The Austin Hospital for Incurables

Despite an existing shortage of accommodation, three wards of the Austin Hospital for Incurables were combined on 5 September, 1917  into what became known as the Military Ward (later No. 12 Ward) specifically for the treatment of tuberculosis patients, the effects of which were exacerbated by the influenza epidemic of 1918-19.

The Ward appears to have specialised in treating servicemen considered too critical for the area set aside at Macleod for convalescents.

In addition to the handful of cases mentioned as resting in Warringal, the AWM Honour Roll lists just five other men that died as Austin Hospital, but this is hopelessly  incomplete as the Roll does not display the location in many cases where a serviceman died locally – a simple check of Death Notices through 1919 to 1921 reveals at least a dozen other deaths and undoubtedly many more where no notice was placed.

Most of the cases below were accompanied by a later circular. Given that most of the deaths were of men who had been discharged by the A.I.F., it appears that there was something of a breakdown between the military and the medical profession and official records of where men had died were not maintained. It also appears that circulars were not distributed to the families of servicemen that died without embarking.

Closer inspection in fact casts doubts over the completeness of the AWM Honour Roll.

One case in point is the death of Private Henry Warrener; he was reported in The Argus, 7 January, 1918 as dying in the Austin Hospital of tuberculosis, the latter confirmed by his archive as being diagnosed as early as September  of the previous year at 5 AGH, yet he is not included on the Honour Roll, presumably because he had been discharged from the A.I.F.

There are a number of other examples of deaths recorded under Family Notices as occurring in the Military Ward where the victim is not included on the Honour Roll.

There are also many cases where the serviceman died after the disbanding of the A.I.F. on 31 March, 1921 and was not included on the Honour Roll.  (It should perhaps be noted that in these cases, the relatives of the serviceman were still entitled to receive the Memorial Scroll and Plaque provided the death was considered related to war service).

The Shire of Heidelberg (with the exception of the capital cities of Sydney and Melbourne) was probably unique in Australia in having no less than four hospitals that at various times during the Great War treated wounded or sick servicemen.

As well as the Austin, Mont Park, Macleod (No. 1 Australian Sanatorium and 16 Australian General Hospital) and the Queen’s Memorial Infectious Diseases Hospital in Fairfield all fell within the Shire boundaries.

Victorian Death records do not differentiate between the facilities, but total deaths recorded against Heidelberg show a stark picture of the impact of servicemen affected by tuberculosis and influenza returning from overseas.

In 1916 before any of the facilities were fully operational, there were 210 deaths recorded under Heidelberg; in 1917, 207; in 1918, 216; in 1919, 272; in 1920, 273; in 1921, 255 and in 1922 when the effects of the war appear to been exhausted, 214 or roughly the pre-1919 level.

Image: State Library Victoria