Case of surgical instruments, 1917

Historical note:

This case of surgical instruments was used in the Allied hospitals and casualty clearing stations of the Western Front during the Great War, 1914-1918.

Manufactured in 1917 by prominent instrument maker J. H. Montague of Bond Street, London, the case is fashioned in the style of late 19th Century British campaign furniture.

Whilst two centuries of campaigning in Imperial India had taught the British much about the manufacture of robust, portable medical equipment, it is harrowing to consider the degree to which such instruments were effective in treating the then unfamiliar wounds inflicted by enemy shell, machine and Lewis Gun fire, flamethrowers and poison gas.

Materials:

wood, stainless steel

Category:

Equipment

Medical

Conflict:

First World War (1914-18)

Location:

London

Production Date:

1917

On this day

3 June

1942 — Battle of MIDWAY began. This decisive victory by the US Navy over the Japanese Navy shifted the balance of sea power in the Pacific and forced Japan to abandon plans to attack New Caledonia, Fiji and Samoa. Japanese losses were 4 aircraft carriers, 1 cruiser, 248 aircraft, and over 3,000 sailors. American losses were 1 aircraft carrier, 1 destroyer, 150 aircraft, and 307 men

1944 — 78 Squadron, RAAF, carried out the last major air combat by the RAAF in WW2, off BIAK Island, New Guinea. 10 enemy planes were shot down for the loss of one Australian plane and pilot

1969 — HMAS MELBOURNE collided with USS FRANK E EVANS in the South China Sea. EVANS was cut in half and 74 of her crew were killed