William Brian "Digger" James interviewed by Terry Colhoun [sound recording]
- Bib ID:
- 2471632
- Format:
- Audio
- Author:
- James, Digger (William Brian), 1930-2015, interviewee
- Online Version:
- National Library of Australia digitised item
- Access Conditions:
- Access open for research, personal copies and public use.
- Description:
-
- 1999
- 11 digital audio tapes (approx. 10 hr. 49 min.)
- Summary:
-
James speaks of his childhood growing up at Shepparton, Vic., his Irish father established the first fruit orchard and later was a founding member of the Shepparton Preserving Co. (SPC), how he got his nickname Digger, the loss of his older brother in WWII, how he came to enter the Royal Military College at Duntroon where he was particularly interested in football, graduated in 1951, first posting as a Lieutenant Platoon Commander, in 1952 he was posted to Korea where he lost half a leg to a landmine, how he adapted to his artificial leg, posted as Adjutant at the Armoured School at Puckapunyal but eventually decided he had no future as a regular army officer and resigned his commission, how he undertook medicine at University of Sydney in 1957 and graduating in 1963 as resident physician, Ryde District Soldiers Memorial Hospital later rejoining the Army as a medical officer and Captain, how he was posted to Vietnam in 1968 with the First Australian Task Force at Nui Dat returning to Canberra as Lieutenant Colonel.
James discusses how he undertook postgraduate study in England in 1969 qualifying in tropical medicine and industrial & public health, how with the assistance of the old boy network he obtained the Prime Minister's approval to go to Biafra to re-establish a health service in Ozoro, in 1971 he returned to Brisbane promoted to Colonel and became Deputy Director, Army Medical Services, Northern Command, his involvement in relief work in Brisbane as well as Darwin during Cyclone Tracy, became Queensland Assistant District Surgeon for St. John's Ambulance, in 1975 promoted to Brigadier and posted to Melbourne as Director of Army Medical Services, how he modernised the medical corps, how he declined to resign the Army to take up a directorship of Pratt Industries, how he provided Fred Hollows with a mobile field hospital as a base for his work on Aboriginal eye problems in Northern Territory and his observations of the Aborigines.
James talks about becoming Director General of Army Medical Services in 1982 as a Major General as well as Honorary Physician to the Queen, in 1986 he retired from the Army and decided to settle in Brisbane, how he adapted to civilian life and became Queensland Director of Pratt Industries, invited to assist the Minister of Veteran Affairs by becoming Chairman of the National Advisory Committee on Vietnam Counselling Service to address problems of Vietnam servicemen, in 1991 he became Qld Vice-President of the Returned Services League (RSL) then in 1993 became the National President where he was active in regaining the support of Paul Keating and further RSL issues including the repatriation of the Unknown Australian Soldier and his entombment, his involvement on the Council of the Australian War Memorial, his involvement as a Monarchist delegate at the Australian Constitutional Convention.
- Biography/History:
-
William Brian "Digger" James - Major General in the Australian Armed Forces
- Notes:
-
- Recorded on Feb. 15-17, 1999.
- Also available online http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-206649740
- Index/Finding Aid Note:
- Detailed summary available (1 p.) plus biographical details (4 p.) and uncorrected transcript (typescript, 270 leaves).
- Subject:
-
- James, Digger (Wiliam Brian), 1930-2015 -- Interviews
- Australia. Army. Army Medical Services
- Australia. Army. Army Medical Services -- Surgeons
- Returned Services League of Australia -- Employees -- Interviews
- Returned Services League of Australia -- History
- Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Medical care -- Australia
- Mobile hospitals -- Korea (South)
- Surgeons general (Medical personnel) -- Australia -- Interviews
- Physicians -- Australia -- Interviews
- Military medicine -- History -- Australia
- Occupation:
- Other authors/contributors:
- Colhoun, Terry, 1924-, interviewer
- Copyright:
-
In Copyright
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- Reason for copyright status:
- Until 2069 [Created/Published Date + 70 Years]
Copyright status was determined using the following information:
- Material type:
- Sound Recording
- Published status:
- Unpublished
- Creation date:
- 1999
Copyright status may not be correct if data in the record is incomplete or inaccurate. Other access conditions may also apply. For more information please see: Copyright in library collections.
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