TAIT, Dr John Thomson (1888-1962)John Thomson Tait was born on 4 March 1888, a son of John Tait and Margaret Agnes nee Thomson.
He was educated at Geelong College, enrolling as a day student in 1898 with an entry address at Virginia St, Newtown. He was Dux in his final year, 1904, then studied at Ormond College, University of Melbourne, where he graduated MD MS.
After the outbreak of World War I, he enlisted in the AIF as a Captain in the Australian Army Medical Corps (AAMC) in November 1914, embarking in Brisbane
on
HMAT A55 Kyarra on 21 November. He was Registrar at No 1 Australian General Hospital, Egypt, from September 1915 until November 1916, and Surgeon from 1916-18,
when the hospital was transferred to France. He was promoted to Major. He worked with No 44 Casualty Clearing Station, and was invalided from France in March 1918. He embarked for Australia on 8 April and was demobilised in November.
John Tait died on 1 October 1962.
An extensive collection of his records known as the 'Tait Collection' are held at the Australian War Memorial. The 'Tait collection' comprises records (mainly extracts) compiled from Department of Defence Central Registry files in Melbourne in early 1920 by Major John Thomson Tait. Tait, a medical practitioner in Hawthorn, was also a medical collator for A G Butler's 'The Official History of the Australian Army Medical Services in the War of 1914-1918' ... . The series mainly relates to the administration of Australian Army Medical Corps (AAMC) units in Australia, and covers general hospitals, auxiliary hospitals, convalescent homes, special hospitals (for tubercular, venereal and other infectious diseases), camp hospitals, orthopaedic units, curative workshops, mobilization and formation of AAMC units, sea transport (including hospital ships), enlistment and examination of recruits for the AIF, control of AIF invalids. A few more miscellaneous files relate to medical matters at Gallipoli and in Egypt, the Red Cross Society, etc.'
His brother, James Blair Tait (1890-1933), was also educated at Geelong College.
His cousin, Alan Taylor Tait MC (1891-1969), also an Old Collegian, taught at Geelong College.
Sources: National Archives of Australia ‘Geelong Collegians at the Great War’ compiled by James Affleck. pp326-327 (citing The University of Melbourne: 'Record of Active Service of Teachers, Graduates, Undergraduates, Officers and Servants' (1926); The Pegasus; National Archives).''