Jeffries, Lewis Wibmer (1884 - 1971)

Summary

Lewis Jeffries was a leading Adelaide general practitioner and decorated war-time surgeon. Serving in the Australian Imperial Force from 1914 to 1920, Jefferies worked in France, Egypt, Gallipoli and London. From 1933-1947 he was appointed Inspector General of hospitals in South Australia, which included chairmanship of the Royal Adelaide Hospital Board. Jeffries was acting medical officer for the Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service until his death in 1971.

Details

Jeffries graduated from Medicine at the University of Adelaide in 1907. He spent the next 6- 7 years working at various hospitals around the world including Kadina, South Australia; Johns Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore, United States of America; Children's Hospital, London, United Kingdom; and the Church Missionary Society Hospital, Kashmir. When war broke out in 1914 Jeffries promptly joined the Australian Imperial Force where he served for 6 years. This culminated in Jeffries being appointed lieutenant-colonel and assistant Director of medical services Australian Imperial Force Headquarters, London c1918-1920. Upon his return to Adelaide in 1920, Jeffries went back to general practice and held many prestigious positions, including Inspector General of hospitals in South Australia (1933-47). 1951 saw Jeffries return to the armed forces as camp hospital commander (1951-c1953). Jeffries once again returned to Adelaide where he died in 1971.

Chronology

1900 - 1902

Education - Studied at Prince Alfred College, Adelaide

1903 - 1907

Education - Bachelor of Medicine (MB) and Bachelor of Surgery (BS), University of Adelaide

1914 - 1915

Military service - Captain, Australian Army Medical Corps

1914 - 1920

Military service - First World War. Australian Imperial Force

1916

Award - Distinguished Service Order (DSO)

December 1916 - January 1918

Military service - Major with the 12th Field Ambulance

20 December 1917

Life event - Married Shirley Frances Singleton, St George's Church, Bloomsbury, London

1918? - 1920?

Military service - Leutenant-Colonel and Assistant Director of Medical Services, Australian Imperial Force Headquarters in London

1919

Award - Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)

1920 - 1932

Career position - General Practitioner, in South Australia

1933 - 1947

Career position - Inspector General of Hospitals, South Australia and Chair of the Royal Adelaide Hospital Board

1950? - 1971

Career position - Medical Officer for the Red Cross Blood Transfusion Service, South Australia

1951 - 1953?

Military service - Korean War. Commander at the army camp hospital in Korea?

Archival resources

Australian War Memorial Research Centre

• Lewis Wibmer Jeffries - Records; Australian War Memorial Research Centre. Details

Private hands (Jeffries, J.S.)

• Lewis Wibmer Jeffries - Records, 1884 - 1971; Private hands (Jeffries, J.S.). Details

Published resources

Book Sections

• Gurner, C. M., 'Jeffries, Lewis Wibmer (1884-1971), Medical Practitioner and Soldier' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 9: 1891 - 1939 Gil-Las, Bede Nairn and Geoffrey Serle, eds (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1983), pp. 475-476. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A090467b.htm. Details

Resources

• Wikidata, http://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q21536299. Details
• CA 2001 Australian Imperial Force, Base Records Office, 'NAA: B2455, Jeffries Lewis Wibmer', B2455 First Australian Imperial Force Personnel Dossiers, 1914-1920, National Archives of Australia, RecordSearch, https://RecordSearch.naa.gov.au/scripts/AutoSearch.asp?O=I&Number=7372302. Details
• 'Jeffries, Lewis Wibmer (1884-1971)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1467737. Details