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from 1st Aust Field Hospital, SVN, 1968 to 1st
Health Support Battalion
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In May 1962 the Australian Government announced the deployment of 30 AATTV Officers and Senior NCO Instructors to South Vietnam. On July 6 1964 Warrant Officer Kevin Conway became the first Australian Advisor to be killed in action. The first combat troops, the advance party of 1RAR (Royal Australian Regiment) arrived at Bien Hoa on May 25th 1965 and the main contingent of 1RAR departed Australia on the HMAS Sydney on May 27th. Medical support, for the Australian Troops, was provided by the Americans. During 1966, Australia increased its Force strength along with a medical contingent and there, for the first time since 1945, an Australian Army Medical Unit was at war. |
The
Medical Corps, with approximately 100 personnel, set up a restricted
Field Ambulance, at Vung Tau, which consisted of half a stretcher bearer
company plus a fifty bed hospital. The unit, made up of regular and
conscripted soldiers, was known as 2nd Field Ambulance and later as 8th
Field Ambulance, which was located in two areas, the hospital element at
Vung Tau and a forward company at Nui Dat, a further 20 miles inland.
The hospital now consisted of 106 beds:- a surgical and medical ward of 50 beds each and ICU of 6 beds, Triage and Operating Theatres, Pathology, X-ray, Dental, Pharmacy, RAP, Physiotherapy, Psychiatry and was supported by a Q Store, Orderly Room, Administration, Messes and accommodation, all essential to running a hospital. A Red Cross Unit was also within the grounds. Personnel consisted of mainly regular soldiers and some conscripted soldiers of the RAAMC (Royal Aust. Army Medical Corps), Nursing Sisters of the RAANC (Royal Aust. Army Nursing Corps) and some from RNZNC (Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps), Transport Drivers of RAASC (Royal Aust. Army Service Corps now known as Transport Corps), Chaplains Corps and the Catering Corps. The surgical capacity was maintained by CMF Specialists from the Army, Navy and Airforce Reserves and Civilian Specialists who did three month tours. General Medical Officers were made up mainly of ARA (Australian Regular Army) and CMF full time commissions. Also attached to the site were 33 Dental Unit, 1 Field Medical & Dental, 1 Field Hygiene Coy and the Red Cross. The para-medical services provided by the 1st Australian Field Hospital was of such high standard that they achieved a success rate of nearly 99% on patients who reached them alive. This stands as a truly remarkable achievement, given that many of the casualties reached the hospital barely alive with horrendous wounds and severe injuries. On average, a soldier would receive emergency treatment at the hospital within thirty minutes of being wounded or injured in the field.
This was possible by the use of "Dustoff" Helicopters, that because of Allied complete air superiority, had mostly unimpeded access to combat zones. (However it was VERY dangerous once the choppers neared ground level). As in most wars, medical cases such as Malaria, Scrub Typhus and Venereal Diseases, to name a few, outnumbered battle casualties. Australia had nearly 60,000 military personnel serve in Vietnam during the years of the war, with around 500 deaths and 3,000 casualties. Most permanent medical personnel served in country for 12 months.
On November 7 1971 the Australian combat role in the Vietnam War ended when most of 4RAR withdrew from Nui Dat (D/4RAR and some supports stayed until 1972). Most medical personnel were withdrawn from 1AFH on November 25th 1971 and the unit was relocated to Manunda Lines, Ingleburn NSW in December 1971. The unit today has evolved into a Mobile Field Hospital and supplies support to most of the major exercises conducted by the ADF (Australian Defence Force) including Iron Man, Braham Drive and the Kangaroo Series . 1st Field Hospital provided the training ground for successive generations of personnel of both the RAAMC and RAANC. 1st Field Hospital continued to evolve, experiment and adapt to the fast changing conditions of modern warfare, and the role in which it is destined to play. The unit was always ready to provide that which may be required at a major emergency or civil disaster. To this end, new equipment and methods are being introduced and tested on a continuous basis. In December 1996, 1st Field Hospital moved into its new purpose built hospital at Holsworthy Barracks.
Personnel
from the unit, as part of a Tri-Service contingent, have provided Surgical
and Medical services in the following deployments:- Namibia (UNTAG),
Persian Gulf, Cambodia (UN), Somalia (UNITAF), Rwanda
(UNIMIR), Bougainville and in July 1998, 1st Field Hospital, played a
major role in providing emergency healthcare to the victims of the Tsunami
at Vanimo,
New Guinea. In
September 1999 the unit deployed as a whole, for the first time since
Vietnam, to serve as part of
the Australian led InterFET contingent in East
Timor, following the successful vote for its independence from
Indonesia. On
16 August
2000 1st Field Hospital underwent a name change and is now
known as 1st
HEALTH SUPPORT BATTALION. And,
so, a new chapter in the history of the unit begins! April 1st has been retained as the units birthday to celebrate, and commemorate, the continuous line of service to the ADF, since the 1st Australian Field Hospital was raised in Vietnam in 1968.
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DEPLOYMENTS of personnel from 1AFH - 1FdHosp - 1HSB (1st Australian Field Hospital - 1st Field Hospital - 1 Health Support Battalion)
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