Joseph Tarrant, who has served in the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force, suffered a heart attack at the start of the Remembrance Day service in Surrey outside Epsom Town Hall.
Joseph Tarrant the Survivor
Among those who came to his aid on 11 November was Maureen Paterson, an off-duty emergency nurse practitioner from Epsom Hospital’s accident and emergency unit.
“When I saw Joseph collapse, another lady and I immediately went to help him,” she said.
“I could feel he didn’t have a heartbeat so I started cardiac massage, which is where you place the palm of your hand over the person’s heart and try to get it beating rhythmically again by pumping their chest.”
Marion Kuit, a receptionist from nearby Glyn Technology School in Ewell, also came to the aid of Mr Tarrant and started mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, while a police officer ran to fetch a defibrillator.
Mrs Paterson said: “In that kind of situation you focus so intently on what you’re trained to do, but I was aware the service was continuing – we were in the middle of the two minutes’ silence and I tried to be as quiet as I could.”
He was taken to Epsom General Hospital where he is now recovering on the specialist coronary care unit.
Mr Tarrant said: “I just want to thank both ladies from the bottom of, well, from the bottom of my heart. I’m only here today because of them.”
