Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

McKELLAR-STEWART John Stewart MB BS

1913-1962

John Stewart McKellar-Stewart was born on 29th April 1913, in Armadale, Victoria. He was the eldest son of John McKellar-Stewart CMG D Phil, MA, and Margaret Grace Stuart Bothroyd MA.  His father became the Vice Chancellor and Professor of Philosophy in the Hughes Chair of Philosophy, at the University of Adelaide. He had a sister and two brothers. He was educated at Scotch College and studied medicine at the University of Adelaide where he graduated MB BS, in 1942. While a medical student, in 1935, and living in St Andrews College, University of Adelaide, it was widely reported in the local papers that he was prosecuted for driving into a fruit truck. He married Joyce Spencer Job, the third daughter of Mr and Mrs R Job, in the Chalmers Church, Adelaide, on 14th November 1942.

McKellar-Stewart enlisted in the CMF; his name is recorded in his military records as Stewart and McKellar-Stewart.  He named his wife as his next of kin, recorded as Joyce Spencer McKellar-Stewart.  He was called up for full-time duty on 12th April 1943, at the rank of captain, in the AAMC. Posted to 64 Camp Hospital at Loveday from 12th April 1943 to 23rd June 1943.  While at Loveday he was reprimanded for the Conduct to the Prejudice of Good Order and Mil. Discipline. McKellar-Stewart transferred to 2/AIF on 24th June 1943 and served until 27th August 1946. He undertook locum tenens for Dr RJ Sargent at Barmera in January 1944. This included postings in Darwin and Katherine, NT, from 13th March 1944 to 30th November 1944. He served with various units in Australia, which included the RAA in 103 TK/A, 12 FdAmb, 101 AGH, 118 AGH, and 55/53Bn. McKellar-Stewart was attached to 2 FdAmb in May 1944 and appointed MO to LHQ Medical Research Unit on the 3rd August 1945, but soon after embarked from Sydney on the Taroona for Wewak, PNG, arriving in Jacquinot Bay, on the 10th September 1945.  He returned to Australia on 8th March 1946 and was appointed to 121 AGH. After specialist training leave he was discharged from the Army on 7th June 1946.

After the war McKellar-Stewart may have had a general practice in Broken Hill as there is a 1948 record of him involved in single driver motor vehicle accident six miles from Broken Hill on the Wilcannia Road, NSW; the badly wrecked car created much local interest and had to be sent to Sydney for repair. McKellar-Stewart was not injured and had walked back into Broken Hill.

At the time of his father’s death, in 1953, he was reported as working as a medical officer with the Immigration Department in Italy; he had gone to Italy, with his wife, son and daughter, on a two-year appointment, in 1952. John Stewart McKellar-Stewart died in Adelaide on 13th October 1962. McKellar-Stewart never changed his will from his original Army Will, causing his wife’s solicitors to write to the military to find the original witnesses.

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