Albert Coates (Surgeon)

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online.

Sir Albert Ernest Coates OBE, FRCS was an Australian surgeon and soldier.

He served as a medical orderly in World War I serving on Gallipoli, and as a senior surgeon for the Australian Army Medical Corps in World War II in Malaya.

He was captured by the Japanese and during his time as a POW, worked as a surgeon for the many Allied POWs working to build the Burma-Thailand Railway.

Coates was born in Mount Pleasant, a suburb of Ballarat, Victoria in Australia.

Aged 11 years, he left school and went to work as a butcher and an apprentice bookbinder.

In 1914 Coates enlisted in the 7th Battalion as a medical orderly and the following year served on Gallipoli.

Coates was one of the last to leave the peninsula on the night of 19/20 December 1915.

His battalion was then transferred to France in March 1916 and fought in the battle of the Somme.

His skill as a linguist came to the attention of his superiors and in February 1917 he was attached to the intelligence staff, I Anzac Corps