Medical

General Hospitals

These were large base hospitals with 250, 500 or 1000 beds. They also generally administered a number of auxiliary hospitals as well. The 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 10th and 14th served overseas; the others were based in Australia. The 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 14th were all eventually upgraded to the maximum size.

1st General Hospital (Queensland)
Formed Queensland August 1914. Departed Brisbane Kyarra 21 November 1914.
Egypt, Western Front

2nd General Hospital (New South Wales)
Formed New South Wales August 1914. Departed Sydney Kyarra 28 November 1914.
Egypt, Western Front

3rd General Hospital (New South Wales)
Formed New South Wales 1915. Departed Sydney Mooltan 5 May 1915.
England, Gallipoli, Egypt, Western Front

4th General Hospital (New South Wales)
Opened July 1915 at Randwick, New South Wales.

5th General Hospital (Victoria)
Opened March 1915 at St Kilda Road, Melbourne.

6th General Hospital (Queensland)
Opened 19 July 1915 at Kangaroo Point, Queensland.

7th General Hospital (South Australia)
Opened June 1915 at Adelaide, South Australia.

8th General Hospital (Western Australia)
Opened July 1915 at Fremantle, Western Australia.

9th General Hospital (Tasmania)
Opened September 1915 at Hobart, Tasmania.

10th General Hospital
Formed July 1915. Departed Sydney Orsova 14 July 1915, Melbourne Orsova 17 July 1915, Fremantle Orsova 22 July 1915. Arrived in the United Kingdom 29 September 1915. This unit was intended as a 500 bed general hospital for the treatment of Australians in the United Kingdom but owing to a lack of accommodation and poor AIF medical administration, it was broken up at Harefield, England October 1915 and personnel used to staff Auxiliary Hospitals.
England

11th General Hospital (Victoria)
Opened 17 April 1916 at Elsternwick, Victoria.

12th General Hospital (Tasmania)
Based at Launceston, Tasmania.

13th General Hospital (Queensland)
Opened 1915 at Enoggera, Queensland. Renumbered 17th General Hospital January 1919.

14th General Hospital
Formed 1916. Departed Melbourne Karoola 19 August 1916.
Egypt

15th General Hospital (South Australia)
Opened 12 June 1917 at North Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia. Moved to Torrens Park, Adelaide, South Australia 17 May 1918, swapping places with 17th Auxiliary Hospital.

16th General Hospital (Victoria)
Opened 18 September 1917 at Mont Park, Victoria. Specialised in mental cases.

17th General Hospital (Queensland)
Opened 1915 at Enoggera Queensland as 13th General Hospital. Renumbered 17th General Hospital January 1919.

Infectious Diseases Hospitals

1st Dermatological Hospital
Formed Australia 1915. Departed Sydney Kanowna 22 December 1915. Specialised in Venereal Disease cases.
Egypt, England

2nd Infectious Diseases Hospital
Opened Abassia, Cairo.
Egypt

3rd Infectious Diseases Hospital
Opened Shoubra, Egypt.
Egypt

4th Infectious Diseases Hospital (Queensland)
Opened 1 April 1916 at Rosemount, Queensland.

5th Infectious Diseases Hospital (Victoria)
Opened June 1915 at Glenroy, Victoria. Closed January 1917.

6th Infectious Diseases Hospital (South Australia)
Opened 8 December 1915 at North Adelaide, South Australia. Closed 1916.

Stationary Hospitals

These were smaller hospitals generally based in forward areas.

1st Stationary Hospital (South Australia)
Formed South Australia August 1914. Departed Adelaide Kyarra November 1914. Renamed 3rd Auxiliary Hospital 9 October 1916.
Egypt, Gallipoli, England

2nd Stationary Hospital (Western Australia)
Formed Western Australia August 1914. Departed Fremantle Kyarra 4 December 1914.
Egypt, Gallipoli, Sinai, Palestine

Casualty Clearing Stations

These were small hospitals generally located at a railhead or similar transportation hub in forward areas. Their job was to provide emergency treatment and to move casualties back to the stationary and general hospitals.

1st Casualty Clearing Station (Tasmania)
Formed Tasmania August 1914. Departed Melbourne Kyarra November 1914.
Egypt, Gallipoli, Western Front

2nd Casualty Clearing Station
Formed Melbourne 8 October 1915. Departed Melbourne October 1915. Closed 28 February 1919.
Egypt, Western Front

3rd Casualty Clearing Station
Formed 17 March 1916. Departed Melbourne Medic 20 May 1916 and Sydney Borda 5 June 1916. Closed 26 April 1919.
Egypt, Western Front

Australian Flying Corps Hospital 

Australian Flying Corps Hospital
Opened at Tetbury when Cottage Hospital, Tetbury taken over by the AIF on 27 October 1918 
England

Auxiliary Hospitals

These were located in rear areas. Generally they were administered by a General Hospital. They had no fixed establishments.

1st Auxiliary Hospital (1)
Opened 19 January 1915 at Luna Park, Cairo, Egypt. Closed 10 July 1916.
Egypt

1st Auxiliary Hospital (2)
Opened 1916 at Harefield, England. Closed 31 December 1918
England

2nd Auxiliary Hospital (1)
Opened May 1915 at Atelier Building, Heliopolis, Cairo, Egypt. Closed 31 March 1916.
Egypt

2nd Auxiliary Hospital (2)
Opened 1 September1916 at Southall, England using personnel from the 1st,2nd and 3rd Auxiliary Hospitals, which had recently disbanded in Egypt. Specialised in fitting artificial limbs. Closed 31 May 1919.
England

3rd Auxiliary Hospital (1)
Opened 10 June 1915 at the Sporting Club, Cairo, Egypt. Closed 1 July 1916.
Egypt

3rd Auxiliary Hospital (2)
Opened 9 October 1916 at Dartford, England by 2nd Stationary Hospital.
England

4th Auxiliary Hospital (1)
Opened 1 August 1915 at Abassia, Egypt. Closed 21 August 1916.
Egypt

4th Auxiliary Hospital (2)
Opened 16 June 1915 at Moreton Gardens, London, England. Closed 31 January 1919.
England

5th Auxiliary Hospital
Opened 16 June 1915 at Digwell House, Wellin, England. Closed 31 January 1919.
England

6th Auxiliary Hospital
Opened 21 July 1915 at Wellin, England. Closed 30 May1919
England

7th Auxiliary Hospital (Queensland)
Created at Rosemount, Queensland June 1915. Equipped but never opened. Disbanded August 1917.

8th Auxiliary Hospital (Queensland)
Opened October 1915 at Old Main Birch Hotel, Southport, Queensland.

9th Auxiliary Hospital (Queensland)
Opened 1915 at Staghorn, Southport, Queensland.

10th Auxiliary Hospital (Queensland)
Opened 10 April 1915 at Toowoomba, Queensland. Closed 11 November 1916.

11th Auxiliary Hospital (1) (New South Wales)
Opened 1915 at Georges Heights, New South Wales. Closed 1916.

11th Auxiliary Hospital (2) (New South Wales)
Opened 23 September 1915 at Blackheath, New South Wales as 12th Auxiliary Hospital. Renumbered 11th Auxiliary Hospital 20 April 1916. Closed 17 May 1916.

12th Auxiliary Hospital (New South Wales)
Opened Blackheath, New South Wales 23 September 1915. Renumbered 11th Auxiliary Hospital 20 April 1916.

13th Auxiliary Hospital (New South Wales)
Opened October 1915 Broughton Hall, Sydney, New South Wales. Specialised in mental cases.

14th Auxiliary Hospital (New South Wales)
Opened Glebe, New South Wales.

15th Auxiliary Hospital (Victoria)
Opened Preston, Victoria. Closed 26 March 1918.

16th Auxiliary Hospital (Victoria)
Opened Royal Park, Victoria. Specialised in mental cases.

17th Auxiliary Hospital (South Australia)
Opened Torrens Park, Adelaide, South Australia, 13 January 1916. Closed 31 December 1916. Move to North Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia 17 May 1918, swapping places with 18th General Hospital.

18th Auxiliary Hospital (South Australia)
Opened 21 September 1915 at Angus College, North Adelaide, South Australia. Closed 31 December 1916.

19th Auxiliary Hospital (Western Australia)
Opened October 1915 at Artillery Barracks, Fremantle, Western Australia.

20th Auxiliary Hospital (Western Australia)
Opened Captain Biddle's House, Fremantle, Western Australia.

21st Auxiliary Hospital (1) (Western Australia)
Opened Mezies, Mounts Bay Road, Perth, Western Australia.

21st Auxiliary Hospital (2) (New South Wales)
Opened 1 November 1917 at George's Heights, Mosman, New South Wales.

22nd Auxiliary Hospital (Western Australia)
Opened "The Rocks", Albany, Western Australia.

23rd Auxiliary Hospital (Tasmania)
Opened 17 April 1918 at Launceston, Tasmania.

24th Auxiliary Hospital (Western Australia)
Opened 4 April 1918 at Cottlesoe, Western Australia. Specialised in mental cases.

25th Auxiliary Hospital (Tasmania)
Opened Hobart Tasmania.

26th Auxiliary Hospital (Western Australia)
Opened January 1919 in Fremantle, Western Australia.

27th Auxiliary Hospital (Queensland)
Opened 1 July 1918 at Rosemount, Queensland.

28th Auxiliary Hospital (New South Wales)
Opened 1 May 1919 at Leichhardt, New South Wales. Specialised in mental cases.

Field Ambulances

These were medical units assigned to divisions. There was one per brigade. Numbers corresponded those of the brigades. The light horse field ambulances had only two sections instead of three. The infantry light ambulances also operated with only two sections from March 1916 until after arrival in France, when they returned to three in order to conform with the British army. After the armistice, the two section establishment was reintroduced.

1st Field Ambulance (New South Wales) [First Division]
Formed Sydney August 1914 for First Division. Departed Sydney Euripides 29 October 1914.
Egypt, Gallipoli, Western Front

1st Light Horse Field Ambulance [Anzac Mounted Division]
Formed New South Wales 18 August 1914. Departed Sydney Southern 23 September 1914 and Melbourne Southern 18 October 1914. Assigned to Anzac Mounted Division March 1916. Returned to Australia Ulimaroa 13 March 1919 and Orari 16 May 1919 arriving Fremantle 19 June 1919, Adelaide 26 June 1919, Melbourne 30 June 1919, Sydney 4 July 1919. 
Egypt, Gallipoli, Sinai, Palestine

2nd Field Ambulance (Victoria) [First Division]
Formed Victoria August 1914 for First Division. Departed Melbourne Wiltshire 18 October 1914. 
Egypt, Gallipoli, Western Front

2nd Light Horse Field Ambulance [Anzac Mounted Division]
Formed Queensland September 1914. Departed Brisbane Borda 16 December 1914. Assigned to Anzac Mounted Division March 1916. Returned to Australia Madrus 28 June 1919 arriving Fremantle 24 July 1919 and Melbourne 31 July 1919.
Egypt, Gallipoli, Sinai, Palestine

3rd Field Ambulance [First Division]
Formed Queensland August 1914 for First Division. Departed Brisbane Rangatira 29 September 1914.
Egypt, Gallipoli, Western Front

3rd Light Horse Field Ambulance [Australian Mounted Division]
Formed Queensland 2 October 1914. Departed Brisbane Chilka 2 February 1915. Assigned to Anzac Mounted Division March 1916. Attached to Imperial Mounted Division February 1917. Assigned to Australian Mounted Division June 1917.
Egypt, Gallipoli, Sinai, Palestine

4th Field Ambulance [Fourth Division]
Formed Victoria September 1914. Departed Melbourne Berrima 22 December 1914. Attached to New Zealand and Australian Division January 1915. Attached to New Zealand and Australian Division January 1915 to February 1916. Assigned to Fourth Division February 1916.
Egypt, Gallipoli, Western Front

4th Light Horse Field Ambulance (1)
Formed Queensland 1915. Departed Brisbane Borda 17 and 23 June 1915. Disbanded in Egypt March 1916.
Egypt

4th Light Horse Field Ambulance (2) [Australian Mounted Division]
Formed Moascar, Egypt 18 February 1917. Attached to Imperial Mounted Division February 1917. Assigned to Australian Mounted Division June 1917.
Egypt, Palestine

5th Field Ambulance (New South Wales) [Second Division]
Formed New South Wales 1915. Departed Sydney Ajana 31 May 1915 and Ceramic 25 June 1916. Assigned to Second Division July 1915.
Egypt, Gallipoli, Western Front

5th Light Horse Field Ambulance [Australian Mounted Division]
Formed as Camel Field Ambulance. Renamed 5th Light Horse Field Ambulance July 1918
Palestine

6th Field Ambulance (Victoria) [Second Division]
Formed Victoria 1915. Departed Melbourne Ajana 4 June 1915. Assigned to Second Division July 1915.
Egypt, Gallipoli, Western Front

7th Field Ambulance [Second Division]
Formed Enoggera, Queensland, 3 May 1915. Departed Brisbane Ascanius 24 May 1915 and Adelaide Geelong 31 May 1915. Assigned to Second Division July 1915. Attached to New Zealand and Australian Division September 1915 to December 1915.
Egypt, Gallipoli, Western Front

8th Field Ambulance (Victoria) [Fifth Division]
Formed 13 August 1915 at Liverpool, New South Wales and Mitcham, South Australia. Departed Melbourne Ascanius 10 November 1915. Assigned to Fifth Division February 1916.
Egypt, Gallipoli, Western Front

9th Field Ambulance (New South Wales) [Third Division]
Formed Liverpool, New South Wales 7 March 1916 for Third Division. Departed Sydney Argyllshire 11 May 1916, Ajana 5 July 1916 and Benalla 5 July 1916.
Western Front

10th Field Ambulance (Victoria) [Third Division]
Formed Melbourne, March 1916 for Third Division. Departed Sydney Beltana 13 May 1916, Ascanius 27 May 1916, Persic 3 June 1916, Wandilla 6 June 1916 and Runic 20 June 1916.
Western Front

11th Field Ambulance
Formed Mitcham, South Australia, 1 March 1916 for Third Division. Departed Sydney Beltana 13 May 1916, Adelaide Suevic 3 May 1916, Melbourne Wandilla 6 June 1916 and Melbourne Berrima 4 July 1916.
Western Front

12th Field Ambulance [Fourth Division]
Formed Egypt 24 February 1916 for Fourth Division from C Sections of 4th and 6th Field Ambulances.
Egypt, Western Front

13th Field Ambulance [Fourth Division]
Formed Egypt February 1916 for Fourth Division from C Sections of 3rd and 7th Field Ambulances.
Egypt, Western Front

14th Field Ambulance [Fifth Division]
Formed Tel-el-Kebir, Egypt 25 February 1916 for Fifth Division from C Sections of 1st and 2nd Field Ambulances.
Egypt, Western Front

15th Field Ambulance [Fifth Division]
Formed Tel-el-Kebir, Egypt 24 February 1916 for Fifth Division from C Sections of 5th and 8th Field Ambulances.
Egypt, Western Front

16th Field Ambulance [Sixth Division]
Formed Wareham, England 16 March 1917 for Sixth Division. Disbanded 18 September 1917.
England

17th Field Ambulance [Sixth Division]
Formed Windmill Hill, Andover, England 15 June 1917 for Sixth Division. Disbanded 25 October 1917.
England

Camel Field Ambulance
Formed early 1917. Departed Melbourne Boorara 10 May 1917. Arrived Egypt 20 June 1917. Renamed 5th Light Horse Field Ambulance June 1918.
Sinai, Palestine

Sanitary Sections

These units supervised hygiene arrangements in the field.  The need for them became obvious during the Gallipoli campaign, where poor hygiene arrangements caused disease and enormous non-battle casualties.

1st Sanitary Company
Formed at Anzac May 1915. Disbanded January 1916. Personnel used to form sanitary sections.
Gallipoli

1st Sanitary Section [Second Division]
Formed Australia September 1915 for Second Division. Departed Fremantle Suffolk 9 December 1915.
Egypt, Western Front

2nd Sanitary Section [First Division]
Formed Egypt 28 January 1916 for First Division.
Egypt, Western Front

3rd Sanitary Section (Queensland) [Third Division]
Formed Brisbane, Queensland, 20 March 1916 for Third Division. Departed Sydney Demosthenes 18 May 1916.
Western Front

4th Sanitary Section [Fourth Division]
Formed Egypt 24 February 1916 for 4th Division.
Egypt, Western Front

5th Sanitary Section [Fifth Division]
Formed Egypt 24 February 1916 for 5th Division.
Egypt, Western Front

6th Sanitary Section
Formed Tel El Kebir Egypt 13 March1916 for Egyptian Base. Later moved to England with the AIF Training Centre.
Egypt, England

7th Sanitary Section [Anzac Mounted Division]
Formed Egypt 24 May1916 for Anzac Mounted Division.
Egypt, Sinai, Palestine

8th Sanitary Section [Australian Mounted Division]
Formed Egypt February 1917 for Imperial Mounted Division. Assigned to Australian Mounted Division June 1917.
Egypt, Sinai, Palestine

9th Sanitary Section [Sixth Division]
Formed England 19 March 1917 for Sixth Division. Disbanded September 1917.
England

Hospital Ships

1st Hospital Ship
HMAHS Karoola
7,391 tons. McIwraith, McEachern's Line Pty Ltd
Requisitioned 9 May 1915. Embarked troops and general cargo and departed for Egypt 25 June 1915. After disembarking troops proceeded to England where converted into a hospital ship with accommodation for 463 patients. For the next three years transported sick and wounded between England and Australia. Commonwealth control ended 19 June 1919.
Egypt, England

2nd Hospital Ship
HMAHS Kanowna
6,042 tons. AUSN Co Ltd London
Requisitioned as a transport Townsville, Queensland, 8 August 1914. Embarked troops for New Guinea. Commonwealth control ended 21 August 1914. Requisitioned again 1 June 1915. Proceeded to England where converted into a hospital ship with accommodation for 452 patients. For the next three years transported sick and wounded between England and Australia. Commonwealth control ended 29 July 1919.
Egypt, England

HMAHS Kyarra
6,953 tons. 14 knots. AUSN Co Ltd London
Requisitioned 6 November 1914 and converted into a hospital ship for the purpose of transporting the 1st and 2nd General Hospitals, 1st and 2nd Stationary Hospitals and 1st Casualty Clearing Station to Egypt. (Something of an abuse of the Geneva Convention.) Departed Fremantle 4 December 1914. Arrived Egypt 13 January 1915. Converted into a transport March 1915. Commonwealth control ended 4 January 1918. Torpedoed and sunk by a submarine in the English Channel 26 May 1918

Sea Transport Service

In July 1915, sea transport sections were raised to allow transports to return casualties instead of having to carry them on hospital ships. Each section made several voyages, staying in England for a few days to a few weeks before making another voyage, usually from the same port but on a different ship. Each section consisted of a medical practitioner, a matron, two nursing sisters, four staff nurses, a masseuse (staff sergeant), a quarter master sergeant (staff sergeant), a pharmacist (staff sergeant, later a lieutenant), a sergeant, a corporal, and three (later eight) orderlies (privates).

1st Sea Transport Section
England

2nd Sea Transport Section (New South Wales)
England

3rd Sea Transport Section (Queensland)
England

4th Sea Transport Section (Victoria)
England

5th Sea Transport Section (South Australia)
England

Special Medical Units

Anzac Field Laboratory
Egypt, Palestine

Base Depot of Medical Stores
Formed Tel El Kebir, Egypt 1 March 1916.
Egypt, England

Convalescent and Command Depots

Convalescent or Command Depots were half way houses for casualties returning to the front - men who no longer required hospitalisation but were not yet fit to rejoin their units. They were also known as "Convalescent Homes".

1st Convalescent Depot (1)
Opened 1915 at Mena, Cairo, Egypt. Closed 11 April 1916.
Egypt

1st Convalescent Depot (2)
Formed at Harfleur, near Le Havre 18 April 1918. Closed 15 February 1919.
Western Front

1st Command Depot
Opened 1916 at Perham Down, England
England

2nd Convalescent Depot
Opened 1915 at Ras el Tin, Alexandria, Egypt. Closed 4 October 1916
Egypt

2nd Command Depot
Opened 1916 at Weymouth, England
England

3rd Convalescent Depot
Opened 1915 at Al Hayat Hotel, Cairo, Egypt. Closed 11 April 1916
Egypt

3rd Command Depot
Opened at Bovington Camp, Wool, Dorset, England to handle overflow from 1st Convalescent Depot due to the Somme fighting.
England

4th Convalescent Depot
Opened at Weymouth, England. Renamed 2nd Command Depot in 1916.
England

4th Command Depot
Opened 26 October 1916 at Worgret Hill, England.
England

5th Convalescent Depot
Opened at Bostal Heath (Abbey Wood), London, England. Also known as Intermediate Depot. Disbanded concurrently with opening on 1st Command Depot at Perham Down.
England

6th Convalescent Depot (Victoria)
Opened at Osbourne House, Geelong, Victoria

7th Convalescent Depot (Victoria)
Opened at Sandringham House, Sandringham, Victoria

8th Convalescent Depot (Victoria)
Opened at Clifton Springs, Victoria

Main Armoured Cars Artillery Aviation Base Depots Dental Engineers Infantry Machine Gun Mounted Medical Ordnance Pioneers Salvage Service Veterinary

Page created by Ross Mallett
ross@metva.com.au
Last update 28 June 2010