Rectangular paper semi-gloss monochrome photograph of Major Allan Manchester Davidson on right and Major Bob Hetherington on left speaking with Yugoslav officer 2nd Lieutenant Behosja Orlovio; Orlavio is patient laying on bed while surgeon Major Davidson and anesthetist Major Hetherington sit at hi…
Rectangular paper semi-gloss monochrome photograph of Major Allan Manchester Davidson on right and Major Bob Hetherington on left speaking with Yugoslav officer 2nd Lieutenant Behosja Orlovio; Orlavio is patient laying on bed while surgeon Major Davidson and anesthetist Major Hetherington sit at his bedside; hand written note and maple leaf stamp appear on back; photograph taken in Egypt at the United Nations Hospital Middle East in 1957.
Number Of Parts
1
Provenance
Belonged to donor; photograph of donor's father, Lieutenant Colonel Allan M. Davidson, taken at United Nations Hospital Middle East in 1957.
Lt. Col. Davidson (then Major) served in Egypt/Gaza Strip in 1957 and the photograph appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press on July 6, 1957
Material
paper: cream
ink: black
graphite: grey
Inscriptions
Hand written on back in black ink: “ON RIGHT - // ALLAN MANCHESTER DAVIDSON // JAN 24 – 1923 – APR. 11 – 1977 // IN THIS PICTURE ALLAN WAS SERVING // WITH THE ROYAL CAN. MEDICAL CORP // KOREA IN 1952 AS COMMANDING // OFFICER SURGICAL SPECIALIST OF CAN // FIELD SURGICAL TEAM.”; hand written on back in graphite: “ME 331”
Permanent Location
Storage Room 2005
2005-4-4
Length
32.4 cm
Width
25.0 cm
Unit Of Measure
centimeters
Condition Remarks
Minor warping and cockling/buckling of substrate, especially along edges; minor creases and scratches all over; minor fading all over; large stain on proper right side of back
Copy Type
original
Reference Types
Documents
Document
Website
Reference Comments
Donor file (018.014)
Winnipeg Free Press, July 6, 1957.
"The Canadian Armed Forces in Egypt." Veterans Affairs Canada, Government of Canada, 2019. Accessed 11 July 2019.
Research Facts
Lieutenant Colonel Allan M. Davidson was a medical officer in the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps; Lt. Col. Davidson had a distinguished military and medical career, holding chief and head surgical positions at several hospitals in Canada and around the world; in addition to his service in Korea, Lt. Col. Davidson was also posted to Japan; he served in Egypt at the United Nations Hospital Middle East in 1957, the Gaza Strip, and represented the Surgeon General as Canadian Forces Medical Liaison Officer with The Surgeon General U. S. Army in Washington D. C. from 1962 to 1964; Lt. Col. Davidson retired from the military in 1970 and entered civilian practice in Peterborough, Ontario.
A hand written note on the back of the photograph claims it was taken in 1952 in Korea, however a newspaper article featuring a copy of the photograph appeared in the Winnipeg Free Press on July 6, 1957; the caption accompanying photograph in the Winnipeg Free Press states that the photograph depicts Davidson, then a Major, and Major Hetherington speaking to Yugoslav 2nd Lieutenant Behosja Orlavio following an operation at a Canadian Base hospital in Egypt in 1957; Orlavio was severely wounded by a mine explosion.
Canadian Forces and other U. N. peacekeeping forces were deployed to Egypt and the Gaza Strip following conflict in the region over control of the Suez Canal; Egypt achieved independence following the Second World War, but the British and French still controlled the Suez Canal; in 1956, Egypt forcibly took control of the Canal, prompting Great Britain, France, and Israel to respond militarily; the global response to the Suez Crisis was the first major U. N. peacekeeping mission in history, which is seen as the beginning of modern international peacekeeping; future Canadian Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, then Minister of External Affiars, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his role in organizing the peacekeeping mission; Egypt and the Gaza Strip remained a hot spot for conflict in the decades following the Suez Crisis.