THE STORY OF AUSTRALIAN GENERAL HOSPITAL …

1 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 (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.

2 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.

3 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 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 who refreshed my memory with the most suitable material.

4 _____ 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. Pigdon 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 VX60066 QM T. G. H. Hogg TX2185 C. R. R.

5 Huxtable 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.

6 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 Mr. Wright R. S. M. S.

7 Gabb 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.

8 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.

9 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.

10 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 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.