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

Colin Gurner was born on 25th May 1896 the second son of Walter and Hannah, nee Fry and brought up in Marryatville, SA. His great grandfather had migrated from England in 1849 eventually settling in Riverton, South Australia. He was educated at Prince Alfred College and studied medicine at the University of Adelaide where he graduated MB BS in 1918. He played football and tennis for the university eventually captaining both teams and being awarded a Blue for each.

During his medical course he had joined the Citizens Military Force and after his graduation was appointed captain in the AAMC on 26th November 1918. This appointment was terminated on 17th December 1919. His brother Leonard, a lieutenant in the infantry, was killed in action in July 1918.

Gurner entered general practice with Ernest and Lincoln Borthwick in the Payneham and Marryatville areas. He joined the radiology practice of Stanley Verco in 1930 and, with his wife and two sons, he left Adelaide to study radiology in Vienna, London and the United States in 1931. Not long after his return to South Australia and partnership with Dr Verco in Verco Buildings on North Terrace he was appointed honorary assistant radiologist and radiotherapist at the Adelaide Hospital and the Adelaide Children's Hospital. He became a member of the SA State Committee of the Australian and New Zealand Association of Radiologists in 1938 and remained a member until 1950. Gurner joined the AAMC in October 1939 and was posted to 2 AGH. Joining Leonard Charles Edward Lindon and Edmond Britten-Jones at Puckapunyal they found the circumstances offered at the Menzies Hotel in Melbourne more desirable than a shared tent and became known as the ‘MX contingent (the Menzies Expeditionary Force)’.  Gurner embarked for the Middle East in 1940 and set up at Kantara on the Suez Canal. He returned to Australia in March 1942 and Gurner was to take a number of military posts around Adelaide and did not go overseas again.  The Gurner home became an unofficial ‘officers mess’ for officers billeted all over Adelaide. He returned to his work at Adelaide and Adelaide Children's Hospitals and the Verco, Gurner and Smeaton radiological practice much to the relief of Bronte Smeaton who had had the lion’s share of the work as his partners were engaged in their military duties. After Smeaton’s death the practice was joined firstly by Peter Verco, Stanley Verco’s son and later Gurner’s son, Colin.  Gurner was a heavy smoker, and was showing signs of vascular degeneration. When his son joined the regular army in 1960 he retired from practice. Colin Gurner died on 15th February 1962. His wife, Jessie, died a few weeks later. He was survived by his children including Colin who later became Major General Gurner AO CBE ED QHP, DGMS.

Sources:

Ryan J, Sutton K, Baigent M., ‘Australasian Radiology' McGraw Hill, Sydney, 1996.

http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/NameSearch/Interface/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=4380383

http://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/NameSearch/Interface/ItemDetail.aspx?Barcode=4380385

Additional information WW2

Gurner, having discussed the war with his partner Dr Stan Verco enlisted in October 1939. He entrained, on 3rd April 1940, to join the 2/2 Australian General Hospital, a mainly Victorian unit, in Puckapunyal, Victoria. He found himself sharing a tent with Lieutenant Colonels Lindon and Britten-Jones. They were to be amusingly called the Menzies Expeditionary Force for spending a lot of time in the Menzies Hotel. Other South Australians also joined them. He sailed for the Middle East, on 15th April, to set up the 2/2nd AGH in Kantara. He was evacuated from Port Said to 1 AGH, at Gaza Ridge, on 25th May 1940, and detached to the 2/10 British General Hospital, in Cairo, on 14th August 1940. During the remainder of 1940 and into 1941 while awaiting the completion of 2/2nd AGH he had various detachments/attachments to a number of Australian and British Hospitals. He was promoted Major, on 18th March 1941, and appointed to 3 AGH in the same month. He served six months at 9 AGH and returned to 4 MD, Australia, on 17th March 1942.  He was posted to 2/9th AGH, which was later sent to Port Moresby, to be replaced sequentially by 101st AGH and 121st AGH at Northfield, SA. Gurner was posted to 121st AGH on 13th September 1943 and then appointed Radiologist to 105th AGH on 19 April 1945. His appointment was terminated, on 12th December 1945, followed by his placement on the Reserve of Officers, on 14th February 1946. He continued in the CMF until 1949. During most of the time back in South Australia he was also fulfilling some of his civilian duties.

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