I am researching an Australian soldier who served in World War 1. After being injured in France, he was sent to England for treatment and in 1918 was admitted to Bulford Hospital with a diagnosis of venereal disease, where he remained for 72 days. The notation on his card is VD 42 & 20. Does anyone know what these numbers represent? Are they specific types of VD? This was not his first infection. He was diagnosed on enlistment and sent for treatment in Melbourne (Langwarrin) before being considered fit for embarkation.
Thanks
We welcome any query on Who When Where. If you have previously posted it on another forum (including the old WDYTYA forum), please state this in your opening post - this will save people redoing the research which has been done before: they can look at it and possibly go further with it.
Military symbols
Re: Military symbols
Bulford Military Hospital a/k/a the 1st Australian Dermatological Hospital during WW1. This hospital was the principal VD treatment facility for 1st AIF soldiers in Britain. Lots of mentions for it on Internet, particularly on WW1 forums. Apparently VD 20 was gonorrhea, and VD 42 was syphilis.
The article in this link is quite informative re Australian soldiers and VD: https://jmvh.org/article/the-australian ... h-century/
The article in this link is quite informative re Australian soldiers and VD: https://jmvh.org/article/the-australian ... h-century/
Re: Military symbols
Many thanks, that's brilliant. I knew a bit about VD in the Army, having read Raden Dunbar's book 'The secrets of the Anzacs' but I couldn't find the code numbers anywhere. It's interesting that he has syphilis - he married soon after the War and fathered six children and there was no sign in that period of tertiary syphilis.