Michael Hargrave | |
|---|---|
 Michael Hargrave (second from right) and colleagues from Westminster Hospital[1] | |
| Born | Michael John Hargrave 8 December 1923 |
| Died | 25 July 1974 (aged 50) |
| Nationality | British |
| Education | |
| Occupation | Physician |
| Known for | |
| Medical career | |
| Field | General practice |
| Institutions | Princess Margaret Hospital, Swindon |
| Notable works | Bergen-Belsen 1945: A Medical Student's Journal. Imperial College Press (2014) |
Michael John Hargrave (8 December 1923 – 25 July 1974) was a British general practitioner in Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire, who in 1945 assisted British Army occupation forces at the recently-liberated Bergen-Belsen concentration camp when he volunteered as a medical student from Westminster Hospital at the age of 21.
After graduating in medicine in 1947, Hargrave took a house job at Westminster Hospital after which he completed his national service with the Royal Air Force in Egypt and Kenya. Upon returning to Wootton Bassett in 1950, he became a general practitioner and a clinical assistant to the ear, nose and throat clinic at the Princess Margaret Hospital, Swindon. By 1956, he had a purpose-built surgery with an appointment system and radiotelephone.
His memoirs, written for his mother, were used by historian Ben Shephard in his 2005 book After Daybreak: The Liberation of Belsen, 1945, and were published by Imperial College Press in 2014, in a book titled Bergen-Belsen 1945: A Medical Student's Journal.