This is Paul Radcliffe’s Diary… A Untrue story based on a true tale of a regular man thrust into strange situations.
April 14 1999
Ah! I’ve found you now! I just saw some horrible stuff on the T.V. some Albanians were killing kosovans just ‘cos some people called the KLA. Mind you It’s miles away. I’ve got my mates. My sister who I live with. So? Who needs to worry? Any way gonin’ down to the chippy. See you tonight I’ll write more then.
Nice curry sauce on me chips. saw my mate hammer. Said he was mad at them Albanians on the telly. Me sister Joanne is well Pis sorry annoyed with me. She says “all you you ever do paul is mope around the house leaving old plates of chips lying around”.
April 15 1999
Just switched on newsnight on telly. Saw some horrible pictures of them Refuges camps people are scared. I keep on thinking of my mum when ever they talk of death.
First proper year without her. Died last august. Cancer. She Smoked. A lot. Sorry eyes filling up again always do when I think of her. Her name was Pauline. She bought me and my sister Joanne this house here in Camden (she lived in Hampstead) with the last of her money. Sorry got to go now.
April 17 1999
We’ve just had some woman from the Red Cross over to our house. She asked us to either make a donation to Red Cross or to go over and help. I was thinking of going but, well you know I’d fell like a bit of a prat goin’ over by my self. But don’t get me wrong I did think about it a lot.
April 17 1999
Hi again. I’ve changed my mind I might Just go over to Kosovo. To help the poor people there.
April 18 1999
I’m real proud of myself and so is Joanne. I’ve come back from signing on to the volunteer list to go and help over in Kosovo. They said they’d be in contact soon.
I hope I don’t Have to go I almost scared. Speak to you soon.
April 20 1999.
So, here I am at the airport leaving for Kosovo. Joanne couldn’t see me off, she has to work and is desperate for the money. My plane has just been delayed by 2 whole hours.
I wonder If I’ll ever get there……
I’m on the plane, They put on a special Europe to Kosovo plane. I t was full of crying relatives, aid volunteers like my self as well as supplies and government officials.
It was then when the shock hit me. This wasn’t going to be easy, this wasn’t going to fun at all. This was going to be harsh. This was going to be suffering. This was going to be war.
April 21 1999
Three baggage checks, four airline meals, and three customs checks later I arrived in what locally is known as Kosova. People were staring at us. People were looking on at the Brits who had come to help. However this is not how some saw it, they were screaming at us as soon as we got out of the airfield. A number of Obscenities were screamed at us. These people didn’t want our help. These people hated Europeans, hated me, hated US. When were put in the back of a jeep I got a chance to speak to some of the other volunteers. Most of them had volunteered before. There were 34 of us going in 3 separate jeeps. I got talking to one of the women who had volunteered. I actually quite liked her, no really. I don’t try with women at all. But she was really quite nice we got talking and It turned out she was originally from Kosovo, been living in Britain for just under 2 years She was friendly. She wore a red scarf which she said her mother made Andrea was her name. For the first time since I left home I felt almost happy. Gotta go the light is going out.
April 22 1999
I slept last night in a tent with more holes in it than Swiss cheese. It was horrible. This morning I went to the main Red Cross centre where we were going to work for the next 3 months. It stank of rotting food and flesh. The recourses there seemed ok but I’m not a doctor am I? There were people who had no chance of surviving and were destined to death. There were those who had they lived in England they would have lived. It was a hard day I was put in charge of giving information to relatives and officials. This evening I went to the half blown up bar. It is called this because it is half blown up. I saw that woman again, the Woman With The Red Scarf, Andrea. We talked some more It must if been half way through the evening that I realized how much I really Liked her. Just as we were really getting “Friendly” we heard a loud explosion over on the hill. I heard someone shout “Get down on the floor” we ducked and took cover.
The windows shattered, the screaming was deafening. So was the blast. Water was flying randomly. There were screams of pain. It was terrifying it felt like I had been put into auto pilot. I’ve never seen anybody die, I still havn’t but I came close. A woman on the other side of the bar was struck by a piece of shrapnel. I saw her pain. I heard her pain. I felt her pain. People ran over to help. She was screaming, they were trying to help. Put they weren’t.
Then I remembered, the woman in the red scarf. Where was she? I ran Into the back and found her helping an old man. Without warning, there was a second bomb blast. Not as big as the last one. But still just as loud. And as many deaths, so I’m told. This is harsh.
April 22 1999.
I can’t believe today, It was breath taking. There were people everywhere wanting my help. The refugees camp is now very big. It is really too big. If someone becomes ill, there chances are breathtakingly low. I’m going to see the Andrea the woman in the red scarf again. I’ll tell you later.
Well she was fine but seemed distracted. So am I really. I’m scared we are told that we (Red Cross) are going to one of the action zones tomorrow. To help the wounded.
I’ve just heard this, someone was today found with a baby. He was dead. But the baby was found, suffocated, it’s a sick idea I know. Don’t try to picture it please. This is suffering.
April 23 1999.
Today was one hell of a day. We started off early this morning driving into the centere of Pristina, the capital, the middle of the fighting. We then Joined another group of the Red Cross. We were swiftly told that we should go onto the streets and help those who had been wounded in the fighting. It really was scary. There were gunshots fired every 2 or 3 minutes. One hit our van it immediately set on fire killing no-one, but still destroying most of our supplies. Our group’s job was to get the wounded out of danger and get them to medical help. Half-Way through the day I’d already helped about 20 or so people. Or at least that is what I thought. I just found out that of the 200 people we took off the streets only 23 survived… That is how it has been so far I’ll tell you about this afternoon this evening.
I can’t belive it at 1637 at the junction between the UK embassy and the Red Cross centre I saw this:
Andrea put on her red scarf, and sat down to help a young boy who had just been brought into the center. She was then called out back into the bitter cold. She saw that the fighting between the K.L.A. and the Serbians had escalated. She walked strongly out of the building. She immediately saw a baby boy toddle out into the crossfire. She ran out into the crossfire without thought for her own safety. I watched as a Sniper set his gun up over on the Albanians camp. I screamed “Andrea”.
Sniper Looked On for a Target.
Found One.
Lined Up Sight To Target.
Slowly Clamped His Hand Around the Trigger.
Target All Set.
Trigger.
Zoom.
Sight.
Bang.
A Bullet Shot Out Of The End Of The Barrel.
Closed In On The Target.
Clean Shot To The Back Of The Chest.
Ripped Through The Skin Tearing Through The Heart.
Searing Through The Rib Cage.
Bullet Dropped To The Ground.
All I saw was the body fall. But it was almost as if someone then switched my head on, Because it was then and only then that I realized what this was. This was death. And why should I be Involved. I know exactly what to do.
Paul Radcliffe looked one more time at Pristina, then wrapping the Red Scarf around his neck, walked into the airport to leave for London.
That Was The War………