4th Field Ambulance

Staff at the 4th Field Ambulance Hospital on the Gallipoli Peninsula. AWM photo 00680

Brief History

The 4th Field Ambulance was formed in Victoria, initially as part of the ANZAC Division. After Gallipoli it was assigned to the 4th Division along with the rest of the 4th Brigade, comprised of the 13th 14th 15th and 16th Battalions.

When an attack or advance was undertaken, the RAP would follow up the units' forward elements and were thus exposed to enemy direct fire (rifles and machine guns) and indirect fire (artillery mortar fire and even gas). he Field Ambulance would have personnel deployed forward to retrieve casualties from the RAP to the Field Ambulance - generally described as a Casualty Clearing Station (CCS). They would have to deploy forward to reach the RAP, and thus come under the same risks as the front line combat troops. They may have had a number of means to assist in casualty evacuation from light rail, horse drawn vehicles and even motor vehicles. Or they could indeed also be stretcher borne. Field ambulance staff moved the wounded from the regimental aid post (just behind the front lines) to an advanced dressing station. The trip was about 1 to 3 miles (1.6 to 4.8km) and took around 6 hours to complete. Stretcher-bearers worked in relays. At least 36 stretcher-bearers handled each patient along the way.

Transport attached to a field ambulance included: three horse-drawn ambulance wagons; seven motorised ambulances; 10 general service wagons; three water carts; one motorcycle; one bicycle and one small two-wheeled Maltese cart.

Travelled from Alexandria to Gallipoli aboard HMT Californian, landing on 28 Apr 1915. This unit also served in France and Belgium. Fifty six personnel died while posted to this unit.

Unit Personnel

• Thomas Carberry MM MID 7 Nov 1914 - 28 Feb 1916
• Walter David Francis Kerridge
• John Murray

Patients

• Daniel Adkins Lewis 2 Apr 1917
• Victor Norman Chandler MM 6 Apr 1917

Individual Honours

• 2 x Distinguished Service Order
• 6 x Military Cross
• 2 x Distinguished Conduct Medal
• 1 x Bar to Military Medal
• 49 x Military Medal
• 4 x meritorious Service Medal
• 9 x Mentioned in Despatches
• 1 x Belgium Croix de Guerre
• 1 x French Medaille Des Epidemies