Virtual Visit #35 - 2/1st Australian General Hospital in Merredin
Part of a series of Virtual Visit posts relating to the Australian Army Museum of Western Australia entitled “
On 8 March 1942, the main body of 2/1 Australian General Hospital boarded trains for El Kantara, and then after crossing the canal, trains in Ismailia for Port Tewfik. Here they boarded the SS Laconia for Bombay where they were transhipped onto one of the following ships -Devonshire, Duntroon, Katoomba, or Holbrook, returning to Fremantle via Colombo, Mombasa, and Durban, a total journey of 12 weeks. Following two weeks leave, the hospital began to gather in Western Australia where they established a tented hospital in Merredin. The male staff were required to construct the hospital, so the nursing staff remained for a time in Guildford where they established a temporary 250 bed hospital in the Guildford Grammar School. Located on the north-eastern fringes of Merredin, the Hospital was located at a junction in rail lines, with plentiful water courtesy of a large dam connected to the Goldfields water pipeline. In mid-1943 the hospital withdrew from Merredin and moved to NSW.
Details
Details
The Australian Army Museum of Western Australia was closed to volunteers and the public for extended periods during the COVID-19 pandemic beginning in March 2020. One outcome was the creation of an expanded on-line presence through a weekly Virtual Visit post. The initial response encouraged the Museum over the following three tears, to continue the series. Virtual Visits normally focused on an object or theme from the collection. The general format was to link the story of the object and its significance. with web links and related materials to facilitate a continuing journey of self-discovery.
Australian Army Museum of Western Australia
Australian Army Museum of Western Australia
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