Rare photographic evidence from the operation of the 5th Medical Station.
The history of Dolichi during the Second World War remains alive through international archives. Today, we present three emblematic photographs from the collection of the National Library of New Zealand, which capture the activity of the 5th New Zealand Field Ambulance in our area.
The Main Dressing Station
Between 3 and 11 April 1941, photographer Ian Macphail recorded the landscape of Dolichi, where the unit’s Main Dressing Station had been established. The photographs show the organization of the Allied forces on our plain, at a time when the area constituted a key point for the medical care of the troops fighting on Mount Olympus.
The daily life of the soldiers: the outdoor kitchen
A particularly interesting photograph (Ref: DA-12298-F) transports us into the everyday life of the New Zealanders in Dolichi. In the image, four men of the unit can be seen standing beside the equipment of an outdoor kitchen that had been set up in the village. Despite the intensity of the war, the need for food supply and the organization of the rear areas were of primary importance.
The landscape of Dolichi as a field of history
Macphail’s photographs (Refs: DA-12292-F and DA-12293-F) are not only military records, but also rare depictions of the landscape of Dolichi at that time. The dispersion of the installations across the plain is clearly visible—a tactic used by the Allies to protect themselves from enemy air attacks.
It is also evident that the settlement’s layout and appearance differ significantly from those of today.
Documentation Details:
Photographer: Ian Campbell Macphail (1907–1994).
Unit: 5th New Zealand Field Ambulance.
Source: Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand.
These documents remind us that Dolichi was not merely a passageway, but a place where action took place during the critical days of 1941.
https://tiaki.natlib.govt.nz/#details=ecatalogue.468090
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