A hymn written by Margaret Dryburgh, whilst in a Prisoner of War camp. It was first sung on the 5th of July in 1942 at Irenelaan, Palembang, Sumatra. Margaret Dryburgh was a Presbyterian Missionary in Singapore when the Japanese arrived, she died in a camp hospital in 1945.An A4 sheet of paper that has been cut down to a smaller size. The front contains the typed words of the hymn in black ink, the title in underlined in red pen ink. There are handwritten inscriptions on the back of the page.'Jessie Hookway / (Simons) / AANS 2/13th AGH / passed away / 23 December 2004' [Handwritten in pencil on the back of the paper] [Handwritten information regarding Miss Margaret Dryburgh, written in black ink on the back of the page, refer to media image] prisoners of war, margaret dryburgh

An anniversary commemoration written by Sister Betty Jeffrey, 2/10th Australian General Hospital (AGH). Five years have passed since the end of the war, but it still feels like yesterday that Betty's hospital unit, who nursed in Malaya and Singapore was complete. Betty remembers the outstanding personality of Matron O. D. Paschke, RRC, particularly how she made the frightening leap from the deck of the sinking evacuation so much easier for her nurses. Matron Paschke was one of twelve nurses lost at sea that day. Later, on the beach of Banka Island, a group of twenty-one surviving nurses were kllled by the Japanese with only one survivor. Of the nurses who were taken prisoner of war (POW), of which Betty was also one, eight more died when the end of the war was almost in sight. Betty also remembers the tragedy of losing twelve members of the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) in the sinking of the hospital ship, Centaur, again with only one nurse surviving. On Anzac Day members of the Navy, Army and Air Force will gather at the Edith Cavell Memorial, where a service is read in memory of Nurse Edith Cavell and the women who lost their lives in the two world wars. Betty remembers the courage of her fellow POW nurses, particularly when they knew they were dying. Christmas 1943, in the POW camp, Betty recieved a card made from a scrounged page, hand decorated. The sister who gave her the card later died a week before the war ended. The simple short Anzac services for the women who lost their lives will always remind Betty of the only service the sisters could face holding in the POW camp, in 1943.A newspaper clipping with a large title and four columns of text beneath'Sun p2 26.4.50'[graphite pencil, bottom left]world war 2, wwii, ww2, world war ii, olive dorothy paschke, vyner brooke, vivian bullwinkel, sumatra, palembang, jean ashton

The newspaper clipping is the second of two extract from 'Prisoners of War: Australians Under Nippon', by Hank Nelson. The extract touches on the conditions the nurses serving in Singapore experienced, moving into the eventual evacuation. The first nurses were evacuated on February 10, [1942], with half of the remainder the following day, and the final nurses were evacuated February 13. These sixty-five nurses were aboard the Vyner Brooke with 300 other passengers, mostly women and children. The ship was spotted and bombed the next day. Sister Vivian Bullwinkel, clinging to the side of a lifeboat, came ashore on Radji Beach, Banka Island. She became one of a group of twenty-two nurse, other Vyner Brooke passengers and twenty British soldier from another bombed ship. This group decided to surrender to the Japanese, who proceeded to kill all but one British soldier and Vivian Bullwinkel. After holding out for ten days the pair made their way to Muntok, hiding the evidence they had both survived a massacre. Of the sixty-five nurses to board the Vyner Brooke, twelve had drowned, twenty-one had been killed on the beach and thirty-two became prisoners of war (POW).A newspaper clipping consisting of four large columns of text and a small black and white photo of an older woman (head).'A[G]E / 26/4'[blue ink, top left]world war 2, wwii, ww2, world war ii, olive dorothy paschke, vyner brooke, vivian bullwinkel, sumatra, palembang, jean ashton, betty jeffrey, wah sui, empire star, micky syer, banka strait, private kingsley, cecil kingsley, 10th australian general hospital

Nursing a memory Several of the nurse survivors of the Banka Straits tragedy share their stories and personal recollections of the war. Some nurses wrote books, some talk about staying optimistic while being prisoners of war (POW), others say they've never stopped being stunned by the war years. Fifty years after the Banka Straits tragedy and the years the POWs spent in camps in Sumatra, the poignancy has not been dulled, and has been etched into the memories of the nurses who survived. Betty Jeffery, now in her 80's, says that despite the hardships she faced, it change her life for the better. When the ship, the SS Vyner Brooke, was bombed she was in the water for seventy hours. In the POW camps they slept on concrete floors and starved as food was allowed to rot just out of reach. The nurses that endured so much together have stayed in touch. Betty has also written a highly successful book, 'White Coolies', based on diaries of her experience. Of all the nurses Vivian Bullwinkel is the most celebrated, her story being one of ultimate survival. One of a group of about 100 survivors after the sinking of the SS Vyner Brooke, she and the others thought the Japanese wouldn't kill such a large number when they surrendered to them. The soldiers were bayonetted, the nurses and civilians were lined up in the sea and shot. Vivian played dead. A tribute to Aussie courage A brief recounting of the sinking of the SS Vyner Brooke and the survivors' three and a half years as prisoners of war (POW) of the Japanese. Of the sixty-five who attempted to evacuate Singapore on the SS Vyner Brooke, twenty-four made it home to Australia. A memorial to the brave Australian nurses has been organised to ensure their contribution is remembered forever.A large newspaper clipping consisting of two stories with titles and four columns of text each. The larger story also has two black and white photos, on of an older woman holding a book, and the other of two young women leaning in toward each otherww2, wwii, world war two, vivian statham, 13th agh, aif, vyner brooke, florence nightingale medal, muntok, malacca, iole harper, australian army nurses, katong, perth, red cross, heidelberg repatriation hospital, fairfield hospital, wilma oram, 13th australian general hospital, murtoa, warrnambool, singapore, johore baru, wilma young, cardinia, jessie simons, in japanese hands - australian nurses as pows, jessie hookaway, tasmania, british, singapore harbour, banka island, empire star, prisoner of war, palembang, sumatra, malay, dutch, ex-prisoners of war association of australia, sir edward 'weary' dunlop, jenny greer, ahs wanganella

Hardcover book with light blue dust jacket showing a black and white image of three nurses happily walking arm in arm. The title appears in white print, the author and sub title are printed in red.non-fictionThe inevitability of war -- Mobilisation -- Dunkirk -- Britain alone -- The suez canal under threat -- The tragedy of Greece -- The siege of Malta -- Gibraltar -- Nurses on the home front -- War with Japan -- Hong Kong after the surrender -- The fall of Singapore -- Shipwreck and capture -- 1942 . . . Darkest before the Dawn -- El Alamein and after -- The Miracle of Penicillin -- Into Italy -- The battle of Mount Cassino -- Prelude to overlord -- The second front -- The collapse of the third reich -- The ultimate decision -- Internment: Bankinang and palembang -- Freedom. [Contents note from Trove]australian nurses, world war two, wwii, world war 2, nursing

Paperback book with a black and white image of three nurses happily walking arm in arm on a blue background. The title appears in white print, the author and sub title are printed in black.non-fictionThe inevitability of war -- Mobilisation -- Dunkirk -- Britain alone -- The suez canal under threat -- The tragedy of Greece -- The siege of Malta -- Gibraltar -- Nurses on the home front -- War with Japan -- Hong Kong after the surrender -- The fall of Singapore -- Shipwreck and capture -- 1942 . . . Darkest before the Dawn -- El Alamein and after -- The Miracle of Penicillin -- Into Italy -- The battle of Mount Cassino -- Prelude to overlord -- The second front -- The collapse of the third reich -- The ultimate decision -- Internment: Bankinang and palembang -- Freedom. [Contents note from Trove]australian nurses, world war two, wwii, world war 2, nursing