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SEYMOUR Stanley Liddelow MD BSc CM

1910-1942

Stanley Liddelow Seymour was born on 14th November 1910, in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. He was the son of the Reverend John Alfred Seymour, a Canadian, and his Australian wife Elsie, nee Liddelow. The family moved to Adelaide, in 1912, where the Reverend Seymour was Minister of Scots Church, Adelaide, and instrumental in the formation of Scotch College, Adelaide, from Kyre College in 1919, and also in the establishment of the Presbyterian Girls College (PGC), Adelaide in 1922.  The title PGC was changed to Seymour College in 1977.  Seymour was educated at Prince Alfred College, then Scotch College and studied medicine at McGill University, Montreal, graduating in 1934.  He was a resident medical officer at Montreal General Hospital in 1935.  He returned to Adelaide, in 1936, and was appointed a demonstrator in pathology and bacteriology at the University of Adelaide.  Seymour married Canadian, Elizabeth (Betty) Hyman Elliot, on 7th May 1936. She was the daughter of Gordon Earle Elliot and Edna, nee Hyman, of Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Seymour’s military service began in the militia (CMF) as RMO to the Garrison Artillery at Fort Largs SA.  He transferred to the 2/AIF on 21st June 1940 and was posted as an RMO to 2/27th Bn. He named his wife as his next of kin; they were living at 58 King William Road, Hyde Park at the time.    Posted as OC A Coy 2/8th FdAmb, 9 Div in the rank of major; he embarked for Palestine in the Middle East, on 29th December 1940 and served in the Cyrenaica campaign, Libya.  When 9 Div replaced 6 Div, 2/8th FdAmb was widely dispersed with Seymour and the A Coy ADS set up at Barce, 60miles north-east of Benghazi. Later, in Tobruk, 2/8th FdAmb was located in the Italian ammunition bunkers on the slopes at Fort Solaro.  Late in October 1941, 9 Div and 18 Bde of 7 Div left by sea for Egypt.  The French hospital was operated by 2/8th FdAmb, at Aleppo, northern Syria until July 1942. The unit then returned to Egypt with 9 Div and was involved in the first battle of El Alamein in August 1942, and later the third battle of El Alamein beginning on the night of 22nd to 23rd October 1942.  (The second battle is known as the battle of Alam Halfa). Seymour was out in the open treating a wounded soldier, on 25 Oct 1942, when a German artillery barrage commenced.  He rolled the soldier into a shallow ditch and lay on top of him.  Seymour was severely wounded and later died.  The soldier survived.  An excellent leader, before his death, Seymour had been recommended for the DSO.  Major Stanley Liddelow Seymour is buried in the Commonwealth War Cemetery at El Alamein.  He was survived by his wife, Betty, who, in 1945, married Dr John Yeatman, who served as a MO in 2/AIF. Yeatman later became a leading general practitioner in the southern suburbs of Adelaide. Seymour’s son, Associate Professor Anthony Seymour, became a senior histo-pathologist in SA at the RAH, TQEH and at Gribbles Pathology.

Source

Blood, Sweat and Fears III: Medical Practitioners South Australia, who Served in World War 2. 

Swain, Jelly, Verco, Summers. Open Books Howden, Adelaide 2019. 

Uploaded by Annette Summers AO RFD

Stanley Liddelow SEYMOUR was born on 14th November, 1910 in New Haven, Connecticut

His parents were Rev. John Alfred SEYMOUR and Elsie LIDDELOW - his mother was born in Melbourne & married on 16th June, 1909 in Newhaven Connecticut where Stanley was born the following year

The family moved to South Australia & Stanley studied at Scotch College in Adelaide & later moved to Canada where he studied at the McGill University in Montreal, Canada - this is where he met his wife Elizabeth (Betty) ELLIOT and they married in Montreal in 1936 & came back to South Australia on a cargo boat (see attached newspaper articles/stories for further details) He was awarded a Bachelor of Medicine & a Bachelor of Surgery in 1936 - he had spent 8 years in Canada before he arrived in Australia & his wife Elizabeth was Canadian by birth

He enlisted in Hyde Park, Adelaide, South Australia on 21st June, 1940 and embarked with the 2nd 8th Field Ambulance (Australian Army Medical Corp) from Melbourne on 3rd December, 1940 on the ship HMT Mauretania

Stanley was Killed in Action in Egypt on 25th October, 1942 and is buried in El Alamein War Cemetery, Plot 10, Row A, Grave 1

His name is memorialised on the Australian War Memorial, the Roll of Honour in Adelaide,  the WW2 Wall of Remembrance in Adelaide & the Adelaide HB03 Scots Church

Stanley left a Widow and one Son