2/1st Australian General Hospital
From Our Contribution
 General view of 2/1 AGH at Gaza Ridge 1941 | |
 Operating theatre at Gaza Ridge | |
 Bootless Bay Papua ward | |
 Men's lines at Torokina, Bougainville. | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | 2/1st Australian General Hospital |
| Where formed | Sydney |
| Date formed | October 1939 |
| Capacity | 600 - 1200 - 1800 beds |
| Locations | Gaza Ridge, Palestine 1940; Merredin +& Guildford, Western Australia; Bootless Bay Papua, Torokina Bougainville. |
General Information
Established to provide both medical and surgical support to the 16th Brigade, 6th Division, with initial staffing for 600 beds.
On 8 Jan 1940, 38 Nursing Sisters departed Sydney for Melbourne where they boarded the Empress of japan. In Sydney on 9 Jan 1940 the rest of the unit boarded the transport U4 Otranto which sailed as part of the first convoy US-1. Reaching Colombo on 30 Jan 1940, via Fremantle, the Empress of Japan and the Otranto sailed two days later for Aden where they arrived on 8 Feb 1941. Sailing the next day, the ships reached El Kantara on 12 Feb 1941 where they disembarked to board a train for Gaza Ridge in Palestine. here they slowly established a hospital, beginning with meagre resources, but by 23 Mar 1940 they had 50 patients, on 5 May 1940, 229 patients and on 8 Jun 1940 484 patients. Doon after the 2/2nd AGH (1,200 beds) joined them at Gaza Ridge, and with the 7th Division, the 2/5th, another 1,200 bed unit.
During the Syrian campaign the 2/1st's bed state rose to nearly 2,000, and in addition 6 Sisters were outpost with the 2/2nd Field Ambulance. Short of staff with the overcrowding, they were pleased to receive VAD assistance from 23 Nov 1941.
On its return from the Middle East, the 2/1st Australian General Hospital was rebuilt at Guildford Grammar School before relocating to Merredin on 29 Jun 1943. Located at a junction in rail lines, with plentiful water courtesy of a large dam connected to the Goldfields water pipeline. It remained in the town for approx. 18 months, located on the north-eastern fringes of the town. On 8 Mar 1942 the main body boarded trains for El Kantara, and then after crossing the canal, trains in Ismailia for Port Tewfik. Here they boarded the SS Laconia for Bombay where they were transhipped onto one of the following ships - Devonshire, Duntroon, Katoomba, or Holbrook, returning to Fremantle via Colombo, Mombasa, and Durban, a total journey of 12 weeks.
Following two weeks leave the hospital began to gather in Western Australia where they established a tented hospital in Merredin. The male staff were required to construct the hospital so the nursing staff remained for a time in Guildford where they established a temporary 250 bed hospital in the Guildford Grammar School.
In mid 1943 the hospital withdrew from Merredin and moved to NSW where for a time they provided staff to other units and then on 1 Sep 1943 an advance party embarked on SS Montoro with others on the SS Tarona to sail from Sydney to Port Moresby, Female staff followed later on the SS Canberra on 12 Sep 1943. Arriving in Bootless bay they established a hospital for 1,200 beds, and by 24 Sep 1943 were catering for 700 patients. Each tented ward held 60 beds, and in time they expanded to 1,800 beds, and were particularly busy during the Lae and Finschhafen campaigns. By Jan 1944 they were sending batches of patients back to mainland hospital on the hospital ship Manundra.
On 21 May 1944 they were put on notice to return to Australia, and returned to Townsville aboard SS Ormiston, embarking on 25 Jun 1944. From there they entrained to Brisbane and from there went home on leave. Gathering again after their leave they provided staff for a number of medical facilities in NSW in particular Tamworth.
However, they were needed back in the islands, and on 1 Oct 1944 they boarded the MV Duntroon for Torokina on Bougainville Island. The advance party had already sailed on the Lew Wallace, and female staff travelled first by train to Townsville, and then on the SS Shawnee. Later small groups of staff arrived by air, and on the Ormiston, with the last of them arriving on 4 Mar 1945. By the end of that month they had 1202 beds available for patients.
On 5 Nov 1945 the 2/1st AGH ceased admitting new patients and the next day transferred the remaining patients to the 109th Casualty Clearing Station, and the hospital closed. Female staff sailed to Australian on 11 Dec 1945 aboard the Manunda, with male staff following on 27 Dec 1945 aboard the Katoomba. Those staff not posted to other units gathered in Ingleburn where they began discharge processes.
Staff
Patients
1940 Gaza, Ridge Palestine
- William Randall Foggon 29 May - 14 Jun 1940
- Alfred George Playle 7 - 25 Aug 1940
- Cornielius Harold (Con) Kerrison 25 - 29 Jul 1940
- Walter Leonard Axford 15 - 19 Sep 1940
1941 Gaza Ridge Palestine
- Clarence Malarkey 14 - 29 Jun 1941
- Ronald Gwynne 28 Jun - 15 Aug 1941
- Victor Charles Lowe 31 Jul 1941
- Eric Anderson 31 Jul - 8 Aug 1941
- Thomas Malarkey 3 - 19 Oct 1941
1944 Bootless Bay, Papua
- Ronald Gwynne 11 - 25 Jan 1944