endurance, courage and care: the 1942 kokoda track campaign of captain alan watson, dental surgeon-...
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ENDURANCE, COURAGE AND CARE: THE KOKODA TRACK CAMPAIGN
OF CAPTAIN ALAN WATSON,
DENTAL SURGEONAUSTRALIAN MILITARY MEDICAL ASSOCATION
JOINT HEALTH COMMAND SYMPOSIUM Oct 2010
BARRY REEDRoyal Australian Army Dental Corps
Australian Army ReserveOral & Maxillofacial Surgeon:
~ 1st Health Support Battalion Senior Specialist Oral & Maxillofacial
Surgeon~ John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle
Lecturer (part-time)School of Medicine
University of Newcastle, Australia
This lecture reflects my personal professional opinion
1st HSBC.O: LTCOL L Sinclair
This historical research has been supported by an
Australian Army History Unit Research Grant Award
• Australian War Memorial, Canberra. ~ Photographic Image collection: p2424 and p2423.
• Kokoda War Diary 1942-43. The Recollections and Photographs of Dr Alan Watson A.M. ~ Video. 1991.
• Mitchell Library collection, Sydney. Reference MSS 1825:~ Extracts from the War Diary of Captain Alan O. Watson~ Image collection~ Biographical notes
• Little by Little. A centenary History of the Royal Australian Army Medical Corps by Michael Tyquin. Australian Military History Publications. 2003
• Australia in the War of 1939–1945. Series 5 – Medical -Volume Volume 3 – The Island Campaigns.1st edition, 1957.
References & photo acknowledgments
The Australian military health care tradition:The Australian military health care tradition:endurance, courage and care for wounded endurance, courage and care for wounded
soldiers whatever the circumstances soldiers whatever the circumstances
Simpson Kirkpatrick, RAMC stretcher bearer & “Duffy”Gallipoli 1915
World War One:
Gallipolli 1915: dental treatment
Western Front 1918: dental treatment
2/4th Field Ambulance: Lead Medical unit for the Advance phase
October to December 1942
Deployed medical units • Were the 14th and 2/6th
Field Ambulances for the initial advance to Kokoda, the fighting withdrawal phase and then mostly as rear units for the later advance phase
• 2/4th Field Ambulance took over as lead unit for the later advance phase of the Kokodacampaign from October 1942 and the Gonacampaign in Dec 19422/6 Field Ambulance. Myola 2. October
Roles of Capt Alan Watson, Dental Officer
• Emergency & urgent dental care
• General anaesthesia• Aeromedical evacuation
Officer
photography• Capt. Alan Watson appointed by his
Commanding Officer LTCOL Arthur Hobson as unofficial photographer for the unit
• Two German Leica cameras
Experienced• Graduated with
Honours 1938• Rural private dental
practice 1939• Joined Army 1939• Syrian campaign 1941• 25 years old• received a short
concentrated course in the administration of general anaesthesia at the start of his Kokodacampaign
Roles of the 2/4th Field Ambulance
• “The Field Ambulance must be capable of instant movement and change. In the New Guinea campaign there was no question of leaving the field ambulance behind. It had to and did keep up with the battle troops”.
by WO2 LC Thompson in an article published in SALT March 1943
• Triage and Resuscitation• Ward nursing care with patient
holding• Initial wound surgery and further
surgery• Primary health care• Preparation for evacuation• Dental care• Environmental health support
Example of instant change: Efogi 15th October. Emergency arm amputation
“the field Ambulance must be capable of instant movement and change.. ….. It had to and did keep up with the battle troops”. (WO2 LC Thompson, SALT March 1943)
• Of crucial importance, it had a surgical team attached for the campaign
Proximity for surgical care with the Field Ambulance
th Field Ambulance had a comparable sualty care role to today’s role two nhanced) deployable Army hospital
Some problems of the Campaignoblems In neral:
rrainWeather
ansport opical diseases
ommunication nemy action
• Specific casualty care problems:
• Medical evacuation• Resupply difficulties
(medicines & food) • Hospital staff levels:
surgical workload and ward workload
• Lack of equipment• Lack of adequate shelter• Staff health
maintenance ~ diseases & t bl ill
errain: jungle and mountains mita Ridge (northern view)
mita Ridge (southern view towards Port Moresby)
“Golden Stairs”. Imita Ridge
Terrain obstacles: streams
Terrain obstacles: Rivers (Wairopi)
Weather: torrential rain (mud), cold and heat
Mode of Transport: walking
Distinctive feature of the Kokodampaign were the walking wounded
who self evacuated along the track
ansport of supplies & equipment: rimary method of the campaign
~ native carriers
Native carriers for resupply
tive carriers for severely wounded
CAPT Geoffrey Vernon
ransport: First stage of campaign ~ mules
Last stage of campaign:
motor transport
nsport of supplies/replenishment: aerial drops
0% losses with
Supply by air: strips ~ weather & terrain difficulties
air strips ~ terrain difficulties
Proximity for the Field Ambulancehe revolutionary conditions imposed on us gave e to a new leap frog movement. The unit was ead out along the track in a series of posts”.
O2 LC Thompson in an article published in LT March 1943)
Kokoda Track
ersonnel 2/4th Field Ambulance in the Kokoda Campaign
officersother ranks
______________________________ginal War establishment:officers
5 other ranks
Main Dressing Station. 2/4 Field Ambulance. Myola 1.
Treatment of the Sick 0% of hospital admissions or more)
e.g. 8th November: 52 battle casualties, 205 sickMalariaDysenterySkin diseasesFatigue, exhaustion malnutritionTyphus
Hospital ward: Nauro jungle
Hospital ward: Dry lakes at Myola
1 W d d ldi i f th t t th t h it l d t th
ospital ward: native construction at Kokoda
uta M.D.S. (operating theatre & kitchen)
Preparedness
ress shows evidence of the unit's lack of preparedness for the campaign ahead the Kokoda Track, with Captain Day wearing puttees as used in the deserts of
eparedness & improvisation/adaptability
Operating theatre equipment
puta 2. The operating theatre. The operating table is a makeshift piece of bush handicraft made from trees.
surgical equipment was most primitive: a Primus stove
Dental clinic
Preparedness
No dental replenishment for five monthsCapt Watson prepared his o n kit and his
Modern day emergency dental kit
Dentistry by Capt. Alan Watson• 3rd October to 18th December
(11 weeks):• 208 patients ~133 made fit
(64%)• 2 fractured mandibles • ~ closed reductions• 238 extractions• 74 fillings and dressings• 19 Acute Necrotising
Ulcerative Gingivitis (“trench mouth”)
• (30 gingivitis/periodontal disease, 12 denture
difi ti 6 U S A
Surgical team
Types of woundsLimb~ common ~ “a really serious problem was lack of control of the femoral artery by tourniquet”Chest ~ sucking chest woundsAbdominal ~ transfusion often~ “wounds of the buttock
were misleading”HeadGas gangrene ~ 4.5% of battle casualties~ “value of surgical excision”
Surgical teamOperated day and night. Myola 1. Dawn
Surgical Team Workload: n major cases in twelve hoursth perhaps additional five less serious casesckled all branches of surgery
ay and night shiftsp to 36 hours continuously in operating theatre
General anaesthesia
General anaesthesiaEther, chloroform (from 1918 supplies) and Pentothal later
neral anaesthesia by Capt. Alan Watson
16th October to 18th December (9 weeks):
Surgical team
Efogi North. Members of the surgical team of the 2/4th Field Ambulance perform an operation in the tent that serves as the operating theatre at the unit's Main Dressing Station. Left to right: Captain Douglas Leslie, the surgeon; Lieutenant Colonel Arthur Hobson, the unit CO, who is assisting; Capt Alan Watson, the unit Dental Officer, who is
Operations performed
ain Douglas Leslie applies plaster to a soldier's broken left leg Assisting Captain
Operations performed
0 battle casualties admitted In 24 hours,
Resuscitation evere degrees of shock not uncommon”od transfusions: Serum, whole bloodwalking blood bank”: unit members, soldiersx-rays
Historical record: First operation, 2/4th Field Ambulance
Historical record: First operation, 2/4th Field Ambulance
Transport of the wounded &medical evacuation
The stretcher is slung below a single carrying bar supported at each end by one rriers; the carriers work in teams of eight under the supervision of a native 'boss
Evacuation by air
da, November. USAAF Stinson Vigilant ambulance aircraft prepares to take rom the airstrip. The aircraft is evacuating two sick or wounded Australian s to Port Moresby from the 2/4th Field Ambulance The Stinson was capable
pt. Alan Watson s aeromedicalevacuation
oading Officerokoda airstrip, 5 Nov to 16 Nov: rganised evacuation of 350 patients est two days: 111 and 99 casualties
opondetta airstrip, one day only, 27th Nov:rganised evacuation of 400 battle casualties & ck
Bartering with Japanese rifles & helmets for aeromedical evacuation:
Four hundred evacuated on the day of air raid
good scale of payment. A Japanese helmet equaled sick or wounded. A Japanese rifle equaled ten-
r raid Soputa M.D.S: 27th November
n a few minutes a busy ospital was transformed to a miniature battlefield.”
Air raid: wards hit
Air raid: 22 killed, over 50 wounded
Completing both the Kokoda Campaign and Kokoda track.
Gona beach. 16th December 1942
casualties Papuan Campaign: 942 to January 1943 Australian troops served:
killed
Some problems of the Campaignoblems In neral:
rrainWeather
ansport opical diseases
ommunication nemy action
• Specific casualty care problems:
• Medical evacuation• Resupply difficulties
(medicines & food) • Hospital staff levels:
surgical workload and ward workload
• Lack of equipment• Lack of adequate shelter• Staff health
maintenance ~ diseases & t bl ill
Morale: Lack of timely replenishment of
hospital suppliesBandages and dressings, essential drugs, anaesthetic agents, tents, stretchers, food, sutures, sterile water…..
provisations, Ingenuity and Solutions Fuzzy Wuzzy AngelsLocal suppliesEquipment improvisationleapfrog” unit movement
First use of aeromedical evacuationHolding non-walking casualties long term in wardsWalking wounded self evacuationAerial supply dropsField Training and Multitasking personnel for staff shortages e.g. general anaesthesiaMedical liaison officers with HQRole of kitchens and food in morale maintenanceCombat health support: Mobility, proximity, flexibility,
Historical record
ng hard, PO Archer exclaimed excitedly, 'Sir, sir, I think I've shot down a Zero!' s the Control Officer replied, 'Don't be silly, Archer, Wirraways can't shoot down ' 'Well, sir,' continued Archer, 'I went in to look at the wreck off Gona and I saw
wards South West Pacific between October 1st 1942 and March 31st 1943:
BE (Military Division): Lt. Col. A.G. Hobson NX454tation”: Lt Col. Hobson was personally responsible r good service rendered by his Field Ambulance Unit.
his unit served continuously two brigades during the vance from Nauro to Gona.
entioned in Dispatches (Posthumous):aj. I. F. Vickery NX473aj. H.F.G. McDonald VX 14704
entioned in Dispatches:apt. D.R. Leslie VX39117apt. A. O. Watson NX 34655
Alan O. Watson, A.M. 1917 - 1993 entioned in despatches”, for “having rendered gallant and tinguished services” in the Kokoda Track campaign
omotion to Majorlaria for three years; dysentery
scharged 1944vate practice with his father, Macquarie St, Sydneyovations in the dental care for Cerebral Palsy patients for
rty years; established dental operating theatre at the Spastic ntre Mosmanrt time lecturer, University of Sydney from 1962norary life membership Spastic Centre of NSW 1979ctor of Dental Science 1955mber of the Order of Australia 1983tor Histor of Dentistr in NSW 1788 1945
his qualities live on:edication, adaptability, excellence,
Questions?
panese prisoners awaiting aeromedicalevacuation
Morale: central role of an integral unit kitchen as
the unit social venue & the provision of adequate food proved invaluable in maintenance of morale