Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Samuel Charles Fitzpatrick was born on the 20th November 1892 at Heyfield VIC, the 5th child and 4th son of John and Ada Fitzpatrick.  He had 1 older sister and 6 brothers...3 older and 3 younger.  There was a younger sister born in 1898 but sadly, she only lived for 7 days. 

Sam grew up at Heyfield attending the Heyfield Primary School and then the Sale Agricultural High School.  With his younger brother David, he boarded in Sale during the week, cycling 45 km from Heyfield each Monday morning and returning the same way on Friday evenings.  Sam had a childhood passion for painting and sketching but was advised by his headmaster, and future father-in-law, John Refshauge, to study medicine.

Sam commenced his medical studies at Queen's College, the University of Melbourne, in 1910 and in that year was bow oar for Queen's 1st VIII in its victorious crew.  In March 1915, Sam graduated with the degrees MB (Batchelor of Medicine) and BS (Batchelor of Surgery).  He was offered a 'house' job at the Royal Melbourne Hospital but elected to take up the position of Resident Medical Officer at Warrnambool Base Hospital.  

On 14th July 1915, aged 22, Sam enlisted for WW1 and was commissioned with the rank of Captain in the Australian Army Medical Corps (AAMC).  He was assigned to the 2nd Australian General Hospital (2AGH) Special Reinforcements.  He’s described as being 5ft 8ins tall with brown eyes, dark hair and a dark complexion.  He embarked from Melbourne on the 17th July 1915 on HMAT Orsova and disembarked on 11th August 1915 at Suez, Egypt.  The 2AGH was located at Gerzira Palace in Cairo at that time, however, his service record doesn’t state that he proceeded there. 

An extract from a letter that Sam sent to his parents, dated 3rd September 1915, states that he was stationed at the 3rd Australian Auxiliary Hospital (3AAH) at that time which was located at the Sporting Club in Heliopolis.  In early October, another letter confirms that he went to Gallipoli where he was temporarily attached to the 3rd Field Ambulance.  On the 8th October Sam left Gallipoli and proceeded to Sarpi Rest Camp at West Mudros on Lemnos Island where he was transferred for duty to the 3rd Infantry Battalion. 

On 27th October he and the 3rd Battalion embarked on HMT Osmanieh and disembarked at Gallipoli 3 days later.  They moved to Shell Green a few days later.  In Sam’s diary he records that `Pills' was one of his more presentable nicknames among the diggers.  A Sergeant told him that 'for bouts of dysentery he had given him a total of 156 pills’.  Sam and the Battalion remained at Shell Green until the evacuation took place on 19th December 1915.  They embarked on HMT Abbassieh and proceeded to Sarpi Camp on Lemnos Island where they spent 4 days before boarding HMTS Simla on Christmas Eve.  They spent Christmas Day on board the ship in Mudros Bay and the following day sailed for Egypt arriving at Alexandria on the 28th.  They disembarked the following day and proceeded by train to Tel-el-Kebir Camp.

The Battalion moved to Serapeum Camp on 29th February 1916 where it was inspected by HRH the Prince of Wales on 19th March.  Two days later they entrained for Alexandria where they embarked on the HMT Grampian for France.  There were 1,500 army personnel on the ship, all of whom were to have typhoid and antityphoid A & B inoculations.  The first injection was to be given during the first 24 hours, the second before disembarking...3,000 hypodermics to be given in 8 days.  From Sam’s diary: “I was the only MO (Medical Officer) on board with several medical details to help.  The equipment consisted of about halfa-dozen hypodermics and a bowl of needles.  When half the needles had been used, they were taken and boiled up while we went on.” 

The Battalion disembarked at Marseilles on 28th March 1916 and proceeded by train to Ebblinghem in northern France.  Over the next 4 months they moved regularly throughout northern France and in late July they took part in the Battle for Pozieres.  From Sam’s diary: “All knew that the Division was 'in for it', a tough job, that Pozières had been attacked several times but not held, it was the hanging in that was to count. 5.9 shells hour after hour cutting us off from the front line and the front line from us...all the trenches wiped out, men buried then dug out and buried again, those who dug them out in turn being buried, the possibility of being shelled by our own guns.”

In September 1916 Sam was awarded the Military Cross for his actions at Pozieres with the following recommendation: “At Pozieres, France, during the period 23rd to 26th July 1916, Captain Fitzpatrick displayed great bravery in dressing wounded in the open under heavy shell fire.  He continuously worked for 4 days among the wounded with little rest or sleep and set a splendid example of that devotion to duty which cannot be too highly praised.”

After Pozieres, Sam and the Battalion moved to Belgium in late August 1916.  Sam took 11 days leave to the UK in early October and re-joined the Battalion at Ouest Mont in France.  He remained with the Battalion until late February 1917 when he was posted for hospital duty to the UK.  Prior to leaving for the UK he was attached for temporary duty to the 1st Field Ambulance as Regimental Medical Officer (RMO).  In early April he took up duty at the 1st Australian Auxiliary Hospital (1AAH) at Harefield Park.  In July 1917 Sam was presented his Military Cross by King George V at Buckingham Palace and in late August he was promoted to the rank of Major.

On 27th June 1918 Sam embarked from Folkestone, UK, for France and transferred for duty to the 9th Field Ambulance.  Following the Armistice in November, Sam spent 2 months at the mouth of the Somme River as Medical Officer to the Australian Corps School at Champneuf Farm near Rue.  Whilst there he spent much of his time attending to German POWs in the adjacent camp and at the same time, he studied German.  

In late February 1919 Sam returned to the UK where a few days later he was hospitalised for a week with an undisclosed condition at the 3rd London General Hospital in Wandsworth.  Upon discharge he took 6 months educational leave and took up the position as house surgeon at the Great Northern Central Hospital in London. 

On 18th July 1919, Sam aged 26, married Moree Isabel Refshauge on her 19th birthday, at Pancras, Middlesex UK.  They had met at Sale High School, where her father was the Principal, and then went to Melbourne University together.  They were engaged shortly before the war and Moree travelled from Australia to London on SS Anchises for the wedding.

In November 1919 Sam was granted a further 6 months educational leave to study for his FRCS degree and became house surgeon at the Royal Free Hospital in London.  Upon demobilisation Sam resigned his appointment with the AIF in late November 1919.  After gaining his FRCS Sam and Moree embarked for Australia on SS Bremen on 28th May 1920.  Initially Sam worked briefly in Wentworth VIC, rowing across the Murray River to get to work.  On 1st July 1920 Sam was appointed to the Reserve of Officers for Victoria. 

Sam and Moree welcomed their first child Mary in September 1920 followed by a son Ian in 1924 and then Elise in 1926. 

In October 1920, Sam took up the position of Medical Superintendent to Hamilton Hospital and Benevolent Asylum (later Hamilton District and Base Hospital).  In July 1925 he was transferred to the AAMC Reserve List. 

In 1927, Sam was responsible for setting up Hamilton’s first private hospital.  He, together with local graziers and businessmen, set up a private company, bought land and built a single-storey hospital which was named Kia-Ora.  It was based on the design of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, USA.  Kia-Ora was open to all doctors in the area.  In 1940 it was bought by the Base Hospital and in the 1970s became known as The Grange Hostel.

In 1928 Sam became a Foundation Fellow of the Royal Australian College of Surgeons.

Hamilton adopted as its slogan ‘Wool Capital of the World”.  Being a sheep farming area, hydatid disease was prevalent in the Hamilton district.  Sam, following study at the Royal College of Surgeons in Melbourne, became skilled in the surgical treatment of this disease and his reputation for the treatment of this disease spread world-wide.  In India in 1958, Rajindera Uppal, a medical student, developed incurable hydatid disease of the spine.  His uncle, a doctor, wrote world-wide asking for help and eventually, the Edinburgh College of Surgeons recommended a surgeon in country Australia.  Sam was contacted and Rajindera arrived in Hamilton in October 1958.  After five operations and bone grafts, the young man recovered sufficiently to take up work as a chemist.  He remained in Australia and surgeon and patient became life-long friends.  Sam and Moree stood in as the groom’s parents at Rajindera’s wedding in 1968.

Sam lectured on hydatid disease throughout Australia, New Zealand and the USA.  He learnt Spanish for his trip to Mexico to lecture at a World Conference in 1970 and in that same year, he retired after 50 years of service to Hamilton and district.

In 1971 he completed his manuscript ‘Hydatid Disease’.  It was never published but a copy is now held by the National Library in Canberra.  In 1972, at the age of 80, Sam did a locum in Queensland.

Sam and Moree were active community workers in Hamilton.  Sam was a committed church member being appointed an Elder of the Presbyterian Church in 1925 and Session Clerk from 1933-1974.  He was a Hamilton City Councillor from 1936-1940 and a member of the Rotary Club from 1937-1991.

On the 16th March 1957 Sam laid the foundation stone at St Andrew’s Peace Memorial Hall in Hamilton.  In 1965, he received a VEF Community Services Award.  He was a Trustee of the Hamilton Art Gallery and an accomplished painter himself, with many of his works displayed in the Hamilton Art Gallery.  He continued to paint and sketch until 1988.

Sam was awarded an MBE in 1967 and a CBE in 1977.  In 1982, the Hamilton Base Hospital named its new wing in his honour and Sam made a speech at the opening.

After 51 years together, Moree died in 1970.  Sam married Margaret O’Sullivan, known as Mamie, on 14th August 1974 in Ballarat VIC.  She was the widow of his friend and colleague, Dr Mitchell O'Sullivan.  They lived in Hamilton initially then lived at Casterton from 1977-1980.  In 1990 they moved into the Eventide Aged Care Home in Hamilton where Sam, aged 98, died on 16th July 1991...a day short of 76 years from when he embarked for Egypt in WW1.  On 23rd July he was cremated at the Ballarat New Cemetery and Crematorium where his ashes were scattered in the grounds.  Sam was survived by his 3 children, 8 grandchildren (3 are medical graduates) and 14 great-grandchildren.  Marnie died the following year. 

Sam had 2 brothers who also serve in WW1.  Fred was wounded 3 times and Theodore was awarded the Military Medal.

Sam is commemorated on the following Memorials...Heyfield State School Roll of Honour WW1, Heyfield Methodist Church Honour Roll WW1, Heyfield Memorial Hall Honour Roll, Sale Agricultural High School Honour Roll.  

A Memorial Garden commemorating Sam was opened on13th October 1995 and is located at Lonsdale Street, Hamilton VIC.  The Gardens were constructed through the generous donations of Rotarians and are designed to give therapeutic assistance to elderly through participation in gardening.

Samuel Charles Fitzpatrick was awarded for service in WW1...the Military Cross, 1914-1915 Star, British War Medal, Victory Medal and the Anzac Commemorative Medallion.   

Respectfully submitted by Sue Smith 26th May 2022.

SOURCES

https://medicine.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0003/2011089/UDS2015372-9.pdf