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Nathaniel Dunbar Barton |
Colonel Nathaniel 'Nat' Dunbar Barton CBE MB ChM ED was born on 5th June 1894 at Wellington, New South Wales, Australia. He was the third son of Charles Barton and Annie Smith. [1] Although thirty years younger, Nat was a cousin of Andrew Barton 'Banjo' Paterson, arguably Australia's greatest poet. He attended Wellington Public School and then boarded at The King's School, North Parramatta, New South Wales. [2]
Nat commenced studying medicine at St Paul's College, University of Sydney.[2]
Nat was wounded at Gallipoli on 10th July 1915, requiring evacuation to Egypt, and again on 27th March 1918 at Amman. The later resulted in his being rehabiliated to Australia 12th July 1918. [9] A Red Cross armband, with Nat's name inscribed inside and dated June 1918, would infer that he was transferred to the Australian Army Medical Corps for his repatriation. [10] Further research is warranted here. Two of Nat's brothers, Denis and Brian (killed in action December 1917) also served in the Light Horse. For his war service he was awarded the 1914-1915 Star, British War Medala and Victory Medal.
Major Nathaniel Dunbar Barton |
After returning to Australia, Nat completed his Bachelor of Medicine (MB) and Master of Surgery (ChM), was registered as a medical doctor in 1923 and began working in Parkes, New South Wales. [2]
Nat married Mary Mort, a granddaughter of pastoralist and businessman, Henry Mort, on 8th July 1925 in St John's Church of England (Anglican Church), Dalinghurst, New South Wales. [11]
About 1934, Nat was awarded the Efficiency Decoration (ED) for twenty years service as an officer in the Citizens Military Force. He was privileged to be selected as a member of the military contingent which travelled to England for the coronation of King George VI in 1937.
AAMC Red Cross armband of N D Barton |
Nat was commanding officer of the militia 6th Light Horse Regiment at the outbreak of the Second World War.
On 1st November 1940 he was commissioned into the Second Australian Imperial Force (AIF) and appointed commanding officer of the new 2/12th Field Ambulance as Lieutenant Colonel. [12] The 2/12th trained in the Northern Territory, providing medical support for the 23rd Brigade, 8th Division; participated in the construction of five small medical hospitals; and assisted sappers and pioneer assault units, earning the unit the nickname "2/12th Pioneers". One hundred members of the 2/12th were captured by the Japanese at Ambon and Timor in February 1942, whilst 192 members were aboard the hospital ship Centaur en route to Papua when it was criminally torpedoed and sunk by a Japanese submarine before dawn on 14th May 1943. On that occasion only 32 survived the attack. [13] Nat was later commanding officer of the 2/9th Australian General Hospital at Adelaide, South Australia in 1944, and then Ambon Island, Netherlands East Indies (Indonesia) at the end of the war to assist in the rehabilitation of prisoners-of-war. [14] Nathaniel was demobilised from the AIF on 20th February 1946. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in July 1945 for 'gallant and distinguished conduct in the Ramu Valley'. [15][16]
For his war service he was awarded the 1939-1945 Star, Pacific Star, Defence Medal, War Medal 1939-1945 and Australia Service Medal 1939-1945. After the war, Nat returned to Australia and settled back in his home town of Wellington, where he established a successful private medical practice. [2]
Sadly widowered since 1969, Nat passed away, aged 91 years, on 25th August 1985 at Wellington and is buried in Wellington Cemetery. [17][18]
This week's featured connections are Summer Olympians: Nat is 37 degrees from Simone Biles, 28 degrees from Maria Johanna Philipsen-Braun, 21 degrees from Pierre de Coubertin, 19 degrees from Étienne Desmarteau, 15 degrees from Fanny Gately, 28 degrees from Evelyn Konno, 44 degrees from Paavo Johannes Nurmi, 24 degrees from Wilma Rudolph, 32 degrees from Carl Schuhmann, 15 degrees from Zara Tindall, 17 degrees from Violet Robb and 21 degrees from Mina Wylie on our single family tree. Login to see how you relate to 33 million family members.
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Categories: Wellington, New South Wales | The King's School, North Parramatta, New South Wales | University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales | 7th Light Horse Regiment, Australian Imperial Force, World War I | 2nd 9th General Hospital, Australian Army, World War II | 2nd 12th Field Ambulance, Australian Army, World War II | Commanders of the Order of the British Empire | Mentioned in Despatches | Military Doctors | Australia, Doctors | St John the Evangelist Anglican Church, Darlinghurst, New South Wales | Wellington Cemetery, Wellington, New South Wales | Australia, Notables in the Military | Notables | Anzacs, World War I | Wounded in Action, Australia, World War I