The Story of 13
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
THE STORY OF 13th AUSTRALIAN GENERAL HOSPITAL 8th DIVISION 2nd A. I. F. 1941 – 1945 This un-official history of the 13 Australian General Hospital during WW2 was written by A.C. (Lex) Arthurson VX61276 who was a Corporal in the unit. It was prompted by former POW nurse Vivian Bullwinkel asking if the history had ever been written. Lex undertook to do it. With the assistance of others, it was completed over two years. The original document was enhanced by many newspaper cutting, pictures and sketches. It was not possible to reproduce these. Some alternative images have been inserted. (Most of the sketches inserted into the story were done by Corporal Dick Cochran 2/12 Field Company (Engineers) and provided to me by Ken Gray former National President ex POWs Association). I am grateful to Lex for permission to reproduce this history. It is pleasing to note the extensive (and rightful) coverage given to the Nurses in this history. Lt Col (Ret’d)Peter Winstanley OAM RFD (JP) May 2009 LIVES OF GREAT MEN ALL REMIND US WE CAN LIVE A LIFE SUBLIME AND, DEPARTING, LEAVE BEHIND US FOOTPRINTS IN THE SANDS OF TIME. QUATRAIN OF LONGFELLOW FROM “The Psalm of Life” Acknowledgements: Official Army Records Newspapers of 1945 - Melbourne Herald 1945 - Melbourne Age 1942 - Singapore Straits Times Special thanks to Mrs. Maureen Chandler for the loan of her father’s unique records of the 13th A.G.H. from 1941 – 1945. (Staff/Sgt. Pearce Wells was privy to all hospital records.) _________________________ Mrs Connie Cooper who loaned the diary of her husband, Staff/Sgt. Frank Cooper. _________________________ Members of the 13th A.G.H. who refreshed my memory with the most suitable material. _________________________ Most grateful, too, that Pamela Harley, a friend of many years, was kind enough to type and organise my hand-written pages. 1. STAFF OF THE 13th AUSTRALIAN GENERAL HOSPITAL Commanding Officer Col. D.C. Pigdon E.D. Registrar Major A. R. Home Lt. Colonels W. A. Bye C. H. Osborn Majors B. A. Hunt T. P. Crankshaw R. G. Orr B. W. Nairn J. O. Rosson B. L. Clarke G. F. S. Davies NX76351 Captains J. L. Frew VX39181 E. B. Drevermann VX61260G F.Braby VX60066 QM T. G. H. Hogg TX2185 C. R. R. Huxtable M.C. V. A. Conlon VX39982 Chaplains C. E. Usher L. T. Marsden A. A. N. S. ATTACHED TO 13th A. G. H. Matron I. M. Drummond Sisters L. M. I. Bates C. J. Ashton F. R. Casson M. E. McGlade J. E. Simons P. B. Hempstead D. M. Sheehan F. A. Cullen M. E. Hurley J. E. B. Powell Masseuses C. M. Sutton A. C. A. Simpson M. Hill Staff Nurses M. M. Wilton P. Pugh M. C. Sellwood H. R. Brewer H. M. Hilyard M. E. Rayner M. M. Gunton N. P. Bentley B. H. Garrood E. M. Wittwer L. I. Seebohm M. L. Speer J. Kerr D. M. McSetchell T. A. Glover B. R. Sheat A. S. Muldoon B. C. E. Taylor V. A. Torney M. I. Anderson G. M. McManus G. M. McDonald S. J. M. Muir V. E. Smith V. I. McElnea E. M. Short M. M. A. Tait V. A. Clancy N. Harris A. M. Trenerry L. F. Fairweather W. E. F. Oram R. J. Wight G. L. Hughes I. Harper M. I. Hodgson A. M. Beard A. J. Bridge V. Bullwinkel S. C. Baldwin-Wiseman Lieutenant K McBoundy A.R.C.S Mr. Wright R. S. M. S. Gabb W.O.11 R. D. Horgan J. J. Flavin 2. Staff Sergeants P. J. Wells A. Buck W. B. Monteath D. J. Rowe A. A. Southgate M. R. Street A. E. Christensen F. Cooper Sergeants M. F. Brown B. G. Fell R. C. Fox J. J. Spencer J. D. McGuffiee A. G. McGhie F. J. Brown J. Denton T. Winters G. A. Blackie S. A. Lockwood N. J. Logan H. B. Frankland P. H. Cutts Corporals W. J. Rossiter A. E. Ogburn A. W. Webster G. W. S. Ewins A. C. Arthurson G. W. Brown J. Saunders H. F. Hollioak L. Byrne A. B. Mouat A. A. Deans P. J. Hanaghan Lance Corporals E. Burke C. E. Youdan G. M. Robbins Privates J. A. Foster F. Davies R. S. Anderson C. W. Beasland F. S. Smith W. A. Wilson R. G. Ford J. C. Knight J. Wells R. L. Scull R. W. Barguss J. D. O’Leary W. J. Banning H. L. Barker B. Barker R. R. Jones R. B. Cusson J. B. Moore R. M. B. Wilson S. W. Ross G. Munro C. J. McKay T. F. Nestor J. C. Ellis G. A. Patterson E. C. Stephens P. G. Rice F. J. Sutton R. P. Coonerty J. J. Randall G. Letwin R. White F. Bragg K. R. Woolf T. A. Chaplin R. Aylett K. E. Nicholson S. F. Boulter A. W. Thomas D. M. Davies C. A. Eastwood L. C. Canterbury R. F. D. Owen A. A. Schleibs J. J. Waller J. P. Carmody J. J. Kirk W. E. Turrell P. Fraser J. Falco A. D. H. Miller J. D. McLerie R. Young L. W. Hancock E. J. Taylor F. X. Quirk W. J. Gunn M. J. Brennan P. J. O’Brien A. N. Syer J. F. Owen G. E. Gadd R. W. Goldsmith R. J. Matters H. W. McKean E. C. Ward T. H. Nash C. Carnie E. L. S. Garth J. Hamment R. G. Sim P. A. Boulton R. P. Anderson E. Waddington C. R. L. Davies R. G. Small E. E. R. Miller W. E. Parker N. F. S. Chandler C. S. Logan G. B. W. Skewes A. E. Sweatman O. E. Vickers-Bush R. A. Webb K. J. G. Curtis L. R. Wade C. G. Baker J. E. Tee C. R. Garrett E. D. Coventry E. R. Treloar R. I. Felsentahl H.J. Squire T. F. Cully K. M. Lewis J. Beretta T. H. Hadden P. Walsh C. E. Stewart K. Atkins S. Butler C. J. Meredith E. Hancock L. J. Fox C. Lowe A. Howes A. H. Haines K. Twentyman A. Simfendorfer N. R. Seddon 3. FORMATION OF THE UNIT The 2/13th Australian General Hospital was born in Melbourne on the 11th August, 1941, a very immature and undernourished infant. There appeared to be an urgent need for a second military hospital in Singapore or Malaya. Representations were being made to Southern Command, Victoria Barracks, Melbourne by Colonel A. P. Derham, A.D.M.S., 8th Division, A.I.F. Malaya, for additional medical personnel. Intelligence sources in Singapore now viewed an attack on the impregnable island was possible and feasible, not from the south but from the north. The Secret Service intimated that the Thai Government would allow enemy access to North Malaya. At the outbreak of War in 1939 Air Chief Marshall Sir Robert Brook-Popham, the Commander in the Far East, reported he had 180 aeroplanes and 8,000 troops including many with very little service. Many crack British regiments enjoyed the plum postings to Singapore. Among the swell of new numbers arriving, to aid the dangerous situation envisaged by Intelligence, was the Australian 27th Infantry Brigade which left Sydney on July 29th, 1941. Victoria’s 29th Batallion joined the convoy of ships en route. Already in Malaya was the 10th A. G. H. settled and working in Malacca on the western seaboard, and finding 17,000 Australian troops more than a handful with the high incidence of sickness mainly due to the climate. The 10th A. G. H. was kept very busy with an average of 400 patients during the months April – December 1941. And so Colonel Derham’s plea for assistance was heeded. The administrative Command and Organising O.C., Lt. Col. Smalle, on 11.8.41, directed that the 2/13th A.G.H. be formed in haste and be ready to embark for an overseas destination in three week’s time. Major A. R. Home, appointed as Registrar of the hospital unit, was empowered to recruit staff, sufficient to run a 600 bed hospital. He was instructed to be Acting C.O., take the Unit to Malaya, where he would hand over his command to Col. D. C. Pigdon presently CO. Of 2nd/4th Convalescent Depot at Kajang in Malaya. Personnel were enticed from all over Victoria to volunteer for overseas service. Especially important was to gain experienced medical staff. The Australian Army Medical Corps training depot supplied many men who maintained their early friendships during later service. Wangaratta, Darley, Queenscliff, Bendigo, were centres busily training men in medical and ordnance skills. One group of men transferred, en masse, from the permanent A.A.M.C. All were interested in the very attractive prospect of an early movement overseas. On the 26th August, 1941 at R. T. Caulfield (Racecourse) the command of the 13th A.G.H. was handed over to Major A. R. Home. Two days later at 1100 hours the Military Board released details of the strength of the unit to be despatched overseas. The 2/13th A.G.H. was to comprise :- 20 officers 51 A. A. N.S. 3 Masseuses 21 W.Os and Sgts 130 Rank and File 225 Total On the following day, 27th August, Southern Command issued embarkation orders for 14 officers, 24 A.A.N.S., 3 Masseuses, 21 W.Os and Sgts. (17 actual) and 128 Rank and File (127 actual). Total 190 (185 Actual). 4. A sense of urgency could now be felt at Caulfield. Following fitful sleep in cold horse stalls on straw palliasses, garbed in cold water shaves, the men marched around the outside streets to the accompaniment of the strident commands of Regimental Sergeant-Major Sesom Gabb.