Six: Corporal H. Mitelman, 2/4th Australian General Hospital

1939-45 Star; Africa Star; Pacific Star; Defence and War Medals 1939-45; Australian Service Medal 1939-45, all officially inscribed, ‘VX. 23881 H. Mitelman’, mounted as worn, generally good very fine (6) £150-200

Henry Mitelman, who was born in West Melbourne, Victoria, in January 1901, and Jewish by descent, enlisted in the Australian Military Forces at Caulfield, Victoria, in June 1940, and subsequently served as a Corporal in 2/4th Australian General Hospital.

The unit’s finest hour was at Tobruk in March-September 1941, when over 34,000 patients were examined, and nearly 14,000 of these admitted to the hospital - 2,650 operations being performed on the latter. In addition, another 14,800 were treated at Aid Posts, and 7,900 evacuated. Further casualties were sustained when the hospital was badly bombed on 10 April 1941. Later still, 2/4th General Hospital handled another 10,000 patients at Jerusalem, Colombo and Labuan, a record of service seldom surpassed.

Mitelman, who was discharged in October 1944, died in 1966; sold with brief research.