2/1st Australian Convalescent Depot

AWM O55719

AWM O55716

Colour patch for Middle East 1942-43

Colour patch for Queensland

Brief History

Raised in Perth in December 1939 and moved to Northam before moving to the Middle East in January 1940. They first went to Gaza Ridge in Palestine in February 1940. In June 1941 they were at Kafr Vitkin and by November were operating 1,000 beds. In January 1942 they raised the 2/3rd Convalescent Depot to accompany the troops returning to Australia while they remained in the Middle East with the 9th Division. In March they had moved to Nuseirat and in June formed the 2/4th Convalescent Depot to move with the troops to Syria. With victory at El Alamein, the rest of the Australian troops returned to Australia in January 1943, including the 2/1 Australian Convalescent Depot.

Back in Australia it absorbed the 2/4th Convalescent Depot and moved to Rocky Creek in North Queensland where they managed 1,200 beds at Rocky creek, and 300 at Lake Barrine. Lake Barrine is a volcanic lake, surrounded by tropical rain forest on the Atherton Tablelands inland from Cairns. In April 1944 they moved to a new site at Rocky Creek and continued to service the hospitals in North Queensland for the rest of the war.

Unit Personnel

• Oliver Donald George Bruce 5 Mar - 19 May 1940
• Graeme Patrick Benson 23 Apr 1941 - 3 May 1941 & 30 Sep 1941 - 18 Aug 1942

Patients

Gaza Ridge, Palestine

• Cornielius Harold (Con) Kerrison 18 Apr - 11 May 1941

Kafr Vitkin, Palestine

• Charles Henry Walter Hansen 1 - 20 Apr 1941
• William George Ward 8 - 19 May 1941
• Walter Leonard Axford 17 - 30 Jun 1941
• Edward Arthur Sewell 2 -17 Aug 1941
• Arthur Henry Thompson 29 Aug - 5 Oct 1941
• John Peter Lewis Rymer 30 Aug - 3 Oct 1942
• † John Hector Russell MacDonald 7 - 20 Oct 1941
• William Boyd Griffiths 25 Oct - 15 Nov 1941
• William John Eric Johnson 28 Oct 1941 - 10 Feb 1942
• John Peter Lewis Rymer 28 Dec 1941 - 10 Jan 1942 ; 20 - 25 Jan 1942 & 30 Aug - 3 Oct 1942
• Ronald Gwynne 27 Jan 1942 - 19 Feb 1942

Nuseirat, Egypt

• † John Hector Russell MacDonald 9 - 17 May 1942
• Alfred George Playle 28 Jul - 5 Aug 1942
• Edward Arthur Sewell 30 Jul - 19 Aug 1942
• Thomas Stanley O'Meagher 23 Aug - 3 Sep 1942
• Robert Henry Fletcher 9 - 17 Sep 1942
• Edward Arthur Sewell 20 Oct - 11 Nov 1942
• Ronald Gwynne 31 Dec 1942 - 11 Jan 1943

Rocky Creek/ lake Barine, North Queensland

• James Gordon (Jock) Wheeler 23 Jun - 7 Jul 1943
• Edwin Reed Marshall 17 Jul - 4 Sep 1943
• † Douglas Windsor Parkin 10 - 23 Nov 1943
• Harold Jack Spencer 4 - 28 Dec 1943
• Stephen Charles Southern 3 Jun - 21 Jul 1944
• Raymond Victor Clough 7 - 27 Jun 1944
• Walter Roland Williams 5 - 25 Jul 1944
• John Davidson ?? Sep - 22 Sep 1944 & 15 Jan - 25 Feb 1945
• Allan James Watters 8 - 19 Mar 1945