Convalescing in WWII

Today is ANZAC Day, a very special day in Australia when we honour and remember all those who have served Australia in the Forces and we acknowledge the tragedy and idiocy of war.
 
I am still working on sorting out the photographic collections of my parents and grandmother. Tucked away in an envelope in the middle of them I found photos belonging to my Uncle Trev, my father’s older brother. Uncle Trev spent a number of years in the army during WWII although he was never sent overseas. From his war records it seems that he spent a good bit of his time in military hospitals and convalescent homes suffering from renal colic and cycistis. (I have had one bout of renal colic and I hope it NEVER returns. It is shockingly painful so I’m guessing Uncle Trev had a pretty bad time of it, particularly given the absence of today’s medication.)
 
Many of Uncle Trev’s photos are of his time at the Lady Gowrie Convalescent Hospital in Gordon, Sydney. It was run by the Australian Red Cross during WWII for injured and sick members of the Forces. Uncle Trev is in the top right hand photo, 3rd from the left. I have no idea who any of the other people are. Perhaps another blipper might recognise someone. I’m not sure what to do with these photos. Perhaps the Australian War Memorial might like to have them.

Lady Gowrie Convalescent Hospital has an interesting history. It was built in 1937 by John Woolcott Forbes, a flamboyant businessman. Called ‘Burnham Thorpe,’ the building was a magnificent neo-Georgian mansion with Mediterranean embellishments. You can see it in the top left hand side photo. Unfortunately, John Woolcott Forbes’ budget didn’t quite stretch as far as his lavish taste so he dabbled in a touch of fraud - hundreds of thousands of pounds worth. At the end of 1938 he sailed for England. Soon after he sailed a provisional warrant was issued for his arrest. He was arrested when his ship called in to Bombay. During extradition proceedings in Bombay, Forbes was released on bail and he shot through (ie absconded). He was finally arrested in Mexico City in late 1942. It seems he was able to move around the world because he had passed himself off as a member of the British Secret Service. By the time he was arrested he was wanted in Australia for a £1,500,000 fraud, and also in Canada for a $500,000 fraud. Together with two accomplices, he was taken into custody at the request of the US FBI. He was eventually returned to Australia and was sentenced in 1944 to five years gaol in Long Bay.

'Burnham Thorpe’ is now a part of an Anglican retirement village.