major general february march australian soldier general surgeon historian half 20th century attended graduating medical degrees returned university pursue doctor medicine degree awarded son british_army officer major joined army school commissioned captain joined youngest lieutenant colonel served gallipoli campaign appointed assistant director newly formed combined post egypt deputy director war wrote articles medical aspects section campaign official history returning australia honorary consulting surgeon melbourne honorary surgeon foundation fellow president victorian branch medical ethics writing course textbook victorian state commissioner led years president years director general australian_army senior medical officer rank major general oversaw construction major military hospitals capital cities accepted commission edit medical series volumes war able killed plane crash education early life born february south_australia youngest children colonel major british_army officer wife survived adulthood service war colonel served commandant colonial forces south_australia victoria retired rank major general australian_army educated melbourne boarding student march age joined victorian horse artillery time volunteer militia unit served capacity opening inaugural duke cornwall york royal exhibition building medical student good result year examinations earned residential scholarship graduated double degree bachelor surgery soon graduation enlisted militia commissioned captain july promoted major march served residency general victoria soon returned university pursue doctorate doctor medicine thesis entitled relations especially considered regard death account cases accepted master surgery degree conferred married november john church victoria children born born march born world war joined october assuming command 2nd light horse field ambulance rank lieutenant colonel making youngest officer rank time soon taking command unit renamed 3rd light horse field ambulance training near melbourne unit embarked egypt transport february 3rd light horse field ambulance departed alexandria gallipoli moved june operated hospital returned cove august offensive missed operation remained supervising hospital returned august remained unit november departed egypt evacuation gallipoli appointed assistant director newly formed march given temporary rank colonel substantive promotion february combined post egypt september travel forth cairo november deputy appointed assist medically speaking health remarkably good challenges especially medical officers unfamiliar conditions middle_east revealed importance transportation area roads poorly organised casualty evacuation effort caused great deal suffering wounded resulted number deaths inquiry matter held battle called testify commander chief general sir declined assign blame individual implemented inquiry recommendations improving casualty evacuation process heat problem supplying adequate quantities water diseases included cholera combat obtained services lieutenant colonel created investigate diseases result aggressively problem reduced rates disease australian new_zealand troops british troops serving alongside martin advanced notion heat exhaustion heat stroke result previously believed simply matter failing drink water turn converted belief provided water available adequate heat mechanism body ordinary climatic ranges temperature conditions hard work people horses challenge discipline area initially disastrous results gallipoli took measures improve situation normally engage disputes repeatedly clashed british medical officers especially colonel attitudes regarded troops travelled egypt visit husband march june increasingly immersed preparations battle pregnant visit decided return home return journey australia june ship liner struck sunk indian_ocean loss lives spent hours crowded rescued passing steamer took bombay eventually way australia singapore appointed officer order british empire volunteer work soldiers families secretary august deputy director retaining post egypt superiors lieutenant general commander london new british advanced palestine major medical problem remained transportation operations area experimented delivery drugs medical supplies air jordan valley confronted epidemic malaria vigorous efforts required order bring control october victory near confronted medical crisis damascus contained sick wounded turkish soldiers condition appointed major damascus gave orders organise medical arrangements bury dead provide care living task difficult poor communications transport shortages hampered delivery supplies evacuation hospitals shortages medical units actions lieutenant colonel concerned establishing political authority damascus point began experience epidemic diseases particularly cholera malaria putting medical services enormous pressure extraordinary measures including diversion motor vehicles medical units managed evacuate sick crisis service mentioned despatches times appointed companion order michael january citation read addition duties colonel carried egypt months shown considerable administrative ability placed australian matters better took appointment interwar years returning australia discharged remained army honorary consulting surgeon melbourne honorary surgeon founding fellow president victorian branch established reputation melbourne leading found disagreement certain medical practices vogue paper published examined cases children concluded majority unnecessary decades medical profession australia accepted medical ethics late 1930s death wrote course textbook subject entitled published addition medical writings wrote book length section palestine campaign volume official history war late 1920s direction medical series editor men discussed prospect visit butler egypt inspect medical records france published article entitled tactical employment medical services cavalry corps expanded chapters manuscript proved long proposed book extensively edited butler published instrumental supporting butler medical series helped obtain funding necessary complete project chairman registration board councillor victorian division chairman victorian state commissioner years president years chairman appointed commander later knight grace order time officer recognition fund raising efforts victorian branch later served member council instrumental state branches come national organisation arguing national body organisation eclipsed red_cross son john year fell seriously ill despite best efforts eminent medical practitioners john succumbed died age failure modern medicine save son affected deeply led abandon medical career favour military remained army inter war period colonel january 3rd military district victoria july june officer charge july march served head medical services royal_australian_air_force raaf raaf separate service minister defence decided army director general responsible administration raaf medical services capacity addition honorary surgeon july june august director general medical services time post army senior medical officer priority recruiting campaign increase number medical professionals army caused people believe war imminent army wide recruiting campaign led major general sir doubled size army efforts recruiting far modest time officers increase cent included medical practitioners aware large army require country doctors pushed doctors prepared military service direction civil authorities presided major effort drugs medical equipment required help delivered july began tour military medical centres india middle_east united_kingdom france united_states canada london arranged formally presented king queen buckingham palace wife australian high commissioner united_kingdom major war fought islands north australia london took steps obtain services eminent australian physicians surgeon sir expert tropical diseases outbreak second world war caused north american leg tour return australia october second world war role pressed construction major military hospitals capital cities argued war handed care sick disabled service personnel despite strong opposition grounds cost won case october time soon judgement today major military hospitals state capital cities sydney melbourne brisbane remain greatest legacy late medical units middle_east experienced times acute shortages stores units sent middle_east fully equipped possible expectation british_army difference british policy possible sources exploited demands united_kingdom sources general sir commander chief recognised negotiated governments medical officers middle_east blamed australia situation minister army decided pay visit middle_east situation resolved director middle_east arrival middle_east chief general staff lieutenant general found appointed major general post came surprise realised authority appointment seeing situation confirmed appointment returning australia appointed major general appointed newly created post inspector general medical services toured extensively visited australian states overseas locations australian troops sent including new_guinea malaya middle_east north_africa indonesia india reorganised army return australia appointed director general april joined second major general june receiving serial number death legacy held post august run army mainly paper organisation increasingly nearly accepted invitation write medical history series official history australia war march decided accompany major general new_guinea encountered resistant strain malaria campaign march raaf lockheed hudson aircraft travelling crashed sea yards north mouth near killed australian service personnel board bodies recovered buried war cemetery military honours survived memorial service held paul cathedral melbourne march senior australian officer die second world war general sir died canberra air disaster lieutenant general died february papers australian war memorial established honour subject lecture related aspect aspects military surgery medical equipment military civil surgery children general surgery medical ethics medical history subjects particularly interested major general medical aspects atomic warfare walker following wind history sir doctor services replacement surgery surgery surgery yesterday today tomorrow tomorrow tomorrow new look old problem years surgery sydney surgery hong_kong australian military general sir medical aspects australia defence professor treatment expectation round dutch discovery colonel robert trust professor standards major general source medal retrieved january
Rupert Downes