Kevin Galloway 3rd December 1951 – 4th March 2017
By Terry Carter………
Founder of 112/CESV Emergency Service Volunteers…….
I first met Kevin whilst working at the medical 
centre at St. David’s Barracks Bicester. Kevin was a regimental medic with the Royal Pioneer Regiment working in the same medical centre as myself in between deployments. We quickly became friends because of my Royal Naval medical service experience as we had lots in common. I had recently formed a unit consisting of mostly ex-servicemen/women and civil defence members. Kevin obtained permission from his commanding officer to join this group which was granted and he stayed a member while still in the army until he left.
On leaving the army, Kevin became my number 2, as operations officer with the Thames Valley Medical and Rescue Unit and in 1984 accompanied by Kevin and other TVMRU members, we took the first training team to Bodrum in Turkey where we were tasked in modernizing the emergency services and this coincided with the President’s visit who requested our presence and gave his blessing and cooperation. This relationship continued on a regular basis for 14 years where TVMRU trained in Turkey some 8.500 doctors, nurses, paramedics, ships captains and army who came from all over Turkey and were trained and then went off to train 1000’s more colleagues. When you see the news footage of bombings in Turkey and see the emergency service response with all the modern equipment and trained personnel that is down to Kevin and the team, what a legacy!
In 1999 after the massive earthquake in Turkey, President Rauf Denktaş of the TRNC contacted me at my surgery in Bicester and requested that we (Kevin and myself) report to him in a week!!!! as he had heard of the work we had archived in Turkey which is well documented click here and that if Turkey’s emergency services had not been trained by us, then many more people would have lost their lives.
Kevin and I met President Denktaş a week later and he said we had a free hand to meet all Ministers and form a committee under the then Minister of Health which we did and as a result of this, we visited all ambulance stations, clinics and fire stations in the TRNC. We then produced a very scathing report on the lack of modern equipment, lack of ambulances and fire engines etc and lack of proper organised training, We also gave a list of equipment needed and prepared a plan for training. All were quickly agreed and Dr Mehmet Avci and Dr Kenan Arifoglu at the Lefkosa State Hospital were very helpful from the very beginning in helping us set up our training mission.
Over the next months and years TVMRU trained them hard and Kevin was a excellent teacher who would not stand any messing about, be it officers or nurses etc., but we got fantastic results. Just see today in North Cyprus the modern equipment and vehicles, one of the things urgently changed, the firemen had to share helmets!! Kevin was an excellent life saver and swimmer being very fit and his teaching of life saving procedures no doubt, saved many a life.
Kevin continued as Chief Officer and Director of Operations of TVMRU in the UK after my official retirement when I came to live and work in the TRNC and was very supportive by sending over a complete field hospital and much more when I was tasked in forming the 112 Emergency Service Volunteers and subsequently known as CESV the Civil Emergency Service Volunteers..
Kevin leaves his wife Leema and three young boys.
Rest in Peace Kevin
Editors note:
With thanks to Dr Kenan Arifoglu, who after reading this article, he kindly shared the picture below which shows himself on the left together Terry Carter, President Rauf Denktaş, Kevin Galloway and 3 ladies from the TVMRU team.
RIP to Kevin Galloway. A very interesting account of how expats who are experienced personnel from England are helping and getting involved with TRNC and its services. Thank you for the story, Terry Carter.
Thank you Sermen for your very kind comment about Kevin Galloway and Terry Carter.
I did not know Kevin Galloway but have been associated with Terry Carter and his volunteers for a long time and have experienced and written much about their amazing efforts to help others which very few people know about or perhasp even care about.
With people like Kevin and Terry and many others like them, doing what they can to help the TRNC, it would be a poorer place.
Hello Sermen, Many thanks for you kind remarks about the article. We tried and would not take no for an answer . Unfortunately. you always get people who do not want to advance but only look backwards – however Kevin and I would persevere and in the end get the results. We were lucky as we had the backing of the Presidents and Ministers. Our legacy lives on. Regards Terry