The 8th Field Ambulance was a medical unit of the

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (Austral ...

. It was originally formed for service during World War I as part of the Australian Imperial Force, and served mainly on the Western Front between 1916 and 1918, before disbanding in early 1919. During World War II, the unit was re-raised as a

Militia A militia () is generally an army or some other fighting organization of non-professional soldiers, citizens of a country, or subjects of a state, who may perform military service during a time of need, as opposed to a professional force of r ...

unit and served in Western Australia, New Guinea and Bougainville. During the Vietnam War, the unit served in Vung Tau in support of the

1st Australian Task Force The 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) was a brigade-sized formation which commanded Australian and New Zealand Army units deployed to South Vietnam between 1966 and 1972. 1 ATF was based in a rubber plantation at Nui Dat, north of Bà Rịa i ...

between 1967 and 1968, before being disbanded in 1972. The unit's designation is now perpetuated by one for the 1st Close Health Battalion's close health companies.

History

The 8th Field Ambulance was first formed during World War I, being raised in Egypt in January 1916, when the Australian Imperial Force was expanded following the unsuccessful Gallipoli Campaign. Assigned to the 8th Brigade, 5th Division, the 8th Field Ambulance was subsequently deployed to the Western Front. Responsible for providing second line evacuation from

regimental aid post {{unreferenced, date=February 2013 In the British Army, Canadian Forces and other Commonwealth militaries, the Regimental Aid Post (RAP) is a front-line military medical establishment incorporated into an infantry battalion or armoured regiment for ...

s that were deployed forward with the attacking troops, to casualty clearing stations, Australian field ambulances at the time consisted of 10 officers and 224 other ranks and were organised into a headquarters and two company-sized sub-divisions known as the "tent sub-division" and the "bearer sub-division". The unit's first major battle came during the disastrous

Battle of Fromelles The Attack at Fromelles (, Battle of Fromelles, Battle of Fleurbaix or ) 19–20 July 1916, was a military operation on the Western Front during the First World War. The attack was carried out by British and Australian troops and was subsidiary ...

in July 1916, after which it served throughout the remainder of the war supporting the 8th Brigade's operations in France and Belgium. The unit's last war diary entry was made in March 1919, after which it was disbanded. AWM E02843A 8th Australian Field Ambulance stretcher bearers

AWM E02843A 8th Australian Field Ambulance stretcher bearers

During the Second World War, the 8th Field Ambulance was re-raised as a

unit in

Geraldton, Western Australia Geraldton (Wajarri: ''Jambinu'', Wilunyu: ''Jambinbirri'') is a coastal city in the Mid West region of the Australian state of Western Australia, north of the state capital, Perth. At June 2018, Geraldton had an urban population of 37,648. ...

, in 1942. It later deployed on active service during the

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu Hiri Motu, also known as Police Motu, Pidgin Motu, or just Hiri, is a language of Papua New Guinea, which is spoken in surrounding areas of Port Moresby (Capital of Papua New Guinea). It is a simplified version of ...

and

Bougainville Campaign The Bougainville campaign was a series of land and naval battles of the Pacific campaign of World War II between Allied forces and the Empire of Japan, named after the island of Bougainville. It was part of Operation Cartwheel, the Allied ...

s. Another unit with a similar designation, the 2/8th Field Ambulance, was also raised within the

Second Australian Imperial Force The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF, or Second AIF) was the name given to the volunteer expeditionary force of the Australian Army in the Second World War. It was formed following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany, with an initial ...

; this unit was formed mainly from South Australian volunteers and served with the 9th Division during the North African campaign, including the

siege of Tobruk The siege of Tobruk lasted for 241 days in 1941, after Axis forces advanced through Cyrenaica from El Agheila in Operation Sonnenblume against Allied forces in Libya, during the Western Desert Campaign (1940–1943) of the Second World War. ...

in 1941, before later serving during the

Huon Peninsula campaign The Huon Peninsula campaign was a series of battles fought in north-eastern Papua New Guinea in 1943–1944 during the Second World War. The campaign formed the initial part of an offensive that the Allies launched in the Pacific in late 1943 ...

, and the

Borneo campaign The Borneo campaign or Second Battle of Borneo was the last major Allied campaign in the South West Pacific Area during World War II to liberate Japanese-held British Borneo and Dutch Borneo. Designated collectively as Operation Oboe, ...

. In early April 1966, the unit was re-raised with the intent to deploy to South Vietnam as part of Australia's contribution to the Vietnam War, and was based initially at

Puckapunyal, Victoria Puckapunyal (more formally the Puckapunyal Military Area, but also known as the Puckapunyal Camp or Puckapunyal Army Base, and colloquially as "Pucka") is an Australian Army training facility and base 10 km west of Seymour, in central Vi ...

. The unit was staffed primarily by

Citizens Military Force The Australian Army Reserve is a collective name given to the reserve units of the Australian Army. Since the Federation of Australia in 1901, the reserve military force has been known by many names, including the Citizens Forces, the Citizen ...

(CMF) medical officers on full-time service. A year-long period of training followed before the unit finally deployed, arriving at Vung Tau in late April 1967, and taking over from the 2nd Field Ambulance. Forming part of the

1st Australian Logistic Support Group The 1st Australian Logistic Support Group (1 ALSG) was a ground support unit of the Australian Army during the Vietnam War located at the 1st Australian Support Compound in Vũng Tàu Vũng Tàu (''Hanoi accent:'' , ''Saigon accent:'' ) is the la ...

, the unit's main force of about 100 personnel established a field hospital at Vung Tau capable of supporting about 50 patients. A smaller team of around

platoon A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrols. Platoon organization varies depending on the country and the branch, but a platoon can be composed of 50 people, although specific platoons may range ...

-strength deployed forward inland, working directly with the

's deployed infantry battalions. In 1968, the field hospital was redesignated the 1st Australian Field Hospital as the medical services in Vietnam were expanded, although the forward medical detachment retained the 8th Field Ambulance designation. It was subsequently disbanded in 1972 following the conclusion of its tour.

Perpetuation

The 8th Field Ambulance's numerical designation is perpetuated by the 8th Close Health Company (8 CHC), which forms part of the 1st Close Health Battalion. This sub-unit is assigned to the 17th Sustainment Brigade and was previously designated the 1st Health Support Battalion. 8 CHC was formed in 2011 from the 1st Combat Service Support Battalion's (1 CSSB) health company, following a restructure of Army health elements, which resulted in the CSSBs losing their integral health companies. 8 CHC is currently based in Darwin and provides close health support to the 1st Brigade.

History

Perpetuation

References

Further reading