Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Excerpt from Blood Sweat and Fears: Medical Practitioners and Medical Students of South Australian who Served in World War 1. Courtesy of the Authors

Edward Wilkinson Deane was born in Lancaster, England on 11th March 1872.  He came to South Australia at the age of two years and attended Prince Alfred College, Adelaide.  He moved to Victoria and he attended Geelong College and studied medicine at Melbourne University graduating in 1895 with MD ChB. He became a senior resident surgeon at the Melbourne Hospital and subsequently a senior resident at the Alfred Hospital.  He started a private practice at Kaniva and later Maryborough in Victoria in 1898. He married Ada Maude Wilcox of Auburn, SA in 1897 and they lived at Park Road, Maryborough. 

Deane enlisted in the AIF on 10th May 1915. He was described as 43 years old and a British subject. He was 5ft 10ins tall and weighed 150lbs. His next of kin was his wife. He was posted to 1 AGH at Heliopolis. He was admitted to 1 AGH with a bladder infection on 29th February 1916 and was deemed temporarily unfit for duty and to be returned to Australia.  He was transferred to 3 AGH at Abbassia and his wife was informed that he was dangerously ill.  He died of gastritis and acute cystitis on 4th April 1916.  His leather trunk containing all his belongs was despatched back to Australia in November 1916.  His wife received his medals, the 1914-15 star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal in 1922.  She also received a memorial plaque and a pamphlet “Where the Australians Rest”.  Edward Wilkinson Deane was buried in the Cairo British Cemetery in Egypt.