Page 14 - RADC Bulletin 2018

Maxillo-Facial Injuries – Notes of a Second
World War Dental Officer
Col Quentin Anderson
The Dental Officer
Gerrard James Myerscough Hughes qualified LDS U.Lpool in March 1941
and was appointed to an Emergency Commission as a Lieutenant in The Army Dental Corps (A.D.Corps) with effect from 6 August 1941 when he joined for duty
at No 2 Army Dental Centre (A.D.Centre), Shrapnel Barracks, Woolwich.
After a couple of week’s induction training he was posted to No 10 A.D.Centre at the Military Hospital Colchester and then again two weeks later to No 120 A.D.Centre, Clacton. Whilst at Clacton he attended
a two week course which included a
series of lectures on maxillo-facial injuries
at the A.D.Corps School of Instruction, Maida Road, Aldershot and also a 5 day prosthetics course at the No 1 Army Dental Laboratory, Aldershot. On 20 August 1942 he was promoted to the rank of Captain. His next posting, on 3 July 1943, was to No 23 Casualty Clearing Station (CCS) based at Goodwood in Sussex. From here he was attached to No 31 A.D.Centre, Chichester for a month’s temporary duty before
attending a two week General Anaesthetics course at the Connaught Hospital, Knaphill followed a month later by a five day Regimental Officers’ Security Course at
the Intelligence Training Centre, Matlock
and then, in February 1944, a two week Plastic and Jaw Injuries course at the Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead.
On 23 Jun 1944
(D+17) he embarked
with 23 CCS for
Normandy. In January
1945 he attended a
four week Maxillo-
Facial Surgery course
at No 5 Max-Fac
Unit, 8(Br) General
Hospital in Brussels.
He remained with
23 CCS until posted
to No 503 Mobile
Dental Unit on 21 June 1945. One month later he was posted to No 175 Field Dental Centre and then after a further two and
a half months he was posted to No 149 Field Dental Centre. Sustaining a serious
accidental injury in December 1945 he was evacuated to the UK on 7 February 1946 not returning to duty until posting to No 51 A.D.Centre, Lincoln on 20 May 1946.
He was released from Service on 29 September 1946 and then pursued a career as a General Dental Practitioner for the rest of his working life.
further research.
The Notes
During the period 16
1945, Capt Hughes kept a log of 105
According to his family he was involved with the relief of Belsen Camp and this would fit with the timings of his postings following 23 CCS but exactly which of the Mobile and Field Dental Centres he served with over June to December 1945 were involved with Belsen requires
July 1944 to 6 May
12 RADC BULLETIN 2018
Figure 1
Figure 2
Sustaining a serious accidental injury in December 1945 he was evacuated to the UK
HISTORICAL