Lt. Colonel Clarence E. Gardner, 65th General Hospital

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Description
  • Lt. Colonel Clarence E. Gardner (later chair of the Dept. of Surgery at Duke) was chief of Surgical Service of the 65th General Hospital. Near the end of the war, Dr. Gardner was promoted to full colonel and became a surgical consultant to the United Kingdom base of operations. The 65th General Hospital served as an affiliated unit of the Duke University School of Medicine during World War II. Authorized on October 17, 1940, the Hospital was headed by Dr. E. L. Persons (chief of the medical service), Dr. C.E. Gardner, Jr. (chief of the surgical service), and Miss Julia E. White (Chief Nurse). After substantial training, the Hospital was deployed overseas to Worcestershire, England, where hospital staff treated patients from the Air Force and others transferred there for care. The unit consisted of male and female doctors and nurses who all had some connection to Duke University, creating a mix of faculty, medical and nursing school graduates, and current or former house staff. Members of the 65th handled a constant stream of front-line casualties from heavy bomber crews, acute diseases and emergency cases, and acted as a specialty center for neurosurgery, thoracic and plastic surgery, burns, and hand injuries.
Date created
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Identifier
  • per00174
Resource type
Holding entity
Archival collection
  • Photograph & Negative Collection
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