Person

Derham, Alfred Plumley (1891 - 1962)

CBE MC

Born
12 September 1891
Camberwell, Victoria, Australia
Died
26 June 1962
Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia
Occupation
Physician

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

Chronology

26 August 1914
Military service - Enlisted and posted to 5th Battalion of the Australian Imperial Force (AIF)
1915
Award - Military Cross (MC) - Infantry - 5th Battalion
25 April 1915
Military service - Platoon Commander with the AIF in Gallipoli
August 1915
Military service - Transferred to the 2nd Brigade of the AIF
1918
Education - Bachelor of Medicine (MB) and Bachelor of Surgery (BS), University of Melbourne
1922
Career position - Private practice established in Melbourne
1923
Education - Doctor of Medicine (MD), University of Melbourne
c. 1930 - c
Military service - Field-Ambulance Commander in the Militia with the Australian Army Medical Corps
1940
Military service - Colonel and Assistant Director of Medical Services at the 8th Division
1941
Military service - Assistant Director of Medical Services for the AIF
1941
Military service - 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
Award - Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) - Army - Distinguished service in Malaya in 1942
1946
Military service - AIF appointment terminated

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 Australian dictionary of biography, volume 13: 1940 - 1980 A-De, John Ritchie, ed. (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1993), pp. 618-619. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A130690b.htm. Details

Journal Articles

  • Anderson, Fay, 'Alfred Derham: a Tale of Two Wars', Australasian Science, 21 (2) (2000), 46. Details

Resources

Annette Alafaci

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