time.
Currently works as a hospital doctor in Lancaster; and is finally getting around to considering a mortgage.
Also serves as a TA Medical Officer in the North-West and hopes to deploy to Afghanistan in Oct 2010.
Motivation
The scores of physically and psychologically scarred soldiers are somehow glossed over in reporting of the dead. Hear of their numbers and bravery through colleagues, and on the ground, as the wounded volunteer to train medics in how to manage a real casualty in a threatening environment. If awareness and money for the selfless wounded can be raised this way, then I want to be part of it.
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