An RAF medical officer, Dr Aidan MacCarthy had either the very best or the worst of luck throughout World War II. As a young doctor he survived Dunkirk and endured three years as a Prisoner of War (POW) during which he was beaten, starved, torpedoed, and nuked.
Despite stumbling from one appalling situation to another, he managed to not only survive, but also to help those around him, in his capacity as a doctor, and as a fellow human being.
After the war he was awarded the OBE for his prisoner-of-war work. He continued to serve in the medical branch of the RAF and in 1969 was appointed to command the RAF central medical establishment in London. He retired in 1972.
Before his death, he wrote a book about his experiences called 'A Doctor's War'.
Produced by Peter Mooney
Presented by Brian Walsh
First broadcast 18th October 1995
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