Emory Unit collection

Base Hospital 43, also known as the Emory Unit, was a civilian medical regiment comprised of volunteer physicians, nurses, and other enlisted personnel. Consisting of members from the Emory community, the Emory Unit served in Blois, France, during World War I. Organized by Major Edward C. Davis in 1918, the Emory Unit was a Red Cross Hospital consisting of 500 beds, 24 officers, 65 nurses, 154 enlisted personnel, and 6 civilians. Major Davis served as Medical Director of the Emory Unit, overseeing Base Hospital 43. The hospital treated over 9000 patients during a six-month span, including many who suffered wounds from mustard gas. For his service during World War I, Edward C. Davis would later be promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.

The United States entered World War II in December 1941, but preparations for a second Emory Unit had already begun. Dr. Daniel C. Elkin and Dr. Ira Ferguson, Sr. were separately appointed to head recruitment efforts, and by the summer of 1942 all positions had been filled with qualified officers. The nurses, likewise, were being recruited with 63 nurses responding to the call for volunteers, 32 of which were graduates from Emory's School of Nursing while six others were employed by Emory University Hospital. After recruitment, the 43rd General Hospital was assigned to Camp Livingston, Louisiana for training before shipping off to Oran, Algeria one year later, arriving in Africa on September 2, 1942. From there, the 43rd General Hospital was transferred to Naples, Italy before finishing in southern France, where they operated in Les Milles and Aix-en-Provence, France. Combining both wars, the Emory Unit treated over 37,000 patients, including American and Allied servicemen, prisoners of war, and civilians.