241735 Mjr. Brooke Moore MID.Australian Army 2/5th Australian General Field Hospital Australian Medical Corps from:Bathurst, NSW In 1940 Dr Brooke Moore again enlisted and served with distinction as a specialist surgeon with the rank of major in the 2/5th Australian General Field Hospital. About half of 2/5 AGH's staff were evacuated from Greece before it fell to the Germans but the remainder, including Dr. Moore, were captured on 27th of April 1941. The hospital was allowed to continue to operate from various locations in Athens, where he performed surgery on many Australian, New Zealand and British battle casualties, until in December 1941 its staff and patients were dispersed to various POW camps in Germany.
Dr. Moore ended up in Stalag 383 at Hohenfels, near Nuremburg, where he formed a branch of the St John Ambulance Brigade and became known for the way in which he stood up to the Germans, demanding the best possible treatment for his patients. As a result of his wartime service, be was mentioned in several books written about the evacuation and the treatment of prisoners.
"The following clipping from the
London Sunday Express was forward
ed to the National Advocate by WO
K. A. Nichols of 85 Piper Street, Bathurst, and who is still serving with
the RAAF in England: 'Dr. Brook Moore In German Prison Camp. This is an
account of probably the first flag of
the United Nations to fly unmolested
in Germany during this war. I made
a Union Jack from a New Zealand
parcel wrapper, it was hoisted at
midnight, December 31, 1943, on to the
roof of one of the three escapees
huts in Stalag 383, Bavaria. The
ceremony was the climax to a party
to welcome the New year with its
promise of landing in France. Present were the 14 occupants of the huts
all men with several attempted escapes
to their credit, and some of their
friends. At midnight the party paraded outside the hut and the Union
Jack was hoisted. It flew unmolosted
until noon, January 1, 1944, when it
was taken down and shared between
the members of the hut. During its
reign it was saluted by two officers.
Major Brooke Moore of the Australian
Medical Corps, and one of the camp
security officers. Hauptmann Katschorek.' Henry Vies Sugijit, ex-L.Sgt, 5
Ridg. BEF. 15 Wold Road. Hull." from the National Advocate, Bathurst, NSW 1st of September 1945.
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