Medical Officers
Of the Malta Garrison
John Ashton
Bostock
1815 – 1895

Service Record

8 Feb 1842 Assistant Surgeon 3rd (East Kent–The Buffs) Regiment of Foot.

29 Dec 1843 Served with the Buffs at the Battle of Punniar during the expedition against the Mahrattas at Gwalior, India. Was awarded the Bronze Star (Gwalior Star) by the East India Company. The six pointed star was made from the guns captured during the fighting in Gwalior.

30 May 1845 Appointed Staff Assistant Surgeon vice Staff Assistant Surgeon Thomas Alexander appointed Staff Surgeon 2nd Class vice Michael McBride who died in Canada 13 April 1845.

22 July 1845 Assistant Surgeon 2nd/Scots Fusilier Guards.

17 Feb 1854 Promoted Battalion Surgeon 1st/Scots Fusilier Guards.

Malta 19 Mar 1854 Arrived from England.
Stationed at the Lazaretto on Manoel Island.

21 Apr 1854 Left for Turkey. Took part in the Eastern campaign of 1854 with the Scots Fusilier Guards. He was present at the Alma, Balaclava, Inkermann, Sebastopol and the sortie of 26 October. He received the Crimea Medal with four clasps and was awarded the Imperial Order of The Legion of Honour from the Emperor of the French, for his services in the Crimea. After the war, he was one of the members of the Committee of Management entrusted with the erection of the Crimea Memorial for the medical officers who died from wounds or disease in the war with Russia.

20 Mar 1857 Rejoined the 1st/Scots Fusilier Guards on being promoted to Surgeon Major.

1865 Published a report on the medical and sanitary services of the Prussian Army during its campaign in Bohemia in 1866, AMD reports volume seven (1865).

1869 Published Letters from India and the Crimea, (London, 1869).

Sep 1870 Reported on the Field Hospitals of the Franco Prussian War.

At last, on the 5th of September, the decisive battle of the campaign having been fought on the 3rd of July, Surgeon Major Bostock of the Scots Fusilier Guards received an official letter, dated the 4th of September, ordering him to proceed to Prussia to report upon the field hospitals of the Prussian Army. Dr Bostock arrived in Berlin on the 9th of September; and, as he informs us in the report of his visit which may be found in the seventh volume of the Army Medical Reports, published in 1867, on presenting himself to Lord A Loftus, the British Ambassador, surprise was expressed that he had not come several weeks before.
Fortunately, although Dr. Bostock could only report of what took place during the war from hearsay, instead of, what would have been of much greater value, from personal observation, the report furnished by him was still an interesting one, and maybe referred to with advantage. Questions exactly similar to those which were asked in 1866 were again asked in the House of Commons during the present year, on war being declared between France and Germany.
The time which has elapsed since then, and the great events which have since occurred, are too fresh in every one's mind to need reference here. On the 1st of the present month, Deputy Inspector-General Dr Gordon and Surgeon Major Wyatt proceeded to France to report upon the field-hospital arrangements on the French side. The medical officers of the army who are to collect information on the German field hospital arrangements all the more important to be noted on account of the vast accumulations of wounded they have had to deal with on the German side, and on account of modifications arising from the fact of this being the first war between armies mutually bound by the engagements of the Geneva Convention for neutral.¹

26 Feb 1876 Retired with the honorary rank of Deputy Surgeon General, having completed 24 years service on full pay.

18 May 1895 Died in London aged 80 years.