Virtual
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Australia

August Lyle Buchanan was born on 4th April 1891 at Singleton NSW.  He was the youngest child and only son of Arthur and Alberta Buchanan with  older sisters Agnes and Louise.  He went by his middle name Lyle and his early schooling took place at Arncliffe Superior Public School, a western suburb of Sydney NSW, where he won a 4 year scholarship to Sydney Boys High School commencing in 1905.  In his last year there, 1908, he matriculated with all A’s across 10 subjects.  He won the Aitkin Scholarship for proficiency and was also school Captain.  He was runner-up Dux for the Lithgow Scholarship for French and German subsequently winning the John West Medal and the Grahame Prize Medal for general proficiency, these being the highest honours attainable.  He commenced his medical studies at Sydney University in 1909 and while there served 18 months with the Sydney University Scouts, an officer-training regiment of the Australian Army.  He graduated in 1914 MB and Ch.M then went on staff at Sydney Hospital.  Lyle was a local preacher with the Methodist Church for the Lewisham Circuit.  

On the 1st July 1914 he was appointed as a Captain with the Australian Army Medical Corps (AAMC) then on the 18th August aged 23, he enlisted with the AIF and 10 days later was granted a Commission.  He was assigned to the 1st Field Artillery Brigade as Regimental Medical Officer and reported for duty to the military camp at the Sydney Showgrounds a few days later.  He embarked from Sydney on 18th October 1914 on HMAT Argyllshire and sailed with the 1st Convoy from Albany on the 1st November.  Upon arrival in Egypt in early December he proceeded to Mena Camp.

In late January 1916 Lyle transferred to the 3rd Australian Field Ambulance (3rd FA) at Mena Camp and on 3rd March embarked with the unit from Alexandria on HMAT Malda.  The ship anchored in Mudros Bay off Lemnos Island 3 days later.  A month later, in preparation for the landings on the Gallipoli Peninsula, the Bearer Division of the 3rd FA with 3 Officers…Captains Conrick, (A Section), Fry (B Section) and McWhae (C Section)…plus 114 ranks, transhipped to HMT Ionian.  On the 19th April they transhipped to HMT Suffolk then on the 21st, Captain Conrick fell ill so Lyle replaced him to take command of A Section.  On the 24th April the unit transhipped to the HMAT Devanha and then to the Destroyer HMS Ribble which arrived off shore of Anzac Cove in the early hours of the 25th.  The unit disembarked into row boats and went ashore under heavy fire at 4.30am with the first wave landing just north of Anzac Cove.  The following is a quote of Lyle’s from an article called “The Landing”: 

“I don’t know what it was, shrapnel, maxim or rifle fire - I was frightened to look, but I was never so frightened in my life as when I had to stand up in the bow to dominate the men (to keep rowing)... I could feel the damned things hitting me all the time in my imagination, while we couldn’t see the other boats for the spouts of spray all around, and the men hit yelped and then whined and clawed the air as they died.”

During the day on the 25th Lyle established a Collecting Post for the wounded near Fisherman’s Hut on North Beach.  By the end of the first day the casualties for the unit were 2 killed, 18 wounded and 4 missing.  Two days later Lyle established a Dressing Station at the head of Monash Valley.  On the 28th Captain McWhae was wounded so Lyle took command of C Section and Captain Conrick, who returned to duty that day, took command of A Section.  One of the bearers in C Section under Lyle’s command was the now legendary John (Jack) Simpson.  Lyle warned Jack of “the inevitable result of wounding or worse” if he chose to continue with his donkey trips.  Simpson chose to continue and paid the price on the 19th May 1915 when a sniper’s bullet through the heart killed him while he was transporting a patient to the beach dressing station.  The following is a quote of Lyle’s from “The Landing” describing the situation in Monash Valley: “Other people using the valley had a dozen waist-high shelter spots…Simpson had really only one spot on the way which sheltered him and his donkey.  He had earned the Victoria Cross fifty times.”   

In early May Lyle established a Dressing Station at Shrapnel Gully then in early July had temporary duty with the 6th Light Horse Battalion as Medical Officer.  On the 6th August he took command once again of A Section and 9 days later was admitted to the 1st Australian Casualty Clearing Station with dysentery.  He was evacuated on HMHS Rewa to the British Mounted Field Ambulance at Mudros on Lemon Island then later evacuated on HMHS Assaye to Alexandria and admitted to the 19th British General Hospital.  In early November he was admitted to the Convalescent Depot at Helouan where he spent 3 weeks before being discharged. 

On the 14th January 1916 Lyle was admitted to 1st Australian General Hospital at Heliopolis with influenza and was discharged 4 days later.  On the 6th February he was appointed to command the Australian Base Depot Medical Stores and given the rank of temporary Major whilst in command.  He held that position until the 3rd August when he embarked for the UK from Alexandria on HMT Tunisian.  Upon arrival in the UK he proceeded to the Australian Base Depot Medical Stores at Bhurtpore Barracks in Tidworth. 

On the 31st March 1917 Lyle was appointed Deputy Assistant Director of Medical Services (DADMS) of AIF Depots in the UK.  He proceeded to France on the 6th July and transferred to the 5th Australian Field Ambulance joining them at Avesnes.  In mid- September he was placed in charge of the Advanced Dressing Station (ADS) at Menin Road just outside Ypres, Belgium.  Five days later on the 20th the Battle of Menin Road commenced and Lyle assumed command of the Unit when it’s Commanding Officer, Captain J J Nicholas, was killed that day.  This battle was part of the 3rd Battle of Ypres.   

In mid-October Lyle took leave to Paris for 6 days then returned to the 5th Field Ambulance as CO until mid-December when he handed over command to Lieutenant Colonel W L Crowther before taking leave to the UK.  He re-joined the 5th FA at Nieppe France in early January 1918 then in mid-February was appointed to command the 2nd Australian Auxiliary Hospital at Southall in England and given the rank of temporary Lieutenant Colonel whilst in command. 

Lyle was awarded in a mention in Sir Douglas Haig’s despatch on 7th April 1918 for his actions during the Battle of Menin Road.  In October 1918 he took extended leave, known as Anzac Leave, which was given to those who enlisted in 1914.  His appointment was terminated on 16th October 1919 in the UK when he applied for, and was granted, special study leave to complete post-graduate surgical studies in England at Middlesex Hospital.  He graduated a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons (FRCS) Edinburgh in 1919 and FRCS England in 1920 and was later elected a Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians (FRACP).  He proceeded to the Mayo Clinic in New York USA to do further study before returning to Australia via Vancouver Canada on RMS Niagara arriving in Sydney on the 14th August 1920. 

At then end of March 1921 Lyle transferred to the 16th Australian Field Ambulance and on the 1st September that year he was promoted to Major.  That very same day he married Evelyn Yule at Scots Church Melbourne VIC.  Also in 1921 he was appointed as Assistant Surgeon at Sydney Hospital with his consulting rooms being at 231 Macquarie Street.  In 1922 he was appointed Regimental Medical Officer with the 55th Battalion then promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in 1924.  From January 1924 till 1928 he shared a private practice at 761 Darling Street Rozelle, an inner western suburb of Sydney.  In 1926 he took command of the 14th Australian Field Ambulance and held that position for 4 years before transferring to the Unattached List. 

In 1928 Lyle and Evelyn welcomed a son whom they called Lyle. 

In 1934 Lyle was appointed as Surgeon at Sydney Hospital and in October that year was appointed Assistant Director of Medical Services (ADMS) to the 1st Cavalry Division with the temporary rank of Colonel.  He was awarded the Volunteer Officers’ Decoration for long and meritorious military service.  

Lyle and Evelyn divorced in 1939 and that same year Lyle published a book…“Air Raid Precautions In Peace and War.”  Also in 1939, Lyle invented a new splint for the treatment of broken limbs which was known as the ‘Lyle Buchanan Splint’. 

On 20th December 1940, 49 year old Lyle married 20 year old Maisie Bowman at the Wesley Chapel in Kings Cross NSW.  In May 1942 they welcomed a daughter Gael and the following year their son Garth was born followed another daughter, Robyn, in 1945.  Also in 1945 Lyle was placed on the Retired Officers List of the AAMC.  From 1946-1949 Lyle was the Senior Surgeon for the Sydney and Hornsby Hospitals. 

Lyle and Maisie went on a world tour in 1949 and while on a bus trip in New York on 15th November they were involved in an accident with a truck.  Twelve people on the bus were injured including Maisie who suffered minor injuries while Lyle suffered facial, head and internal injuries, a fractured rib and a fractured wrist.  Lyle filed a suit claiming $315,000 damages for their injuries and stated that his injuries left him unable to continue his surgical career.  In October 1920 Lyle settled the claim for $55,000. 

In 1950 Lyle was made the Senior Honorary Surgeon at Sydney Hospital.  He was an executive member of the Life Saving Society of Australia and an active member of St John’s Ambulance Association.  In 1963 Lyle was made Commander of the Order of St John of Jerusalem.  He was a foundation member of the NSW Golf Club and enjoyed fishing, camping and playing tennis. 

After 32 years of marriage to Maisie, Lyle died on 1st May 1972 at Sydney Hospital aged 81.  He is commemorated on the Sydney Hospital WW1 Roll of Honour. 

August Lyle Buchanan was awarded for service in WW1 the a Mention in Despatches, the 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal and the Anzac Commemorative Medallion.

Respectfully submitted by Sue Smith 18th July 2022.

Sources

https://familyhistorybyclaytontalbot.weebly.com/august-lyle-buchanan.html

https://livesonline.rcseng.ac.uk/client/en_GB/lives/print/direct?qu=LIVES_OCCUPATION%3D%22General+surgeon%22&qf=LIVES_HONOURS%09Titles%2FQualifications%09FRACS%09FRACS&d=ent%3A%2F%2FSD_ASSET%2F0%2FSD_ASSET%3A377860%7E%7E0&pe=d%3A&ic=true&h=8

https://heuristplus.sydney.edu.au/heurist/viewers/record/renderRecordData.php?db=ExpertNation&recID=2548