BICKLE, Leonard Watkins
| Service Number: | Officer |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 11 October 1915, Sydney, New South Wales |
| Last Rank: | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Last Unit: | Medical Officers |
| Born: | St. Leonards, Sussex, England, 10 September 1857 |
| Home Town: | Adelaide, South Australia |
| Schooling: | St. Thomas' Hospital, London, England |
| Occupation: | Medical Practitioner |
| Died: | Natural causes, Sydney, New South Wales, 28 June 1921, aged 63 years |
| Cemetery: |
West Terrace Cemetery (General) Adelaide, South Australia Cremation |
| Memorials: |
World War 1 Service
| 11 Oct 1915: | Enlisted AIF WW1, Lieutenant Colonel, Officer, Medical Officers, Sydney, New South Wales | |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Nov 1915: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant Colonel, Medical Officers, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '23' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Euripides embarkation_ship_number: A14 public_note: '' | |
| 2 Nov 1915: | Embarked AIF WW1, Lieutenant Colonel, Medical Officers, HMAT Euripides, Sydney | |
| 22 May 1916: | Involvement AIF WW1, Lieutenant Colonel, Medical Officers, Enlistment/Embarkation WW1, --- :embarkation_roll: roll_number: '23' embarkation_place: Sydney embarkation_ship: HMAT Warilda embarkation_ship_number: A69 public_note: '' | |
| 22 May 1916: | Embarked AIF WW1, Lieutenant Colonel, Medical Officers, HMAT Warilda, Sydney | |
| 12 Oct 1916: | Discharged AIF WW1, Lieutenant Colonel, Medical Officers |
Obituary
DR. LEONARD W. BICKLE.
Dr. Lieutenant-Colonel Leonard W. Bickle, who died at a private hospital on Tuesday, at the age of 64 years, was during the war one of the principal medical officers on military transports carrying soldiers to Europe. He was a native of Sussex, England, and after taking his medical degree came to Australia for a trip in 1884. Having arrived he decided to remain, and married and settled down, first at Gawler, in South Australia, and afterwards at Mount Barker, in the same State. In 1897 he removed to Adelaide, and was for nine years one of the surgeons at Adelaide hospital, but had to give it up, as his private practice and hospital duties were too heavy to cope with. In 1913 he retired from active practice, and on the outbreak of war in 1911 he volunteered for service, and was promised a hospital in France. However, the promise was not kept, and he travelled to and from Europe until 1918 as principal medical officer on board transports. In the latter year he retired on account of his age, and then came to Sydney, where he had been over, since. Dr. Bickle took groat interest in various scientific projects, and read a paper at the Australian Congress for the Advancement of Science last summer on the utilisation of prickly pear. He was also interested in the whaling and fishing company which operates at Merimbula. His body was taken to Melbourne by last night's express, for transfer to Adelaide, where it will be cremated.
The Sydney Morning Herald Thursday 30 June 1921 page 5
Submitted 8 February 2016 by Faithe Jones
Obituary
Dr. Leonard Watkin Bickle, one of the best known and most highly respected medical practitioners of Adelaide, died in Sydney last week, after undergoing a serious operation. Dr. Bickle had been suffering for some time, and for this reason he had not been in active practice. He was much admired by all who knew him, because of his charming social qualities and his great skill as a medical man. He had a distinguished career in his profession. Born at St. Leonards-on-the-Sea, England, he received his early training at St. Thomas' Hospital, London. He took the diplomas of M.R.C.P. and L.R.C.P., in 1881, and became house physician at St. Thomas' Hospital and resident medical officer at Queen Charlotte's Hospital. After reaching Adelaide in 1884 he settled at Mount Barker. He returned to England in 1894, and in the following year gained the diploma of F.R.C.S., Edin. Dr. Bickle held the rank of colonel during the time he was in charge of the district military medical staff corps, and for several years he held appointments in connection with the Adelaide Hospital.
Chronicle Saturday 09 July 1921 page 12
Submitted 8 February 2016 by Faithe Jones
Biography
Excerpt from Blood Sweat and Fears: Medical Practitioners and Medical Students of South Australian who Served in World War 1. Courtesy of the Authors
Leonard Watkins Bickle was born at St Leonards, Sussex, England on 10th September 1857. He studied at St Thomas' Hospital in London and in 1881 he obtained the conjoint diplomas of the Royal Colleges of Physicians and Surgeons. He practiced at St Thomas’ Hospital for three years and was appointed to the resident staff of Queen Charlotte's Hospital, London. Bickle immigrated to South Australia in 1884 and settled in Gawler where he practised for two years. He took up a practice in Mount Barker in 1886. He moved to Adelaide in 1897 and was attached to the Adelaide Hospital and continued in private practice. Bickle obtained a commission in the South Australian militia on the 29th April 1897. He rose to the rank of Major. He attended the Indian medical congress in Calcutta and whilst he was there he was commissioned by the South Australian government to investigate the sanitation in hospitals in 1910. He retired in 1912 with the rank of Honorary Lieutenant Colonel in the Australian Army Medical Corps. He retired from practice in 1913.
Bickle volunteered for active service in WW1 and was accepted as a lieutenant colonel in the Army Medical Corps of the AIF on 2 November 1915. He is described as a widower, 58 years old, 5ft 7ins in height, fit with good eyesight. His next of kin is recorded as his son, Neil Stoneman Bickle, who was in the Royal Navy. Bickle was assigned to duty on various transport ships to the Middle East and England. These included the Demosthenes, the Marathon, the Wirilda, the Themistocles and the hospital ship Kanowna. During his war service he had frequent discussions about his pay, as although given the rank of lieutenant colonel he was paid as a captain; this was amended during his service to a Major’s pay. Bickle’s appointment with the AIF was terminated on the 30th November 1916. He was issued with the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal. The 1914-15 Star was the subject of a long running dispute with the military after his discharge. Although awarded in 1915 he was asked to return it as was deemed by Base Records to be ‘eligible [for the 1914-15 Star] a Medical Officer must have either, been on the strength of a recognised Hospital ship, or else have actually landed and taken on the establishment of a unit in a theatre of war.’ Despite the fact that he was the medical officer on many transport ships to the Middle East during those two years. Bickle continued to argue with the military over recognition of his substantive rank of lieutenant colonel which was eventually accepted.
Leonard Watkins Bickle never returned to Adelaide but remained in Sydney, where he was involved with one or two commercial concerns. He had a very large circle of friends in almost every state of the Commonwealth. “In his practice he attached great importance to the pharmacological activities of drugs and combination drugs and was very successful in the treatment of minor conditions which are so important to the patients and which are frequently neglected by modern practitioners.” Leonard Watkins Bickle’s health deteriorated in 1920 and he died on the 28th June 1921. He was survived by his son Neil; his wife and daughter had predeceased him.
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