User:Ephillips/Edward Phillips

Major General Sir Edward Phillips KBE, CB, DSO, MC, MB, RAMC (19 December 1889 – 14 May 1973) was a British military doctor, who was a leading medical officer in the British Army and Indian Army who had "arguably the most distinguished field service career of any Army doctor this [20th] century..." .

Early career
Phillips was born in Coventry, England in December 1889, one of two sons. His father Edward Phillips, was a local doctor (his grandfather, and great grandfather had the same name and career). He want to St Pauls School in London. As a young man Edward wanted to join the army but family pressure pushed him to medicine, a decision which he later said saved his life in the First World War. He graduated in medicine from Durham University and the London Hospital. He then joined the RAMC in July 1914.

First World War
1914-18 (MC, DSO, despatches 4 times, Acting Lieut-Col) Captain

V-.;. - SUPPLEMENT TO THE EDINBURGH GAZETTE, JUNE 23, 1919. 2247  Captain (acting Lieutenant-Colonel) Edward Phillips, M.C., M.B., Royal Army Medical Corps.

Between the World Wars
Major, 1926; Lieut-Col, 1933; ; served France, 1914–18 (MC, DSO, despatches four times, Acting Lieut-Col) Between the wars he served in India and Egypt in routine appointments, partly with the Indian Army's 10th Indian Infantry Division. He spoke Persian, then the language of administration in British India as well as of Iran.

He took a year long "equitation" course and remained a good rider the rest of his life.

Colonel, 1941; Maj.-Gen., 1944

Second World War
Phillips served in North Africa under "Monty". He was captured by the Germans but escaped: as told to his daughter, the story was that that he engaged the guards in conversation (he spoke German perfectly with a Berliner accent, learnt from his German cousins) and then escaped with others in a lorry, avoiding a challenge at the camp gates by guards who, hearing him talk, merely shouted back invective about Berliners. His letter to his mother reporting part of this event is pictured [somewhere.]

Phillips was British Director of Medical Operations for Operation Overlord (the invasion of France) in 1944. This was a huge undertaking and a complex logistical operation both in the planning and execution. The invasion was planned at St Pauls School in London, of which both Phillips and the Field Marshall were old boys.

The American Field Service operated in Italy and Brigadier Phillips gave them a warm welcome and was remembered later as supportive in getting them to work (and commenting jokingly that "he had grown so used to [them] that he almost considered [them] British!" . They encountered him again in France where again they were of use to 21st Army Group.

The medical forces involved for D-Day were huge: RAMC medical units under Phillips' control during the invasion and following months consisted of:

* 31 General Hospitals (standard sizes of 200, 600 or 1,200 beds) Nos 6,8,9,20,23,25,29,30,32,39,67,74,75,77,79,81,84,86,88,94,101,105,106,108,109-113,115 & 121 * 4 Convalescent Depots (standard size 2,000 beds) Nos %, 12, 13, 14 and 15 * 8 Casualty Clearing Stations Nos 3, 10, 16, 23, 24, 32, 33 and 34 * 26 Field Surgical Units Nos 6,13-15,27,33,34,37-56 * 3 Mobile Field Surgical Units Nos 4, 5 and 6 * 6 Mobile Neurological Surgical Unit * 3 Chest Surgical teams * 1 Vascular Injuries Section

The General staff predicted casualty rates and the medical corps planned to meet it, but casualties for D-Day were lower than initially predicted with casualties in the hinterlands of Normandy being higher. With the landing brigades came Field Ambulances, Field Dressing Stations, Field Surgical Units and Field Transfusion Units and all breach groups had operational surgery teams in place by H+90. Casualty Clearing Stations and the hospitals arrived from D+2. The central Casualty Evacuation Post at Courseulles had accommodation for 1,500 casualties and transferred cases to LST and hospital ships to transfer back to the UK. Air transport began on D+7 and by D+14 was increasingly well established with RAF liason, dedicated landing strip and designated hospital. As casualties went home, blood was going the other way with blood banks established by D+3, being brought in by ship throughout and being flown in by air from D+16.

By 26 July there were 12 Casualty Clearing Stations, 19 General Hospitals and 3 Medical Depots. By 26 September there were 17 more General Hospitals and 2 more depots. As the break-out progressed evacuations lines lengthened and air evacuations were used alongside cars. Once the Seine was reached a railhead was established and hospital trains instituted. Hospitals kept up with the front by leapfrogging each other: one hospital was receiving casualties, one was clearing what they had and one packing up then pushing forward to be nearest the front. When that opened, the next shut to new admissions and the cycle restarted.

In Operation Market Garden 500-700 casualties a day were evacuated by air from Brussels to the UK, and 200-300 by hospital train from Brussels to Amiens.

Difficulties with the stores depots were overcome with mobile teams and as winter came and the tented hospitals became unsatisfactory, large scale requisitioning of civilian and German military hospitals, schools and convents was required to provide roofed medical facilities.

As convalescent depots developed, casualties that could be returned to service in 30 days were kept in theatre, and by February 1945 this went up to 42 days. Civilian organisations from the UK, France and Belgium became involved.

Worked with US units like the 24th Evacuation Hospital.

There was a Second Inter-Allied Consultants Conference 6 November 1944

CBE, 16th February 1943 as part of a group of awards "in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in the Middle East during the period May, 1942 to October, 1942". Listed as "Brigadier (Temporary)" War Office, -i^rd March, 1944. The KING has been graciously pleased to approve that the following be Mentioned in recognition of gallant and distinguished services in Sicily: — Brig, (temp.) E. Phillips, C.B.E., D.S.O., M.C.. M.B. (8555)1 late R.A.M.C. Companion of the Bath, 5th July 1945 as part of a group of awards for the actions in North West Europe. KBE, 24th January 1946

Peacetime and Retirement
Various awards for his wartime service followed: from the USA the Legion of Merit (Officer) Commander of the Order of the Crown

Phillips was appointed Director of Medical Services, British Army of the Rhine and stationed at the HQ in Badoynhausen. He married a much younger doctor, (Captain) Margaret Dunn in her home town of Plymouth, Devon. Margaret had been a civilian doctor in Glasgow but had been called up to the Royal Army Medical Corps and come over to France and later Germany with the military hospitals commanded by Phillips as part of Operation Overlord and subsequent advances.

"The medical branch occupied a large convent. Major-General Sir Edward Phillips, (at one time Monty's chief sawbones) was in charge. There were two brigadiers, three full colonels, a lieutenant-colonel and several majors. Apart from a couple of quartermasters, they were all consultants." [The long patrol]

Maj.-Gen. Sir Edward PHILLIPS, K.B.E., C.B., D.S.O., M.C., M.B. (8555), late R.A.M.C., having completed four years in the rank, is retained on the Active List supera. to Establ, 12th Dec. 1948. The War Office, 14/A January, 1955. REGULAR ARMY (RESERVE OF OFFICERS. Maj.Gen. Sir Edward PHILLIPS, K.B.E., C.B., D.S.O., 'M.C., M.B. (8555) late (R.A.M.C. having attained the age limit of liability to recall ceases to belong to the iReg. Army (Res. of Offrs., 19th Dec. 1954.

On 24 May 1949 he retired from the Army with pay and eventually bought a house in Godalming, Surrey with his wife. They had a daughter and remained there until his death. Phillips died at home of cancer in 1973; he was survived by his wife and daughter. He did not keep in contact with his first wife or daughter.

Obituary
His obituary in the British Medical Journal described him thus: "There was nothing indefinite about Eddie Phillips. He was never afraid to take decisions, knew exactly what he wanted, and usually got it. At whatever level he was he worked tirelessly for the good of the field medical services, and finally, as D.M.S. 21 Army Group, controlled a service considered by many to have been without parallel. He would not tolerate inefficiency and appeared to some to be ruthless in dealing with it. This, indeed, he may sometimes have been, but in his dealings with his friends, and these included the whole of his staff with its large numbers of distinguished civilian consultants, he was extraordinarily kind and considerate, going to great lengths, often surreptitiously, to help them. He was ideal to work with, defining his policies and leaving his staff to get on with implementing them and never interfering in detail. He backed them to the hilt with others, whatever he occasionally had to say to them in private, and his vocabulary was full and could be pungent. Eddie Phillips was both a first-class doctor and a first-class soldier, who had the gift of inspiring loyalty in his staff and of returning it. Difficult to get to know, he then became a most charming friend and amusing companion. He had arguably the most distinguished field service career of any Army doctor this century and his name and achievements will live in R.A.M.C. annals."