James Aiken was born in May 1883 in Strabane, Ireland. His application for commission was made on the 28^th July 1915. James was 32 years 3 months old and a single man. His next of kin was his brother, Dr David Aiken, of Murwillumbah. (David enlisted in 1918). James was 5ft 11 inches tall (1.8m) and weighed 15 stone (95kgs).  His eye sight was good and James was Presbyterian

Unlike ordinary recruits, doctors were not simply accepted and then trained as soldiers. The Army first had to verify their medical qualifications, professional standing, age, experience and suitability for a commission. The fact that he was appointed a Captain on 9 May 1918, before completing his formal enlistment on 1 June, strongly suggests that correspondence and interviews had already taken place with military authorities. The appointment was effectively approved before the paperwork was finalized. Medical officers were commissioned officers from the outset and did not receive the lengthy recruit training undertaken by infantry reinforcements.

Between his enlistment on July and embarkation oversea, James would almost certainly have been undergoing administrative processing and military orientation rather than conventional training. He may have attended instruction in military regulations, medical administration, record keeping, sanitation, gas precautions, evacuation procedures and the organization of the Australian Army Medical Corps. As a qualified doctor, the Army already trusted his professional skills; what he needed was an understanding of how medicine functioned within a military system.

VOYAGE MELBOURNE TO EGYPT OCTOBER 1915

After embarking from Melbourne aboard HMAT Nestor on 11 October 1915, James sailed for Egypt, where the Australian Army Medical Corps was rapidly expanding to meet the demands created by the Gallipoli campaign and the growing Australian forces in the Middle East. As a qualified doctor and commissioned Captain, he was not required to undergo the lengthy military training expected of ordinary soldiers. Instead, he was employed almost immediately in medical duties.

On arrival in Egypt, James reported for duty at Abassi, a major military centre on the outskirts of Cairo that housed numerous hospitals, training depots and administrative headquarters. The area had become one of the principal bases for the AIF following the evacuation from Gallipoli and was crowded with wounded soldiers recovering from their experiences on the peninsula, reinforcements arriving from Australia and units reorganising for future service.
POSTINGS

James was posted to the 2nd Australian General Hospital and later attached to the 2nd Australian Stationary Hospital at Tel el Kebir. Situated in the Egyptian desert northeast of Cairo, Tel el Kebir had developed into one of the largest military camps in the Middle East. The hospitals there treated a constant stream of patients suffering from disease, training accidents and wounds received during operations in Gallipoli and the Sinai campaign. As a medical officer, James would have spent long hours examining patients, supervising treatment, performing medical procedures and helping manage the immense administrative burden associated with military medicine.

On 4 July 1916 he was detached for temporary duty with the 4th Division Details Depot at Tel el Kebir. The Details Depot served as a holding and administrative centre for reinforcements, men returning from hospital and soldiers awaiting transfer to their units. James's role would have involved medical examinations, assessing fitness for service and ensuring that men were physically capable of returning to duty. Such work was essential to maintaining the efficiency of the Australian forces as preparations continued for service on the Western Front.

By 8 August 1916 he had returned to duty with the 2nd Australian Stationary Hospital. At this stage the hospital remained heavily engaged in caring for soldiers affected by disease and the harsh climatic conditions of the Middle East. While many Australian infantry units had already moved to France, a substantial medical establishment remained in Egypt to support troops stationed in the region. James's work would have combined clinical medicine with military administration, helping to maintain the health of Australian soldiers during a period of major transition for the AIF.

HOSPITALISED TONSILITIS NOVEMBER 1916

In late 1916 James was serving with the 2nd Australian Stationary Hospital at Mahamdiya on the Suez Canal. The hospital treated soldiers from the Sinai and Palestine theatre as well as those stationed throughout Egypt. On 29 November 1916 he was admitted suffering from septic tonsillitis, a bacterial infection of the tonsils which, before the widespread use of antibiotics, could be a painful and potentially serious condition. As both patient and doctor, James would have been well aware of the risks associated with such infections. Fortunately, his illness responded to treatment and he was discharged to duty on 4 December, returning to his medical responsibilities after only a brief absence.

HOSPITALISED SYNOVITIS MARCH 1917

His more serious troubles began a few months later. On 8 March 1917 James was transferred to hospital suffering from synovitis of the knee after an accident in which he tripped and sustained a dislocation of the internal semilunar cartilage of his left knee. Today this would be described as damage to the medial meniscus, the cartilage that cushions the knee joint. Such an injury could cause severe pain, swelling, instability and repeated locking of the joint. He was admitted first to the 2nd Australian Stationary Hospital at Mahamdiya and then transferred to the 14th Australian General Hospital at Abassia for specialist treatment.

Although he recovered sufficiently to rejoin his unit on 14 April 1917, the injury had not fully resolved. Within a month he was again admitted to hospital, first to the 26th Stationary Hospital and then back to the 14th Australian General Hospital on 15 May, suffering a recurrence of the knee problem. The repeated admissions suggest that the damaged cartilage continued to interfere with his ability to walk and carry out his duties as a medical officer.

INVALIDED HOME MAY 1917

Military authorities ultimately concluded that the injury was unlikely to improve sufficiently in Egypt. On 21 May 1917 James was invalided from the theatre and embarked aboard the Neuralia for return to Australia. On the same day he was struck off the strength of the 2nd Australian Stationary Hospital, bringing to an end his active service in the Middle East.

The story then takes an unusual turn. While en route to Australia, James disembarked at Cape Town on 16 June 1917 and was admitted to No. 1 General Hospital at Wynberg. There he awaited further transport, but somewhere in the administrative process his movements became unclear. Months later, on 30 October 1917, the First Military District reported to Base Records that Captain Aiken had not yet reported after his expected return to Australia. Base Records replied that they knew only that he had landed at Cape Town and entered hospital, with no advice having been received of any subsequent embarkation.

The mystery was finally resolved several months later. Correspondence in March 1918 revealed that James had re-embarked on the Willochra at Cape Town on 15 July 1917 but had not continued to Australia. Instead, he proceeded to England, where he resigned his commission on 23 August 1917 and was discharged from the Australian Imperial Force on the same day. For several months military authorities had been attempting to discover his whereabouts, apparently unaware that his service had already formally ended

James's military career had therefore concluded in an unexpected manner. Having served throughout Egypt during a critical period of the war, caring for Australian soldiers in the hospitals of Abassia, Tel el Kebir and Mahamdiya, he was ultimately forced from service by a debilitating knee injury. The administrative confusion that followed his departure adds an unusual final chapter to a record that otherwise reflects the essential but often overlooked work performed by Australian medical officers far from the front line.

MEDICAL BOARD AUGUST 1917

On the 23^rd August the medical board declared James was permanently unfit for service abroad or at home

FOR HIS SERVICE

For his service James was awarded the British War Medal, and the Victory Medal and his name is recorded on the St Andrews Presbyterian Church Honour Roll and Plaque, Murwillumbah

AFTER THE WAR

James was living in Strabane, his home town in August 1917.

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