2/2nd Australian General Hospital
From Our Contribution
 Source Wikipedia | |
| History | |
|---|---|
| Name | 2/2nd Australian General Hospital |
| Where formed | El Kantara, Egypt ? |
| Date formed | 15 Apr 1940 ? |
| Capacity | 1,200 |
| Locations | El Kantara, Egypt; Watton Siding, Hughenden; Rocky Creek, Atherton Tablelands, Darly, Victoria. |
General Information
Served in Egypt at El Kantara on the Suez Canal
After returning from Egypt aboard the Strathallan in Feb 1942, the staff travelled by train from Brisbane to Watton Siding about 18 kilometers south of Hughenden, on the rail line to Winton There on 6 Jul 1942 they established a temporary tent hospital at the Afton Downs homestead turn off. Within days patients arrived , and efforts began to construct a permanent hospital. Originally designed in two halves, the decision was made to only use the southern section of 800 beds. Soon after, the facility was destroyed by flooded following a cyclonic storm.
On 5 Jan 1943 the staff of the hospital moved to a newly completed facility at Rocky Creek near Atherton and the Watton site was abandoned. AT Rocky Creek they grew to hold 1,200 beds, and shared the area with the 1,200 bed 2/6th Australian General Hospital and the 600 bed 2/1st Convalescent Depot.The Rocky Creek site closed in September 1945 and the hospital moved to Darly in Victoria. While at Rocky Creek the hospital treated more than 30,000 patients as at its peak it had 1,760 patients. One of the wards was known as the Malaria Experimental Ward where efforts were made to find better treatments for Malaria. The hospital was disbanded on 14 Apr 1946.
Previous medical units at Rocky Creek include the 19th Australian Field Ambulance and the 5th Australian Camp Hospital. Patients generally came from New Guinea by way of Cairns where they were placed on the 4th Australian Ambulance Train which ran three times per week.
Staff
Patients
1941 Egypt
- James Percy Ray 20 - 31 Jan 1941
- Cornielius Harold (Con) Kerrison 5 - 17 Apr 1941
- Douglas Edward Cleave Steer 7 May - June 1941
- Arthur Mitchell 10 May - 1 Aug 1941
- Walter Leonard Axford 4 - 17 Jun 1941
1942
- David Edward Kitchener Granberg 22 Oct - 3 Dec 1942
1943 Rocky Creek Qld
- Cornielius Harold (Con) Kerrison 29 Sep - 15 Oct 1943
1944 Rocky Creek Qld
- Stephen Charles Southern 23 May - 3 Jun 1944
- Arthur Mitchell 20 - 25 Jul 1944