Wars and ConflictsΒ permalink
Eigth Army _ Sunburnt ??
This discussion has been closed.
-
Message 1.Β
Posted by stalti (U14278018) on Friday, 4th June 2010
question from my daughter as we watched a documentary about El Alemain
didnt they get sunburnt ??
did they ? how many of the desert rats got taken out of action because they were blistered - they had short sleeves and shorts
did they get issued with Ambre Solaire
st -
Message 2
Posted by Grumpyfred (U2228930) on Friday, 4th June 2010
Yes, Hence the remark about new arrivals not getting their knees brown yet.
-
Message 3
Posted by Spruggles (U13892773) on Saturday, 5th June 2010
stalti,
British troops were not allowed to get sun burnt - exposure to the sun and tanning was only as a result of gradual acclimatization. Any sunburn which prevented the soldier from normal duty was regarded as a self inflicted wound and resulted in the person being put on a charge.
A friend who fought in the desert and Italy finished up after the war on the Suez Canal. Here restrictions were relaxed and he spent most of his free time swimming and laying in the sun.
Unfortunately, he died some twenty years ago of massive melanomas. -
Message 4
Posted by stalti (U14278018) on Saturday, 5th June 2010
hi spruggles
presumably because he lay in the sun?
as my op asks - did they gt lotion issued - was there such a thing then ??
when i was a kid we never used sun protection - what there was was very expensive - and there wasnt much of it (ambre solaire)- in the war was there any ??
st -
Message 5
Posted by Spruggles (U13892773) on Sunday, 6th June 2010
stalti,
My only extant relative who saw war service in the the desert is at the moment on holiday and so unavailable for a comment. I myself cannot recall any reference to sun blockers being used during this period, certainly amongst us civilians anyway.
Yes, my old friend, who I now see died forty years ago, not twenty(where does the time go?)succumbed to skin cancers due to over exposure to the Egyptian sun.
Will quiz uncle asap.
Regards,
Spruggles. -
Message 6
Posted by TimTrack (U1730472) on Monday, 7th June 2010
In one of those History Channel WW2 programmes a German soldier in the Afrika Corps recounts taking prisoner a British unit led by a vaguely comical fair haired officer with sunburnt face.
I suspect avoiding sunburn on active service might have been rather difficult in the Sahara. Regulations and reality are sometimes distant relitives. -
Message 7
Posted by TrailApe (U1701496) on Monday, 7th June 2010
I think that you were allowed to get sunburnt anywhere that wasn't covered by your uniform - so burnt noses not a problem. However if you take off parts your uniform (eg shirt) and got burnt, then you were liable for 'self inflicted injuries'.
I bet there were a lot of very tender backs/chests in the new units but as long as nobody tried to use as an excuse to skive, don't think much would be said.
In the same vein - just think about handling metal equipment that's been baking in the sun! ouch. -
Message 8
Posted by LairigGhru (U14051689) on Monday, 7th June 2010
I raised this question with someone I used to work with and who fought in the desert war long before I knew him.
His reply was that it was very different from the humid conditions we have at home, and for this reason (i.e. the sheer dryness of the air) they experienced few problems.
I can't resist adding that this same person told me about the lethal shards of metal that were torn off a tank's inner wall by incoming shells from the enemy, and these jagged shards - some of them disc-shaped - flew about killing or injuring the tank crew. -
Message 9
Posted by Colquhoun (U3935535) on Monday, 7th June 2010
While a bit later than ww2, my father served in Aden, Cyprus, Suez and Kenya in the 50s. He now gets occasional melanomas which has been put down to his service and he has received a small amount of compensation.
-
Message 10
Posted by Spruggles (U13892773) on Tuesday, 8th June 2010
LairigGhru,
I'm surprised by the shards bit(please forgive the pun). Any cast or forged metal when distressed violently on one side will disperse shards from the other side; what surprises me is that the designers had not taken measures to negate this happening. After all the phenomenon was known in the Great War when our tanks first came under fire and was offset by the hanging of chain-mail type curtains close to the walls.
I think it mentions this in 'The Boiler Plate War'. -
Message 11
Posted by LairigGhru (U14051689) on Tuesday, 8th June 2010
Very interesting, Spruggles. I wonder if the chain curtains were consciously dispensed with on the grounds of economy of space, the lessons from WW1 having been forgotten by the new breed of designers? Just an idea.
-
Message 12
Posted by Temperance (U14455940) on Tuesday, 8th June 2010
did they get issued with Ambre Solaire Β
My father-in-law was in North Africa and he told us that zinc oxide cream was used - it's a very cheap but effective sunscreen. -
Message 13
Posted by hotmousemat (U2388917) on Tuesday, 8th June 2010
I seem to remember Churchill writing somewhere that when he was a young soldier he was told that if he removed his sun helmet for more than a few moments he would be struck dead. But then in later life when visiting 8th Army he saw everyone apparently managing without a single pith helmet between them.
In 'Alamein to Zem Zem' by Keith Douglas there are some remarks about the health problems of war in the desert that might not seem obvious, for example eye problems; all that sand being ground to a fine powder by convoys of heavy vehicles. -
Message 14
Posted by Spruggles (U13892773) on Tuesday, 8th June 2010
hotmousemat,
Off subject but you're right of course. Sun-glare can cause problems. Prickly-heat is another although much more common in high humidity, sand flies and the ingestion of fine particles of mica - all white man's burden. Then add sitting the bowels of a tank for good measure! -
Message 15
Posted by LairigGhru (U14051689) on Tuesday, 8th June 2010
The female sand flea (otherwise known as the chigoe, chigger or jigger) can be quite a nuisance in desert places and beaches because they can burrow under your skin.
-
Message 16
Posted by TrailApe (U1701496) on Wednesday, 9th June 2010
Modern tanks use 'spall-liners' to reduce injury through internal fragments.
I have read somewhere that the crews of the newly delivered Grant tanks in the Western Desert spent a lot of time scraping and chipping off the internal white paint that the tanks were delivered with to reduce problems when they were hit - paticulary nasty if it got into your eyes apparently. -
Message 17
Posted by stalti (U14278018) on Wednesday, 9th June 2010
About this Board
The History message boards are now closed. They remain visible as a matter of record but the opportunity to add new comments or open new threads is no longer available. Thank you all for your valued contributions over many years.
or Β to take part in a discussion.
The message board is currently closed for posting.
The message board is closed for posting.
This messageboard is .
Find out more about this board's
Search this Board
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ iD
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ navigation
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ links
Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Β© 2014 The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.
This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.