Wilfred Stanley Wallis (15 May 1891 – 20 September 1957) was a New Zealand doctor of

orthopaedics Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics ( alternatively spelt orthopaedics), is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgical and nonsurgical means to treat musculoskeletal ...

and medical administrator, who served as a medical officer during the First World War. Born in

Christchurch Christchurch ( ; mi, Ōtautahi) is the largest city in the South Island of New Zealand and the seat of the Canterbury Region. Christchurch lies on the South Island's east coast, just north of Banks Peninsula on Pegasus Bay. The Avon River / ...

, he studied medicine at the

University of Otago , image_name = University of Otago Registry Building2.jpg , image_size = , caption = University clock tower , motto = la, Sapere aude , mottoeng = Dare to be wise , established = 1869; 152 years ago , type = Public research collegiate u ...

. During the First World War, he served on the staff of No.
New Zealand Stationary Hospital
and also received training in orthopaedics. After the war he worked at a hospital in

Rotorua Rotorua () is a city in the Bay of Plenty region of New Zealand's North Island. The city lies on the southern shores of Lake Rotorua, from which it takes its name. It is the seat of the Rotorua Lakes District, a territorial authority encompass ...

before going into private practice. He returned to military service in the Second World War as a superintendent of a convalescent hospital in Rotorua. He remained in charge of the hospital after the war and was made an officer of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

in 1948. He died suddenly having shortly returned to private practice.

Early life

Born in the

suburb of

Opawa Opawa is an inner suburb of Christchurch, New Zealand, located 2.5 kilometres south-east of the city centre. The name is a contraction of "Ōpāwaho", which, in Māori, means a place of ('ō') an outer '' pā'' or outpost ('pāwaho'). "Ōpāwa ...

, in New Zealand, on 15 May 1891, Wilfred Stanley Wallis was the son of Eliza and John Wallis. His father, a carpenter, was an emigrant from

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. Wallis was educated at Christchurch Boys’ High School and in 1910, began studying medicine at the

. He was one of a number of medical students from Otago who were involved in the smallpox epidemic in late 1913, helping with a vaccination drive amongst the

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

population in the

North Island The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...

, who were the most vulnerable to the virus. His work was subsequently publicly recognised by the Minister of Health,

Heaton Rhodes Sir Robert Heaton Rhodes (27 February 1861 – 30 July 1956), usually known as Sir Heaton Rhodes, was a New Zealand politician and lawyer. Life Rhodes was born in Purau on Banks Peninsula, the son of sheep farmer and politician Robert Heaton ...

First World War

Wallis graduated from Otago in June 1915 with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MB, ChB) and soon after afterwards enlisted in the New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) for service with the

New Zealand Medical Corps New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz (South Korean band), The Boyz Albums and EPs * New (album), ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartn ...

in the First World War. Before his departure to the Middle East, he married Elsie Ada Williams in

Timaru Timaru (; mi, Te Tihi-o-Maru) is a port city in the southern Canterbury Region of New Zealand, located southwest of Christchurch and about northeast of Dunedin on the eastern Pacific coast of the South Island. The Timaru urban area is home to ...

. Once he arrived in Egypt, he served on the staff of No. 1 New Zealand Stationary Hospital. At the time, the NZEF was heavily engaged in the Gallipoli campaign and its casualties had been treated in British hospitals in the area. With the establishment of the hospital at

Port Said Port Said ( ar, بورسعيد, Būrsaʿīd, ; grc, Πηλούσιον, Pēlousion) is a city that lies in northeast Egypt extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea, north of the Suez Canal. With an approximate population of 6 ...

, it began receiving New Zealand patients from other hospitals. No. 1 New Zealand Stationary Hospital was subsequently transferred to Salonika, where it served until March 1916, returning to Egypt. From June 1916, it was based in France. The following year Wallis was sent to England, where he received training in

, under the tutelage of Sir Robert Jones. By the end of the war, Wallis was a

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Later life

Returning to Christchurch following his discharge from the NZEF, in March 1919 Wallis applied for registration as a medical practitioner. The following year he took up an appointment as superintendent of King George V Military Hospital in

. This was a rehabilitation centre for returning wounded soldiers but when it transitioned to civilian use and control, under the auspices of the

Department of Health A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their ow ...

, he advocated strongly for local Māori to utilise its services, rather than relying on tribal sources of medical treatment, such as herbs or ''

tohunga In the culture of the Māori of New Zealand, a tohunga (tōhuka in Southern Māori dialect) is an expert practitioner of any skill or art, either religious or otherwise. Tohunga include expert priests, healers, navigators, carvers, builders, teache ...

''. In 1926 he became a general practitioner in Rotorua, working in this capacity for a number of years. Along with noted orthopaedic surgeon, Alexander Gillies, he helped found the New Zealand Crippled Children Society in 1935, becoming its vice-president. During the Second World War, Wallis returned to military service by becoming the superintendent of a convalescent hospital for servicemen in Rotorua, holding the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

. This hospital had been established in March 1942 as a centre for treatment of orthopaedic cases, and had a capacity of 150 beds. After the war, the facility became the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and Wallis was its first superintendent. In the

1948 New Year Honours The 1948 New Year Honours were appointments by many of the Commonwealth realms of King George VI to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. They were announced on 1 January 1948 for the Britis ...

, his work with returned servicemen was recognised with an appointment as an officer of the

. Interested in art, he helped establish the Rotorua Society of Arts. Although he had limited training in painting, he was influenced by John Weeks and produced a number of abstract works. Wallis resigned as superintendent in March 1957 for health reasons. He resumed private practice a few months later but died suddenly at Rotorua on 20 September 1957. He was survived by his wife and the couple's two children.

Notes

References

* *

External links

Examples of artwork by Wallis
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wallis, Wilfred Stanley 1891 births 1957 deaths New Zealand general practitioners Medical doctors from Christchurch University of Otago alumni New Zealand military personnel of World War I New Zealand military personnel of World War II 20th-century New Zealand male artists New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire People educated at Christchurch Boys' High School