May, Leonard, DSO, MC (Major, b.1890 - d.?)

Collection relating to service of Major Leonard May, DSO, MC, Australia, At Sea, England, France, Belgium, Western Front, 1916-1918. Collection consists of a typed copy of extracts from a diary kept by Major Leonard May, between 17 May 1916 and 25 November 1918.

This collection contains detailed accounts of May's service with the Australian Army Medical Corps, including his work with a garrison hospital in Sydney, on board the troop ship SS Ballarat, and later at a training camp in England. Contains a graphic account of his work with a Field Ambulance unit and his later work as an acting RMO with an infantry unit on the Western Front. A notable feature of May's diary entries are his remarks about the difficulties faced by stretcher bearers, and their cheerfulness in the face of extreme hardship. Also of interest are May's references to medical procedures used by doctors at the time.