| Place | Oceania: Australia, Northern Territory, Coomalie |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | P01923.018 |
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Film copy negative |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
Coomalie Creek, NT. 1942-05. An American serviceman standing beside a Ford V8 powered generator ...
Description
Coomalie Creek, NT. 1942-05. An American serviceman standing beside a Ford V8 powered generator provided by the Australian Army. The generator provided electricity for the U.S. Army Coomalie Creek Field Hospital. The hospital was constructed by one section from D Company, 2nd Battalion plus H Company and Headquarters, 3rd Battalion, 135th Medical Regiment, U.S. Army, in 1942-05. Situated 88 kilometres from Darwin and 11 kilometres from Batchelor Air Field, this was the first field hospital to be established and operated in the South West Pacific Area (SWPA) by an American unit. The hospital was capable of caring for 250 patients. Its headquarters organised the first systematic SWPA American air evacuation of casualties, which began on 1942-06-10. The hospital made extensive use of air evacuation using US and Australian military transport, and commercial land and Qantas flying-boat transport to Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane and Townsville. H Company evacuated the hospital in September 1942 and moved to Birdum, NT, to operate the 135th Medical Regiment Evacuation Hospital. Coomalie Creek Field Hospital was taken over by the Australian No. 1 Medical Receiving Station.