Matron (Major) Olive Dorothy PASCHKE No VX38812 enlisted in the AAMC on 3.8.40 age 35 years. Promoted to Matron 8.1.1941, posted to 10th AGH on 11.1.1941, embarked for Malaya 3.2.1941 disembarking 18.2.1941, awarded the RRC 1st Class 1.1.1942 in the New Years Honors list signed by Gordon Bennett, detached to 2/4th CCS on 6.1.1942, embarked from Singapore 12.2.1942 for Australia. She was serving in Singapore when the Japanese invaded. She with many other Nurses during the bombing left on the ill fated "Vyner Brooke" which was later bombed by the Japanese in the Sundra Straits near Banka Island. Abandoning the ship she and 5 other Nurses drifted away on a raft and never seen again on 14.2.42. Many others became POW,s, drowned or murdered by the Japanese. Her records state believed killed on or after 11.2.142 dated 8.6.1944 then Now reported missing and for official purposes presumed dead, dated 11.4.1945. Records state she was granted the promotion of Major in 1943. CCS (Casualty Clearing Station) RRC ( Royal Red Cross) AGH (Australian General Hospital)Five page "order of service" re the unveiling of a memorial to "Matron O.D. Paschke RRC AANS 10th Australian General hospital." at the Dimboola Memorial High school." A sepia tone photo of O.D Paschke is stapled inside the order of service." printing is in blue & Brown. Front page has the Australian coat of arms at the top.documents - pamphlets, religon - christian, paschke, pow

The story of Dorothy Paschke and the memorial built in honour of her service and sacrifice in the Second World War. Matron Paschke was aboard the Vyner Brooke ship when it was bombed. She made it on to a small raft with seven other nurses and some civillians. Despite their attempts to steer the raft towards Banka Island where the other nurses landed, the current pulled them out to sea. After eighteen hours, Dorothy and three others slid into the water to paddle alongside, in the hopes it would lighten the load and help them reach shore. The current pulled Dorothy further out to sea and she was not seen again. A memorial sundial has been built in her honour and stands at the Dimboola Memorial High School.Two pages of photocopies of black and white newspaper pages. The first page is a copy of half a page. The second page is a copy of a full page printed on two sheets of paper taped together. Publication details printed across the top of both pages. The half page contains five columns of text and on the right is a portrait of Matron Paschke, to the left of the image is another image of the first page of a memorial book in her honour. (The page also contains unrelated advertisements). The second page continues the story with five columns of text in the middle of the page, above and below the text are photographs from the unveiling ceremony of the memorial sundial built in her honour. (Below and around the article are seven unrelated advertisements.)australian army nurses, wwii, ww2, world war 1939-1945, olive dorothy paschke, olive dorothy paschke memorial, vyner brooke

Kormoran Crew 1942. Graytown POW Woodcutting Camp. Back: J. Klas; J. Fend; Paschke; W. Dollatowski; O. Bindemann; F. Schmidt; W. Kraft. Front: Beyer; Heinz Homann; W. Galuschka; E. Dressbach; Georg Rosenkranz. Black and white photograph of some of the crew from the Kormoran with trees in the background.graytown pow camp, woodcutting crew, kormoran crew, j klas, j fend, paschke, w dollatowski, o bindemann, f schmidt, w kraft, beyer, heinz homann, w galuschka, e dressbach, georg rosenkranz

Sixty nurses talk to Matron Paschke about their timein and return from Malaya. Sisters Margaret Anderson and Vera Tourney are now famous for their bravery in one of the bombing attacks on the ship they were on. They shielded a wounded gunner with their bodies. "We just had to do what we could the best way we could" said Vera. In Malaya Matron Paschke had received a message that twenty nurses had to be ready to leave in an hour. After that they spent eighteen days in a converted boarding house, with wounded arriving within twenty-four hours of the nurses. When trying to reach their ship to evacuate, they had to spend a couple of hours in the Adelphi Hotel during heavy bombing. Making it onto the ship, the nurses' quarters was in the meant hold with a single light, where the nurses had to sleep om their luggage and belongings. The ship had accommodations for twenty passengers, but carried 2500 this time. Sister Bennos Atwood wanted everyone to know "that the heroism of out men was beyond words, and those we left behind in the hospitals and elsewhere were so glad for our sakes that we were getting away."Newspaper clipping with four black and white photographs of young women in hats and five columns of text. 'WWII' [photocopied ink, top of page]world war two, wwii, ww2, australian imperial forces, aif nurses, gethla forsyth, margaret anderson, vera tourney, bennos atwood, thelma gibson, bonnie howgate, sister crick, matron paschke, malaya, singapore, digger, 13th australian general hospital, raf, royal air force, british, melbourne, mildura, malacca, queensland, 10th australian general hospital, voluntary aid detachments, colonel glynn white, batavia, dutch, english, java, western australia, sister holden, victoria, war nurses' comforts fund

The story written by a journalist who had been touring Australian Imperial Force (AIF) camps in Malaya. All the available nurses joined the journalist in their mess room to be interviewed. Matron O. Paschke said that the local residents treat the nurses like film stars, sending them baskets of orchids, presents of fruit and invitations to their homes and clubs. All the nurses seem happy and fit, and have become used to the heat in the tropics. On their time off some play golf or tennis, others go swimming. When they first arrived at the hospital the amahs were there to meet them in the dark before sunrise, but they couldn't speak english and the nurses couldn't speak Malay. Regardless they became fast friends immediatly.A large newspaper page featuring a large black and white group photo above a related story and ads. The photo shows a large group of women in nurses' uniforms standing and seated.world war 1939-1945, singapore, olive dorothy paschke, dimboola, victoria, red cross

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

This article is about a number of Australian women who served as nurses in the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF) during World War Two in Malaya. It a general interview with them talking about their experiences, after their return to Australia.Newspaper clipping with four black and white photographs of women in hats and five columns of text. Clipping is a little degraded with some tears.'WWII' [blue ink top of page]world war two, wwii, ww2, australian imperial forces, aif nurses, gethla forsyth, margaret anderson, vera tourney, bennos atwood, thelma gibson, bonnie howgate, sister crick, matron paschke, malaya

Article about the wartime experiences of four Tasmanian army nurses: Harley [Rosalind] Brewer, Mollie [Marie] Gunton [Henning], Hilda [Mavis] Hildyard & Maisie [May Eileen] Rayner. Article details their evacuation and escape from the fall of Singapore during WWII.First & second photocopy of a double page spread of a journal article with a large black and white photograph of four army nurses in uniform, this spread has six columns of text. Third photocopy of a double page spread of a journal article with a small black and white photograph of women that is difficult to make out, this spread has six columns of text. Final photocopy is a single page photocopy of the final part of article with a small black and white photograph of people in operating theatre personal protective equipment with three columns of text.olive dorothy paschke, jessie elizabeth simons [hookway], vivian bullwinkel, matron drummond, singapore, wwii, world war two, ww2, harley rosalind brewer, mollie marie gunton henning, hilda mavis hildyard, maisie may eileen rayner

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