BURY'S Castle Armoury was the scene of a massive weekend mobilisation exercise for military medical personnel who could soon be staffing a field hospital in Iraq.

The exercise on Saturday was staged by the 207 (Manchester) Field Hospital (Volunteers) in preparation for the likely call-up of volunteers by May.

It will be the first time that a Territorial Army field hospital has been deployed in a peacekeeping situation.

More than 200 people attended Saturday's mobilisation, including doctors, nurses and ancillary staff such as cooks, drivers and porters.

The exercise involved checking kit, having vaccinations, together with medical and dental checks, and allowed personnel to raise any potential problems they may have with their individual civilian employers.

Key areas covered included security, welfare matters, pay and documentation, military equipment checks and other issues in order to primarily prepare the unit for their forthcoming deployment to Iraq.

Another prime reason for the mobilisation was to enable the volunteers to test the overall effectiveness of the unit which embraces medical volunteers from as far afield as Lancaster to Stockport.

Among them is Bury man Lieutenant Allan Cordwell who is waiting to find out whether he will be called up for a second time to help staff the field hospital.

He has been attached to the TA for the past two years.

He was among a number of volunteers who served in a similar field hospital in Iraq last year for five months.

A charge nurse at Fairfield Hospital's accident and emergency unit, 38-year-old Lt Cordwell said: "I was called up last March when hostilities in Iraq began and I served until July.

"The living conditions in Iraq were very rough and sometimes it was difficult to stay healthy ourselves.

"The heat was very adverse. But it's just a matter of taking the rough with the smooth."

At the moment, he does not know whether he will be called upon to help man the field hospital in May.

Despite his earlier experiences, he added: "I don't have any trepidation about going out to Iraq again.

"This is despite the fact that it is obviously a very unstable environment in which to be working."

He praised his employers for being "very supportive" in allowing him the time off to undertake his military medical duties.