Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

KLEIN Robert William MBE MB BS FRACMA FARM

1914-1996

Robert William Klein was born on the 21st February 1914, in Malvern, SA. His name at birth was registered Robert August William Klein but he did not use the August throughout his life. He was the son of William Oscar Klein and his mother Myra Edith, nee Gard. He studied medicine at the University of Adelaide, graduating MB BS in 1939. He was an RMO and a surgical registrar at the RAH from 1940 until 1942.

Klein was on the Reserve of Officers of AAMC from 9th September 1940 and was called up for full-time duty on 2nd November 1942. He enlisted, in the 2/AIF, on 20th November 1942 as a captain in the AAMC. He gave his father who lived at 31 Dover Street Malvern, as next of kin. He was posted to the 2/9th Inf Bn New Guinea Force and then posted to 2/9th AGH on 31st December 1942.  He embarked for Milne Bay, PNG, on 21st January 1943, arriving on 30th January 1943. He was detached to the DDMS New Guinea Force on 12th June 1943. He returned to Australia, embarking from Port Moresby, on 24th March 1944, on the Canberra, for Townsville. He was evacuated to 105 AMH, Adelaide, on 17th January 1945 with malaria and on discharge from the hospital, he went to the LoC 4MD eventually re-joining 2/9th AGH. Again, he embarked for PNG, this time on the Duntroon for Morotai, Indonesia, on 28th March 1945 and, was detached to 10 FdAmb.   He returned to Australia on 21st January 1946, leaving from Ambon, which is part of the Maluku Islands of Indonesia, and disembarked in Brisbane on 13th February 1946.  He was detached to 121 AGH in Adelaide and 4MD for demobilisation. He was discharged on 14th June 1946 and was placed on the Reserve of Officers.  It was noted that he subsequently volunteered for service in the Interim Army as part of Ships Staff in 1949 from 28th February to 14th April 1949. At that time, he was living in 339 Kooyong Road, Elsternwick, Victoria.

Klein initially returned to the RAH as a surgical registrar after the war before moving to Victoria. He went on to develop a career in the fitting of artificial limbs. He was described as the father of prosthetics and orthotics in Australia. He was a Consultant to the Repatriation Department in Canberra. Klein was Honorary Consultant to Princess Alexandra Hospital in Sydney. He was a member of the International Committee on Prosthetics and Orthotics in Copenhagen from 1963 to 1970. He was a Fellow and Chairman of the Evaluation Committee of the International Society of Prosthetics and Orthotics from 1970 and of the Asian Sub- Committee on Prosthetics and Orthotics in Hong Kong. Klein was appointed a member of the British Empire for his services to prosthetics and orthotics. He was a lecturer to physiotherapists and occupational therapists in the Victorian schools and wrote several journal articles on prosthetics and orthotics. A member of the Australian Medical Association and President of the Australian Association of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation; he joined the Australian Public Service in 1971.  According to the electoral roll, it appears that Klein never married. Robert William Klein died on 15th September 1996, in Box Hill, Victoria.

Source

Blood, Sweat and Fears III: Medical Practitioners South Australia, who Served in World War 2. 

Swain, Jelly, Verco, Summers. Open Books Howden, Adelaide 2019. 

Uploaded by Annette Summers AO RFD