No. 7 RAAF Hospital

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Brief History

No. 7 RAAF Hospital was formed as RAAF Wing, Royal Adelaide Hospital, South Australia, on 11 Jan 1943. Hospital staff were responsible for med1cal care of RAAF personnel, performing major and minor operations, medical boards, treating infectous diseases such as malaria and tuberculosis, etc They were also responsible for WAAAF personnel working at the hospital and all naval cases at 105th Australian Military Hospital (105 AMH) as well as Army urological cases.

The unit's name was changed to No. 7 RAAF Hospital on 27 Sep 1943. Space and bed numbers were always a problem. This was slightly alleviated in January 1944 when lOS AMH allowed a further 25 bed allocation to the RAAF element of the hospital. Facilities were a little run down and improvements were made.

With the end or the War talks began regarding when the RAAF would hand back the building to the Adelaide Hospital. In February 1946 a tentative date for the transfer of the hospital at Frome Road to 105 AMH was set as 1 Apr 1946. All skin cases were transferred to 121 Army General Hospital and eye cases were to be operated on at Royal Adelaide Hospital. An increase of tuberculosis cases prompted a request to supply additional orderlies to care for RAAF cases at the 121 Army General Hospital at Northfield. On 17 Apr 1946 the decision was taken to withdraw from the Frome Road Section. All patients were then transferred. A medical officer was attached at 121 Army General Hospital to assist in the care of RAAF chest and skin cases. Sick parades for all Adelaide RAAF units were then held at the Discharge Squadron, Exhibition Buildings. On 12 May 1946 the headquarters staff transferred from Frome Road to Daws Road, Springbank. On 30 Jun 1946, No. 7 RAAF Hospital was absorbed by 105th Australian Military Hospital, and on 27 Aug 1946 the Hospital was officially disbanded.

Patients

• Francis Thomas Briggs 9 - 25 Jan 1944
• Stewart Chandler Mack 27 Aug - 7 Sep 1944

Notes

Content has come from Units of the Royal Australian Air Force - A Concise History - Volume 9 Ancillary Units - Australian Government Publishing Service - 1995 pages 116 & 117