Richmal Oates-Whitehead - London Bombings

London Bombings

Oates-Whitehead came to attention in the aftermath of the London blasts at the Tavistock Square. She claimed to have been asked to help out by a couple of firemen and that she did not hesitate for a moment.

She was widely hailed as the “heroine of the July 7 bombings” after her accounts of treating the seriously injured were carried out by the press, especially in New Zealand. Given the level of publicity attained by her, the New Zealand Herald, among others, researched her background and published news to the effect that she was not a doctor, but an editor of a BMA publication, a job that did not require medical qualifications.

The media’s suspicion was triggered by an account by Oates-Whitehead of how she heard a controlled explosion of another bomb by the police while she was busy tending to the victims. Scotland Yard’s denial of such an explosion and the absence of her name on either of the UK or the New Zealand Medical Council registers of doctors strengthened the suspicions. Nor could Auckland University confirm that she was a graduate of the place. Oates-Whitehead contested the newspaper’s contention and threatened to sue it for defamation but resigned from her post on health grounds when BMA announced an inquiry into her antecedents.