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WILSON Neville Pickernell MB BS FRCS FRACS

1904 - 1997

Neville Pickernell Wilson was born on 20th July 1904, in Ballarat, Victoria. He was the son of Thomas Pickernell Wilson and Kate, nee Larkan. He was educated at the Church of England Grammar School, Ballarat, and studied medicine at the University of Melbourne, graduating in 1928. He was a senior resident at Mooroopna Base Hospital and medical superintendent at Ballarat Base Hospital. He travelled to England and worked as a registrar in the orthopaedic department, Royal Victorian Infirmary, Newcastle on Tyne, and as a resident surgical officer in Booth Hall Infirmary, Manchester. He gained his Fellowship Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh, in 1933.  While in England he married Elinor Isobel Mary Stenhouse from Manchester. He returned to Australia to a position, in Adelaide, as an assistant surgeon in the orthopaedic department at the Adelaide Hospital. Wilson was living in Gawler when he gave evidence, in 1938, at the Royal Commission investigating the remuneration of doctors under the national insurance scheme. He had experience of a national insurance scheme while working in a practice owned by his brother-in-law, in England.

Wilson enlisted in the 2/AIF, on 20th November 1939, at the rank of captain. He named his wife Elinor as next of kin and they were living in Gawler, SA at the time.  He was sent to Puckapunyal, VIC, in February 1940, before going overseas. He left for the Middle East, in May 1940, but his convoy was diverted to Gourock, Scotland. He was then posted as an RMO to 70 Bn, in June 1940.  He was transferred to 2/3rd AGH in England, and in November 1940, embarked for the Middle East, arriving in Palestine in January 1941.  Here he was posted to 2/2nd AGH in Kantara, Egypt, on the western side of the Suez Canal and appointed to the orthopaedic and physiotherapy division of 2/2nd AGH. Wilson contracted sand-fly fever and was admitted to 1 AGH. Wilson re-joined his unit in September 1941 and was promoted to temporary major, in January 1942, with a posting to 2/11th AGH in Alexandria, Egypt. His stay in Alexandria was short as the 2/11th AGH returned to Warwick, QLD. Wilson was confirmed in the rank of major in September and transferred to 2/4th AGH at Redbank, QLD.  He was posted to 2/7th AGH, and embarked from Townsville for Lae, Papua New Guinea, on 29th August 1944, and served there until March 1945.  He returned to Australia and was posted as OC Surgical Division at 103 AGH, Baulkham Hills, NSW. While at 103 AGH he accidentally fractured his left patella when an operating tabled tipped upward. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel, in September 1945, and remained at 103 AGH until his discharge, on the 9th January 1946, and he was placed on the Reserve of Officers.

After the war, Wilson returned to Adelaide where he became an orthopaedic consultant at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, the Adelaide Children' Hospital and the Repatriation Hospital at Daw Park.  He moved later to Portland, Victoria and was still living there in 1980, however, he later returned to South Australia. Neville Pickernell Wilson died 3rd July 1997 and is interred in Centennial Park, Pasadena.

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