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For former Royal Marine Sam Murray from Derbyshire, volunteering to help the local community during Covid-19 was a no-brainer. But using his skills to work as a mortuary technician was an experience that had a profound impact
“If it was my mum, grandma or son, I’d want someone looking after them”, says ex-Royal Marine commando, Sam Murray, who in April found himself volunteering as a mortuary technician, in response to the strain key workers suddenly faced. Having served in the marines from 1988 through to 1996, Murray had spotted a plea for help from fellow former marine Richard Sharp on social media. As CEO of charity Re:Act Disaster Response (formerly Team Rubicon UK), Sharp had requested military veterans urgently lend their skills to the crisis, which Murray says he was eager to do.
“When Covid-19 was starting, I could see it all unfolding and wanted to help,” he says. “I thought: ‘I can’t just sit here, I need to do something.’ I saw they needed veteran volunteers, so I rang Richard up and said: ‘Right, get me involved.’” It meant Murray was given the daunting task of selecting, training and heading up a team of 12 veteran volunteers to work as mortuary technicians for five weeks. Stationing the teams across two hospital mortuaries in the north-west, Murray worked across both for three weeks. What he saw changed his life. Continue reading...