C. (Charles) MacLaurin

Born in Sydney on 22 November 1872, Charles MacLaurin was a surgeon whose life joined medicine, military service, and a well-known Sydney family. Records from the Australian War Memorial describe him as a Sydney surgeon and note that he later served in the Australian Imperial Force during the First World War.

On 20 August 1915 he was appointed a lieutenant colonel in the AIF. He was posted to No. 3 London General Hospital at Wandsworth, later attached to No. 2 Casualty Clearing Station in France, and his AIF appointment ended in January 1917. Surviving letters in the Australian War Memorial collection include correspondence from his brother Henry Normand MacLaurin and letters Charles wrote to his wife, Anne Bithial MacLaurin, giving a more personal glimpse of his wartime years.

MacLaurin died on 19 April 1925. While detailed biographical material appears to be limited, the records that remain show a doctor whose work reached from Sydney operating rooms to wartime hospitals overseas.