Change of DMS

On 30 November 1934 Colonel Frazerhurst relinquished the appointment of Director of Medical Services and was succeeded by Lieutenant-Colonel Bowerbank, who was appointed with the rank of colonel on 1 December. The appointment also included that of Principal Medical Officer to the Royal New Zealand Air Force, the Air Force having been organised as a separate force from the Army in 1934.² Up to this time the Directors of Medical Services were appointed according to seniority, irrespective of the locality in New Zealand where they had their permanent residence. This arrangement had many disadvantages and often caused delay in dealing with records and correspondence. Although Colonel Bowerbank was not the senior medical officer on the active list at the time, he did reside in Wellington and could be easily contacted by the staff at Army Headquarters.