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

Christopher Bollen was born at Mt Barker on the 29th July 1866, son of Dr George Bollen and his wife Rebecca, nee Steer who were married in Brighton, Sussex in 1847.  George Bollen, a cooper by trade, immigrated to South Australia in 1854; he developed an interest in medicine, and in 1872 went to Chicago Illinois to obtain a medical diploma. Dr. George Bollen was the health officer for City of Port Adelaide, appointed in 1898 and for several years chairman of the Institute Library Committee. He became a well-known doctor in SA, with a particular commitment to homeopathy, and was Mayor of Adelaide in 1882. Christopher Bollen was educated at Prince Alfred College and, in May 1888, graduated as MB at Toronto University, Canada. He then returned to Adelaide. Three years later he gained doctorates of medicine at Toronto and the University of Adelaide in 1894. Christopher Bollen set up practice in Fitzroy Terrace, Prospect and was appointed Health Officer for the Port Adelaide Municipality in 1905.

 He applied for a Commission in the AIF on the 16th July 1915 at Adelaide. He had previous experience in the AAMC and with a commission in the Commonwealth Military Forces in 1909. He 49 years old, 5ft 10ins, 9st 4lbs, with his wife Helen of Woodville, named as his next of kin. He was posted as a major to the 8 FdAmb as OC, C Coy. Throughout 1916 he was overseas in attachments in Egypt and France with the 15 and 8 FdAmb, and temporary command of the 4th Division Sanitary Section. He returned to Australia in December and his appointment terminated on the 8th February 1917 at the rank of lieutenant colonel. He was issued with the 1914-15 Star, the British War Medal and the Victory Medal.

Bollen practised continuously as physician and surgeon in the Port Adelaide and Woodville districts for more than 64 years. It is said that he was the first doctor in South Australia to drive a car. At the age of 81, he was involved in a minor car crash, which perhaps convinced him that he should give up driving. During his last 30 years he also consulted at his rooms on North Terrace.  Always a quiet and retiring man, Bollen had few interests outside his profession. He lived at 8 Fitzroy Terrace, Prospect. He maintained that medicine was his hobby as well as his calling, and consulted until within 10 days of his death. Christopher Bollen died on the 12th September 1952 at the age of 86 and reported to be the oldest practicing physician in Australia at the time. He was survived by his second wife and two daughters, Mrs Alec Bagot and Miss Helen Bollen. Two of Bollen's brothers were doctors, Dr Frederick Bollen, who became a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, and Dr Percival Bollen whose son Dr Kenneth Willoughby Bollen also served in WW1.