Biographical entry Derham, Alfred Plumley (1891 - 1962)

Summary

Alfred Derham joined the 5th Battalion of Australian Imperial Force in 1914 and was appointed assistant director of medical services during the second world war (1941). On the day he landed in Gallipoli (25 April 1915) Derham was wounded, but continued to work tirelessly refusing to be evacuated until five days later. He was awarded the Military Cross (MC) for this gallant effort. Derham returned to Australia in 1917 to complete his medical training. During the 1920s he started up a private practice in Melbourne and specialised in treating children's diseases. He was also appointed honorary physician at the Children's Hospital and commanded field-ambulances in the Militia during the 1930s. When war broke out again, Alfred Derham was sent to Malaysia, then Singapore. In 1942 he was imprisoned in the Changi prisoner-of-war camp for six months and this lead to a major decline in his health. He returned to Australia in 1945 and was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

Details

Events

26 August 1914

Career position - Enlisted and posted to 5th Battalion of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF)

25 April 1915

Career position - Platoon Commander with the AIF in Gallipoli

August 1915

Career position - Transferred to the 2nd Brigade of the AIF

1918

Education - Bachelor of Medicine (MB) and Bachelor of Surgery (BS) completed at the University of Melbourne

1922

Career position - Private practice established in Melbourne

1923

Education - Doctor of Medicine (MD) received from the University of Melbourne

c. 1930 - c

Career position - Field-Ambulance Commander in the Militia with the Australian Army Medical Corps

1940

Career position - Colonel and Assistant Director of Medical Services at the 8th Division

1941

Career position - Assistant Director of Medical Services for the AIF

1941

Career position - Served in Malaysia and Singapore

1942

Life event - Imprisoned (six months) in Changi prisoner-of-war camp in Singapore

1945

Life event - Returned to Melbourne

1946

Career position - AIF appointment terminated

Related entries

Archival resources

The University of Melbourne Archives

• Alfred Plumley Derham - Records, 1915 - 1979; The University of Melbourne Archives. Details

Published resources

Book Sections

• Grey, Jeffrey, 'Derham, Francis Plumley (1885-1957) and Alfred Plumley (1891-1962)', in John Ritchie (ed.), Australian Dictionary of Biography, vol. 13, Melbourne University Press, Melbourne, 1993, pp. 618-619. Also available at http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A130690b.htm. Details

Journal Articles

• Anderson, Fay, 'Alfred Derham: a Tale of Two Wars', Australasian Science, vol. 21, no. 2, 2000, p. 46. Details

Online Resources

• National Library of Australia, 'Derham, Alfred Plumley', Trove, National Library of Australia and the Australian National Maritime Museum Darling Harbour, 2009, http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1470803. Details