108th Australian Casualty Clearing Station

108th Australian Casualty Clearing Station

c 1940 Members of 108 Australian Casualty Clearing Station

Brief History

The 8th Casualty Clearing Station was formed in December 1941 at Helena Vale, Western Australia. In June they had detachments at Pinjarra and Mullewa, and in July 1942 they moved to Mullewa to accept casualties from Geraldton, Mingenew and the Moora areas. In March 1943 the unit was relocated to Blackboy Hill to service the general Perth area. In April they were renamed 108th Casualty Clearing Station with the Light Section sent to Moora in during May. Meanwhile the Heavy Section was providing a camp hospital level service at Blackboy Hill in addition to being a Casualty Clearing Station and a transit depot. The Light Section had moved to Mullewa.

In August 1943 the Heavy Section was relieved, and they moved to Moora, before moving back to Blackboy Hill briefly in November - December. By January 1944 there were very few troops in Western Australia, and those that were, were in Perth or nearby Hence the Heavy Section moved back to Blackboy Hill, and the Light Section joined them in February.

The 108th Casualty Clearing Station left Western Australia in July 1944 for Liverpool in New South Wales. In October they established a hospital facility at Herne Bay, before moving to Narellan in March 1945 where they were disbanded.

Unit Personnel

• Mervyn James Rose

Patients

Mullewa

• George Henry Millett 24 Jul 1942
• Harold Philip Orton 1 - 8 Sep 1942 & 16 - 17 Sep 1942

Blackboy Hill

• Alfred William Walker 8 Sep - 28 Oct 1942
• Alan Clifton Navin Butcher 5 - 6 Jun 1943
• Albert Henry Dyson 9 Jun - 18 Jul 1943
• William Francis James Elliott 14 - 27 Aug 1943
• Leslie George Harden 19-21 Jan 1944

Notes

Identified, left to right, back row: W55688 Private (Pte) Patrick McCarthy; WX36083 Corporal (Cpl) Alfred Blomfield; Sergeant (Sgt) T. Roberts; Tim Crack; WX25693 Cpl Maurice Appelt; K Creighton; WX37182 Pte Charles Stuart; WX34532 Pte Eric McGriskin; Driver NX73335 Frederick Leddy; WX38467 Cpl Raymond Reany; Les Harcourt; WX32456 Pte Bernard Giles; WX25721 Pte Colin Junner; WX20402 Pte William Wostear; Fred Nelson; WX41862 Pte Leslie Sach; WX39141 Lance Corporal (LCpl) Peter Epis. Third Row: Sid Smith; Snow Human; Carl Hill; WX32454 Warrant Officer Class 2 (WO2) Ian Lansdown; N298464 Pte George Munns; Arthur Harrison; WX39343 Pte Mervyn Rose; WX25690 Harry Varis; Wally (Doc) Davey; WX25740 Pte Stanley Hillier; WX41856 Pte John Poole; W51121 Pte Vincent Murphy; Ken Bowers; WX25720 Pte Mervyn Johnson; WX38049 Pte Douglas Gildersleeve; Wally Joseph; WX38466 Pte Leslie Nunn; WX256934 LCpl Robert Schofield; WX25681 Sgt George Woo. Second Row: VX111758 WO2 Jack Rann; WX25711 Pte Thomas Hanretty; Doug (Silent) Jones; Arthur Lister; WX25715 Pte Fredrick Bing; WX25722 Pte Philip Kidd; WX25718 Pte William Duncan; WX25682 WO2 Jack Walters; WX29216 Captain (Cpt) Cyril Bennett; WX25683 Staff Sergeant Frank Wooller; WX25702 Pte Laurence (Mighty) O`Dwyer; WX25692 Cpl Cyril Burnham; WX25695 Pte William (Dead Pan) Fagg; WX25691 Pte Herbert Joyce; Johny Buck; WX35141 Pte Ray (Brother) Ginbey; Ted Senini. Front Row: Q221799 Pte Jack Healy; WX36084 Pte William Wedgwood; WX25717 Pte Cedric Cooper; Dick (Speed) Bishop; WX25723 Pte Isaac Pinker; Maurice Blaney Murphy (later 415217 Flying Officer M B Murphy DFC RAAF); Les Ray; Ronald Metcalfe; Larry Inglis; WX35922 Pte James Cox; Jimmy Medwin. The photograph was possibly taken in Western Australia during training.

Content has come from The Unit Guide - Volume 4 - The Australian Army 1939-1945, page 4.097 - Graham R McKenzie-Smith - Big Sky Publishing - 2018