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BARBOUR John Russell ED MS FRCS FRACS

1910 - 1977

John Russell Barbour was born, on 16th September 1910, in Adelaide. He was the son of Peter Barbour and his wife, Elizabeth Amelia, nee White.  He was educated at Scotch College, Adelaide and studied medicine at the University of Adelaide, graduating MB BS in 1934.  He completed his residencies at the Adelaide Hospital, in 1935, and the ACH, in 1936. He then worked as a general practice locum in Balaklava, SA.  After two years as a lecturer in anatomy at the University of Adelaide, he was offered the Chair of Anatomy at Bristol University, in 1938. However, he declined and decided to work for Sir Rodney Maingot, acknowledged master surgeon, at South End General Hospital, Essex, UK. He passed his FRCS exams, in 1939, and served as an emergency surgeon at the Highgate Hospital, London.  From January 1940 to April 1942 he was a surgical first assistant at The London Hospital, during the ‘Blitz’, when the hospital was repeatedly bombed. He gained an outstanding surgical reputation.  It was reported that he was the only member of staff who could make Queen Mary laugh on her visits to the hospital.  He was also a full-time surgeon to the Emergency Medical Service, London.

Barbour enlisted in the 2/AIF in April 1942, while he was in London, and went to the Middle East via Cape Town.  He was attached to the AAMC Training Wing, from August to October 1942, and then posted 2/11th FdAmb, 9 Div, for the second Battle of El Alamein. His surgical skills were used extensively in a surgical team detached to 2/11th FdAmb MDS in a newly build underground operating theatre. It is recorded that with the assistance of one OTT he performed 32 operations in 24 hours. He returned to Australia, in January 1943, and was posted, in June 1943, to 2/9th AGH in PNG, near Port Moresby, which treated Kokoda Track and north coast casualties.  Evacuated to Australia with chronic, recurrent, appendicitis, he was posted as a surgeon to 105 AMH, in Adelaide, in February 1944, and promoted to major on 28th June 1944.  He passed the FRACS exams in July 1944, and was discharged from the 2/AIF, in April 1946, and transferred to the CMF.  Barbour was promoted to lieutenant colonel, in March 1953 and posted as a surgeon, 104 AGH, Adelaide.  He was promoted to colonel in July 1960 and posted as CO 3rd General Hospital, which was the new designation of 104 AGH.  Barbour was appointed DDMS, 4 MD from 1962 to 1967, followed by Colonel Consultant Orthopaedic Surgeon to Army Headquarters, Melbourne.

Barbour married Margaret H (Peggy), nee Cowan, in Surrey in early 1941. She was in London as a nurse during the Blitz, and they had three children born in 1944, 1946 and 1948.  A superb surgical anatomist, a gifted surgeon with vast expertise in trauma surgery, Barbour was appointed an honorary assistant surgeon, at the RAH, in 1947.  He resumed teaching anatomy to postgraduate students.  He was appointed an honorary orthopaedic surgeon at the RAH and Head of Orthopaedics, in 1956.  He established the Spinal Injuries Unit, with ten beds at the RAH and 26 beds at the Morris Hospital, Hampstead, in 1962.  Barbour launched the Paraplegic Association of SA and was its inaugural president for five years.  He was a leading pioneer of internal fixation of fractures with early weight bearing.  He was a fearless and forthright man who stood by his colleagues.  He refused to join the Australian Orthopaedic Association as he did not believe in devoting his skills to a particular surgical field. He was an examiner for the RACS and was not a member of the AMA. John Russell Barbour died suddenly from a closed head injury, after a fall, on 14th March 1977. 

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