Oral history interview with David Vassallo

Interview: 33 minutes 32 seconds

Col David Vassallo’s family come from Malta. A member of the Royal Army Medical Corps he has served as a Consultant General Surgeon in theatres of war and in the NHS. A father of two girls the same ages as Saranda and Jehona Bogujevi, David was deeply affected by the plight of the wounded Bogujevci cousins when he met them during the Liberation of Kosovo in 1999. A pioneer of telemedicine, whilst in Bosnia and Kosovo he used a simple system to appeal for help: early digital camera, email, laptop and a sat phone. With the support of Commander Medical and DFID, David evacuated the girls, and Besim Kadriu, to Manchester. David became involved in Manchester Aid to Kosovo, ran the 10K Great Manchester Run with the girls, and is a patron of the charity.

in this interview David Vassallo describes his role in Kosovo as a Consultant General Surgeon with the British Army, describing various cases he treated and how they were medically evacuated to Manchester, England. He talks about the friendships formed with the people he worked with in Kosovo. David also talks about returning to Kosovo for the Dedication of the Manchester Peace Park, ten years later.