General Service Medal clasp Northern Ireland with M.I.D. Oakleaf (24551818 CPL M A GERMAINE RAMC); Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan clasp 16 Jan to 28 Feb 1981 (24551818 SSGT M A GERMAINE RAMC); United Nations Medal clasp Kosovo; QEII Jubilee Medal 2002; Army Long Service & Good Conduct Medal bar Regular Army (24551818 WO2 M.A. GERMAINE RAMC)
Captain Michael Anthony Germaine was born in Leeds in 1962 and joined the RAMC in 1908 after leaving school. He was Mentioned in Dispatches for distinguished service in Northern Ireland (LG 11.11.1986) for his work after a Helicopter Crash in Forkhill NI on 25.1.1986. The circumstances, whilst attached to 3 RRF, were described in his own words as follows:
"On 25 October 1986 after finishing a foot patrol around the Forkhill area of South Armagh I had just finished showering when I received a call to attend the Ops Room. On arrival I was informed that, during a routine changeover of troops on the "Foxfield" Observation Post just outside the base, a Wessex helicopter had "gone down" on the top of the mountain. I was given a choice of either waiting to be picked up be a helicopter and taken to the top of Foxfield, or take a "brick" of men with me and go on foot. As the helicopter would have taken more than 30 minutes to get to us I opted for the latter.
I took a team of 4 Fusiliers and we set off up the mountain with very little information on casualties other than the fact there were 4 passengers and 3 crew on board but, depending on how and when the accident occurred, there could be up to 11 casualties including the 4 man team already up there.
Because of the nature of the OP there were defences all around the top of the mountain which included barbed wire. There was no problem negotiating this as one of the soldiers threw himself against the barbed wire and insisted on the rest of us running over him. He was a tough man and one of the real heroes of the incident.
When we arrived at the top it was almost dark and the helicopter was on its side, door down. I immediately climbed on to the helicopter and smashed my way in through one of the windows. To cut a long story short, I then found, treated and rescued the the four man team from inside the main body of the helicopter. Fortunately the two pilots had managed to escape unharmed but I could not find the Loadmaster. I went back in and moved some bergans in the dark and found him unconscious and not breathing. I commenced mouth to mouth and cardiac compressions, as myself and the helicopter team extracted him from the wreckage. In the meantime a helicopter from Bessbrook had arrived with a Doctor on board and we got the Loadmaster into the helicopter and continued with artificial resuscitation until we arrived at Daisy Hill hospital where, heartbreakingly, he was pronounced dead."
Germaine was to go to serve in Kosovo and elsewhere rising steadily up the ranks until he was commissioned in 2000. He retired as a Captain on 31 May 2003 and resigned his commission on 31 March 2008.
The medals come with a wealth of material including three original photos, copies of the various LG extracts and copies of his WO and Captains Warrants and a potted record of service.
