Army Medical Services Explained

Unit Name:	Army Medical Services
Branch:	British Army
Role:	Medical
Size:	4 Corps
Garrison:	Camberley
Commander1:	Major General Timothy J. Hodgetts, CBE, QHS
Commander1 Label:	Master-General

The Army Medical Services (AMS) is the organisation responsible for administering the corps that deliver medical, veterinary, dental and nursing services in the British Army. It is headquartered at the former Staff College, Camberley, near the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.^[1]

Role

AMS is responsible for administering the four separate corps that deliver medical, veterinary, dental and nursing services in the British Army. These are:^[2]

• Royal Army Medical Corps
• Royal Army Veterinary Corps
• Royal Army Dental Corps
• Queen Alexandra's Royal Army Nursing Corps

AMS contributes to the conservation of fighting strength and morale of the Army and advises commanders on matters of health and disease.^[3]

Administration and leadership

The Army Medical Services are administered by Headquarters Army Medical Directorate at Andover, previously under the leadership of the Director General Army Medical Services (DGAMS^[4]), formerly Major General Jeremy Rowan.The Director General answered to the Adjutant-General, and his role was to promote effective medical, dental and veterinary health services for the Army and provide a policy focus for individual medical training, doctrine and force development. The post was disestablished after 2016.^[5]

A Freedom of Information request identified that from 2018, "day to day responsibility for medical policy and capability development" would "lie at Brigadier level," but did not indicate the title of that particular post. As of March 2019, a Brigadier is employed within the senior Army ranks as Senior Health Advisor, who "Monitors and assesses the health of the Army to assist Director Personnel in the provision of Health Policy, provides policy oversight and assurance for Commander Field Army in the generation and delivery of medical operational capability, and is directly responsible for the provision of primary care services to the Army and community mental health services to Defence."^[6]

List of directors general

• Surgeon-General Sir William Alexander Mackinnon (1889–1896)^[7]
• Surgeon-General Sir William Taylor^[8]
• Lieutenant-General Sir Alfred Keogh (1905–1910)^[9]
• Lieutenant-General Sir William Launcelotte Gubbins (1910–?)^[10]
• Lieutenant-General Sir Arthur Sloggett (1914)
• Lieutenant-General Sir Alfred Keogh (1914–1918);^[9] second term
• Lieutenant-General Sir John Goodwin (1918–1923)^[11]
• Lieutenant-General Sir William Boog Leishman (1923–1926)^[12]
• Lieutenant General Sir William MacArthur (1938–1941)^[13]
• Lieutenant-General Sir Alexander Hood (August 1941–1948)^[14]
• Lieutenant-General Neil Cantlie (1948-1952)
• Lieutenant-General Sir Frederick Harris (1952-1956)
• Lieutenant-General Sir Alexander Drummond (1956-1961)
• Lieutenant-General Sir Harold Knott (1961-1965)
• Lieutenant-General Sir Robert Drew (1965-26 Jul 1969)
• Lieutenant General Sir Norman Talbot (26 Jul 1969–1973)
• Lieutenant-General Sir James Baird (1973–1977)^[15]
• Lieutenant-General Sir Richard Bradshaw (1977–1981)^[16]
• Lieutenant General Sir Alan Reay (1981–1984)
• Lieutenant General Sir Cameron Moffat (1984–1988) First Surgeon General Defence Medical Services
• Major General Anthony Shaw (1988–1990)^[17]
• Major General (later Lieutenant General) Sir Peter Beale (1990–1993)^[18]
• Major General Brian Mayes (1993–1996)
• Major General Robin Short (1996–1999)^[19]
• Major General (later Lieutenant General) Robert Menzies (1999–2000)
• Major General David Jolliffe (2000–2003)
• Major General (later Lieutenant General) Louis Lillywhite (2003–2004)
• Major General Alan Hawley (2005–2009)
• Major General Michael von Bertele (2009–2012)^[20]
• Major General Ewan Carmichael (2012–2014)
• Major General Jeremy Rowan (2014–2016)

Master-Generals

• Lieutenant General Louis Lillywhite (2017–2022)
• Major General Timothy Hodgetts (2022–present)

See also

• First Aid Nursing Yeomanry
• Royal Navy Medical Service
• RAF Medical Services

External links

• Army Medical Services on the British Army website

Notes and References

1. Web site: Army Medical Services . British Army . 17 April 2019.
2. Web site: Combat Service Support. Armed Forces. 9 May 2014.
3. Web site: 202 Field Hospital. 9 May 2014.
4. https://daysackmedia.co.uk/resources/uk-military-acronyms/complete-list/?search=DGAMS#results Military Acronym Tool
5. Web site: Information on the de-establishment of Director Army Medical Services . 25 January 2018 . British Ministry of Defence . UK MOD . 9 April 2019.
6. https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/872147/Army_Mar_19_senior_data.csv/preview Transparency Data, Army Command Senior, March 2019.
7. http://www.universitystory.gla.ac.uk/biography/?id=WH13889&type=P&o=2&start=100&max=20&l=s Sir William Alexander Mackinnon
8. Hart´s army list, 1903
9. Harrison. Mark. Keogh, Sir Alfred (1857–1936). 2 February 2014. October 2008. 10.1093/ref:odnb/34296.
10. Reflections. British Journal of Nursing. 19 March 1910. 44. 236. 7 February 2014.
11. Paul D. Wilson, Goodwin, Sir Thomas Herbert John Chapman (1871–1960), Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 9, Melbourne University Press, 1983, pp 49–50.
12. . 102 . 720 . 2 April 1928 . The Royal Society . i–xxvii . 81250 . Obituary Notices of Fellows Deceased-William Boog Leishman . 10.1098/rspb.1928.0019. free .
13. Web site: MACARTHUR, Sir William Porter (1884–1964), Lieutenant General. Liddell Hart Centre for Military Archives. King's College Londo. 8 February 2014.
14. Bennett. John D.C.. Hood, Sir Alexander (1888–1980). 19 October 2015. 2004. 10.1093/ref:odnb/57375.
15. Web site: Obituary – Lt Gen Sir James Baird KBE. The Dulwich Society. 2 February 2014. 11 August 2008.
16. News: Lieutenant-General Sir Richard Bradshaw; Memorial service. The Times. 17 November 1999. 24.
17. Web site: SHAW, Maj.-Gen. Anthony John. Who's Who 2013. A & C Black. 25 December 2012. November 2012.
18. Web site: BEALE, Lt-Gen. Sir Peter (John). Who's Who 2012. A & C Black. December 2011.
19. Web site: Major General Robin Short. Biographies. Integrated Medical Systems. 5 May 2014.
20. Web site: von BERTELE, Maj. Gen. Michael James. Who's Who 2012. A & C Black. December 2011.