Portrait of Dr William H Read wearing the sola topee hat that had been issued to him when he ...

Portrait of Dr William H Read wearing the sola topee hat that had been issued to him when he served with the Australian Army Medical Corps (AAMC) during the First World War. Dr Read is preparing to travel from Sydney to Port Moresby on board the MV MacDhui. Dr Read had served in Egypt at No 2 Australian General Hospital (2 AGH) with the AAMC during the First World War, moving his wife and three children to Cairo to be close to him. On his return to Australia, he was appointed senior medical officer at Georges Heights Hospital in Sydney when it was set up to receive the wounded from Gallipoli. During the Second World War, Dr Read undertook duties as an Air Raid Precaution (ARP) warden for the Wahroonga area in northern Sydney.