No. 1 RAAF Hospital

5 Oct 1944 No1 RAAF Hospital at Wagga Wagga, NSW. Photo AWM 043241

RAAF Wagga Wagga c1941 prior to arrival of the hospital

Brief History

On 1 Sep 1940, 1 RAAF Hospital was formed at Laverton, Victoria, to service units in the Laverton area with its operating theatre opened in November 1940. On 2 May 1942, 1 RAAF Hospital moved from Laverton to Wagga Wagga, New South Wales. In August 1942 the Hospital started treating all seriously ill patients within the Wagga Wagga district, including Army personnel stationed there.

In October 1943, a training course for nursing orderlies and sick quarter attendants was organised and interim arrangements made for barracks and lecture room accommodation. Construction of the new hospital was progressing well and by December 1943 most of the buildings were complete. In May 1944, the Army carried out general improvements to the Hospital grounds and the capacity of the X-ray department was significantly increased with the installation of a larger piece of plant from Richmond.

Patient numbers were in decline by the end of 1945 and I RAAF Hospital was disbanded on 18 February 1946.

Hospital Staff

Laverton

• Ivan Milton Clarke 24 Nov 1940 - 25 Mar 1941
• Dulcie May Faulkner 12 Mar - 28 Apr 1942

Wagga Wagga

• Marguerite Isabella (Peg) Stevens 21 Feb 1943 - 4 Jun 1944