Page 8 - QARANC Vol 18 No 1 2020

6 The Gazette QARANC Association
Obituaries
Major Huw “Taff” Jones
The QARANC and indeed the wider Defence Medical Services are poorer for the death of our friend and colleague Major Huw “Taff” Jones. Huw died on 11th December 2019 after being diagnosed with cancer at the end of April 2019. The illness was borne bravely, as one would expect from Huw. He died peacefully with his loving family at his bedside. The funeral, with full military honours took place on Tuesday 21st January 2020 at St Luke’s Church, Hodnet in Shropshire.
Born in Senghenydd, South Wales in 1971, Huw trained as a nurse at the Prince of Wales Hospital, Merthyr Tydfil. On qualifying, he joined 203 Welsh Field Hospital, (Territorial Army) in Cardiff; he later transferred to the Regular Army.
A larger than life character, Huw always placed his patients and junior staff as his first priority. He exemplified what a good educator should be and always had time for those working under him, no matter how busy he was himself with his own work. Huw’s career path took him in to emergency nursing, he later went on to train as a nurse practitioner in emergency nursing and went on to study for not one, but two masters degrees.
Huw deployed on multiple occasions on operations and exercises to: Kosovo, Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Kenya, Somalia and supported UKSF. The winter tour on Op TELIC 9 in 2006/07 found him as the lead clinician stationed at Basra Palace in southern Iraq. Huw was subsequently appointed Associate Royal Red Cross (ARRC) in the Operational Honours List in July 2007 for his outstanding work on Op TELIC 9. Huw was very proud of the fact that HM The Queen, at Buckingham Palace invested him with the accolade.
His seminal posting was as the Regimental Sergeant Major (RSM) to the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine (RCDM) in Birmingham, during a particularly busy period with a high operational casualty workload. During this time, Huw effortlessly escorted members of the Royal Family and senior military officers on visits to RCDM. He worked tirelessly in the
pursuit of excellence, especially in the area of welfare not only to the military patients, but also to the junior staff providing the care and support to the military casualties within the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.
Commissioned into the QARANC in 2013 and as one would expect Huw rose to new challenges. He was appointed as the Clinical Training and Governance Officer to 16 Medical Regiment, based in Colchester, a critical position with responsibility for ensuring that the multiple clinical employment groups within the Regiment were clinically proficient in their deployable operational roles. A position of even greater importance as the Regiment had at this time recently failed its external healthcare governance inspection.
Unfazed by this and in his characteristic ‘sleeves rolled up approach’ Huw set to work, a firm believer in the mantra of ‘Medic first’ he introduced a series of measures to address the significant shortfalls across the Regiment; from introducing Combat Medical Technicians portfolios, developing extended field care courses and a thorough healthcare governance architecture. His other lasting legacy was to ensure that all clinical members of the Regiment spent time practicing their trade, whether it was ‘keep nurses nursing’ or biomedical scientists spending appropriate time in hospital laboratories. All of which he enabled through his extensive personal network within the hospitals of North Essex. If a man can leave a lasting legacy on an organisation Huw did so, through firstly; reminding the Unit that it existed to practice first rate medicine and with his transformative approach to addressing this cultural clinical seam that continues to run through the Regiment. His enduring legacy to the wider DMS has been the adoption of his work throughout this period as best practice within the DMS most notably his work on portfolios and prolonged field care.
His previous Commanding Officer Colonel Phil McNee at 16 Medical Regiment, commented that Huw was quite simply a wonderful man, an inspiration to all around him, he spoke
with credibility, honesty and sincerity and always found time to assist and develop the most junior members of the Regiment. He will be sorely missed by all in the wider Regimental family.
Following his time in Colchester Huw was posted back to RCDM, this time as a senior clinical nurse in the Emergency Department. Huw accepted the challenge of becoming detached from RCDM in Birmingham to become the Senior Clinical Nurse at the Royal Stoke University Hospital (RSUH). Huw displayed his unbounding knowledge of emergency and trauma nursing during this time. The civilian staff at the hospital were hugely impressed with his professional demeanour, knowledge and clinical skills and he earned their respect in a very short period and no one was surprised when he was selected for promotion to Major – thoroughly well deserved.
Huw became ill very quickly and elected to undergo treatment at RSUH. He underwent surgery and chemotherapy for the cancer. After a period of time Huw was allowed home, however, fate dictated that after a few weeks he was readmitted to hospital. It was during this time that the true humility of the man shone through. In the later stages of his life, Huw constructed his funeral service and took great care in choosing the hymns. Those present at the funeral will never forget the singing of the ‘Battle Hymn of the Republic’ accompanied by the organ and a brass quintet!
He leaves behind his wife Patty, his children Lewis, Vivian, Arianna and Edmund and his grandchildren, Liam and Morgan. Major Huw Jones has left a very great void in Defence Nursing. May he rest in peace.
Lieutenant Colonel S Davies RRC VR