The Australian Army Medical Corps in Egypt During the First World War

The story of an essential Australian Army Corps



As all students of the First World War know, Britain expected, called for and received the support of fighting men from her colonies during the conflict. Imperial forces saw action against Germany and notably against Germany's Turkish ally. Anzac troops, travelling from the southern hemisphere, were consolidated in Egypt for service in the abortive Gallipoli offensive in the Dardanelles and also for the defence of the Suez Canal. As the Palestine campaign progressed, colonial troops, particularly those who by virtue of their training as mounted infantry were ideally suited for the task, advanced north through the Sinai desert, into Palestine itself and then on to Syria. Allied forces were based in Egypt for sound strategic and logistical reasons, which meant that much of the regional infrastructure of command and administration was centralised there for the duration of the war. Essential among these services was the Australian Army Medical Corps. The duties of the corps included the care of wounded in the field, the establishment of hospitals, the treatment of disease, convalescent units and evacuations. The work of the outstanding doctors and nurses of the Australian Army Medical Corps as it operated in the middle east through the campaign is thoroughly described in this book, which is recommended to anyone interested in obtaining a more complete view of the role of the Australian Army during the Great War.

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