www.monumentaustralia.org.au

2nd / 1st Army General HospitalPrint Page Print this page

17-September-2022
17-September-2022

Photographs supplied by Chris Abbott

The plaque commemorates the 2nd / 1st Army General Hospital which was based in Merredin in 1942 and 1943. The plaque was erected during the centenary of Merredin in 1991. 

The hospital was relocated from Tobruk to Merredin in December 1942 for strategic reasons and because a reliable supply of fresh water was available. It operated in the town for 18 months. Twenty doctors and over one hundred personnel were employed on the site.

The influx of thousands of injured and recuperating men associated with the hospital brought substantial economic benefits to the town. There were also social benefits, such as local churches being able to support large choirs. Local knowledge states that the hospital was constructed as part of a base for counter-attack on Perth and Fremantle, should the metropolitan area have been taken by the Japanese during World War Two.  This conflicts with the commonly held view that if the enemy had landed in Western Australia, Australia's defence forces would abandon the State and pull back to a line between Adelaide and Brisbane.

Location

Address:Barrack Street, Station Car Park, Merredin, 6415
State:WA
Area:AUS
GPS Coordinates:Lat: -31.482358
Long: 118.277286
Note: GPS Coordinates are approximate.
View Google Map

Details

Monument Type:Plaque
Monument Theme:Conflict
Sub-Theme:WW2
Approx. Event Start Date:December-1942
Approx. Event End Date:August-1943
Link:https://www.goldenpipeline.com.au/p…

Dedication

Approx. Monument Dedication Date:1991
Front Inscription

This Plaque Was Placed Here
    In Memory Of
THE 2 /1st ARMY GENERAL HOSPITAL
Its Staff, Personnel And Patients
Who Were Based In Merredin In 1942 - 43

     Erected During
THE CENTENARY OF MERREDIN
              1991
By The Merredin Shire Council
And Rob & Annette Debenham

Left Side Inscription

 

 

Source: MA
Monument details supplied by Monument Australia - www.monumentaustralia.org.au