Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

General Hospitals - WW2

General Hospitals are what is known as 'Third Line Health Support'; the 'Line' equates to an 'echelon', where First line is the forward or 'F' echelon and in Medical parlance equates to a unit Regimental Aid Post.  Second Line equates to a Field Ambulance / Casualty Clearing Station.  Patient 'stays' in these facilities are only generally short term or transient before the patient is either returned to Duty or is evacuated further to the Rear Areas to Third Line facilities.

Medical support is one of the critical combat multipliers of modern warfare.  An effective medical support system can sustain soldiers in the field longer by minimising the risk of disease, and reduce the time spent out of the line by quickly and effectively assessing, treating and rehabilitating wounded and injured soldiers so that they may either return to full duty or serve in other roles commensurate with their capacity.

General hospitals were set up both overseas and in Australia. 

Australian General Hospitals (AGH) that served overseas and their main areas of operation

2/1 Australian General Hospital (2/1 AGH)
Gaza Ridge, Palestine 1940–42; Merredin & Guildford, W.A. 1942–43; Bootless Bay near Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea 1943–44; Queensland 1944; Torokina, Bougainville 1945

2/2 Australian General Hospital
El Kantara, Egypt 1940–42; Watton and Rocky Creek, Queensland 1942–46

2/3 Australian General Hospital
Milford, England 1940–41

2/4 Australian General Hospital
Tobruk, Libya 1940–41; Jerusalem, Palestine 1941–42; Colombo, Ceylon/Sri Lanka 1942; Seymour, Victoria 1942; Redbank, Queensland 1942–44; Morotai and Labuan, Borneo 1945

2/5 Australian General Hospital
Bagot near Darwin, NT 1940–41; Rehovot, Palestine 1941; Ekali, Greece 1941; Canea, Crete 1941; Asmara, Eritrea 1941–42; Adelaide, SA 1942; Armidale, NSW, 1942; Bootless Bay near Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea 1943–44; Morotai, Borneo 1945

2/6 Australian General Hospital
Gaza Ridge, Palestine 1941, 1942; Agria, Greece 1941; Canea, Crete 1941; Jerusalem, Palestine 1942-43; Atherton, Queensland 1943–44; Labuan, Borneo 1945

2/7 Australian General Hospital
Puckapunyal, Victoria 1941; Amiriya, Egypt, 1941; Rehovot, Palestine 1941; Gaza Ridge 1942; Saida, Syria 1942; Buseilli, Egypt 1942; Puckapunyal, Victoria 1943; Buna, Papua New Guinea 1943; Lae, Papua New Guinea 1944; Nantambu, New Britian 1945; Lae, Papua New Guinea 1945

2/8 Australian General Hospital
Gaza Ridge, Palestine 1940–43; Buna, Papua New Guinea 1943–44; Lae, Papua New Guinea 1944; Jacquinot Bay, New Britain 1945

2/9 Australian General Hospital
Abd El Kader, Egypt 1941; Gaza Ridge, Palestine 1941; Nazareth, Palestine 1941; Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea 1942–44; Tamworth, NSW 1944–45; Morotai, Borneo 1945

2/10 Australian General Hospital
Malacca, Malaya 1941; Singapore, Malaya 1942; Changi POW Camp, Singapore 1942–45

2/11 Australian General Hospital
Alexandria, Egypt 1941; Gaza Ridge, Palestine 1941-42; Warwick and Chernside, Queensland, 1942–43; Dobodura, Papua New Guinea 1943–44; Madang, Papua New Guinea 1944; Aitape, Papua New Guinea 1944–45

2/12 Australian General Hospital
Wellisaro, Ceylon/Sri Lanka 1941–42; Warwick, Queensland 1944–45; Morotai, Borne 1945; Balikpapan, Borneo 1945

2/13 Australian General Hospital
Singapore, Tampoi then Singapore, Malaya 1941–42

2/14 Australian General Hospital
Townsville, Queensland 1942–45; Singapore (POW repatriation) 1945

General Hospitals in Australia

General Hospitals were also located in Australia.  Many were later to become the basis of the Repatriation & General Hospitals post war (indicated in the list below).

101 General Hospital - Woodside SA, Katherine NT & Herne Bay NSW 1941-45

102 General Hospital - Tamworth NSW

103 General Hospital - Baulkham Hills NSW 

104 General Hospital - Bathurst NSW

105 General Hospital - Daw Park SA (later the SA Repat Hospital) 

106 General Hospital - Bonegilla (VIC) - specialising in Tuberculosis

107 General Hospital - Puckapunyal, Adelaide River, Berrimah (NT)

108 General Hospital - Ballarat (VIC)

109 General Hospital - Adelaide, Alice Springs (NT)

110 General Hospital - Hollywood WA  (Later the WA Repat Hospital)

111 General Hospital - Campbelltown (TAS)

112 General Hospital - Greenslopes Brisbane (WLD) later the QLD Repat hospital

113 General Hospital - Concord (NSW)  later to become the Repat Hospital NSW

114 General Hospital - Kenmore (Goulburn NSW) Psychiatric 

115 General Hospital - Heidelburg (VIC) later to become the Victorian Repat Hospital 

116 General Hospital - Mt Carmel Charters Towers (Qld) 

117 General Hospital - Toowoomba (QLD) 

118 General Hospital - Northam (WA) then Wewak, Jacquinot Bay New Britain,  Rabaul

119 General Hospital - Darwin, Bagot, Berrimah, Adelaide River

120 'Special Hospital' - Sydney Showgrounds / Little Bay (NSW)

121 General Hospital - Katherine

128 General Hospital - Port Moresby from 1943, Bootless Inlet from 1944, Tamworth (NSW)

130 General Hospital - BCOF Japan