Search Victorian Collections

The life of Elizabeth Burchill has produced five books. Her most recent book, 'The paths I've trod' brings together her previous four books, providing a remarkable insight, not only into a lifetime of nursing, but the entire period from the 19020's to the 1970's. When Elisabeth first trained in Melbourne, leeches were still part of accepted medical practice. She volunteered to serve with the Australian Inland Mission at Innaminka in her twenties. When she returned to Melbourne she undertook further specialised training at the Tweddle Baby Hospital, Footscray. After her outback adventure she developed 'itchy feet syndrome' and decided to test the saying that nursing was the best passport to travel. She became a registered nurse in six countries. Elizabeth volunteered for service caring for refugee children in Spain towards the end of the Civil War there. When she returned to Australia she enlisted in the first Victorian contingent if nurses with the second AIF.. She travelled to the Middle East, with her time in Nazareth being especially interesting. After the war she tried her hand at radio announcing before retuning to nursing. In the 1970's Elizabeth became a mature age student, gained her HSC and went on to graduate as a Bachelor of Arts in 1981 at Monash University. Currently she is studying for her Bachelor of Literature at Melbourne University. Donating $10,000 to Monash saw the 'Burchill Room' named. It is a repository for Australiana, including memorbilia from Elizabeth herself.

A newspaper clipping of a title, four columns of text and two black and white photos. The large photo is of an older woman holding several books. The smaller photo is of three women wearing nurse's uniforms.

'NC7' [blue ink, top right]

blackburn, labrador memories, innaminka, new guinea nurse, thursday island nurse, hawthorn, dora elizabeth burchill, south australia, queensland, new south wales, burke and wills, london, west london hospital, wilfred grenfell, usa, indian harbour, queen mary, australian imperial force, middle east, radio 3sr shepparton, sepik district, new guinea, high school certificate, box hill, tafe, maroondah singers, alan marshall, army education, spectrum melbourne

Mrs Sally Alsop cherishes a treasure-trove of letters written by her aunt that she hopes will be collated into a book. Sally's aunt was Gwendoline Elmes, who died in the Banka Island massacre, shot by the Japanese. The Japanese had previously bombed and sunk the ship, Vyner Brooke, Gwen and 300 othe men, women, children and nurses were on, evacuating from Singapore. Sally gre up knowing little about her aunt, but when her mother became ill she heard about the letters and spent the night reading them

A newspaper clipping of a large black and white photo with a title and five columns of text beneath. The photo shows a woman in glasses sitting in front of a window holding several sheets of paper

'NC9' [blue ink, top left, sticky taped on]

wwii, world war two, ww2, vivian bullwinkel, vivian statham (nee bullwinkel), banka strait, dorothy gwendoline elmes, bud, pacific war, sumatra, australian red cross

The clipping appears to be a pictorial of Melbourne's National Shilling Drive March. The first photo's caption states that the Australian Army Nurses, who had returned from active service overseas were given the position of honour at the head of the column.

A narrow newspaper clipping of four black and white photos with captions. The photos depict four different groups of women, all marching in an parade

'NC9' [blue ink, centre, top, back of page]

wwii, world war two, ww2, aans, vad, voluntary aid detachments, women's auxiliary service, awas, australian women's auxiliary service, waaaf, women's auxiliary australian air force, victoria, melbourne, town hall

Article published in the St John Ambulance Historical Society of Australia journal, volume 9 (2009-2010), about the life and nursing career of Emma Maud McCarthy. Maud McCarthy had a profound influence on nursing, serving overseas throughout WWI and then later becoming "one of the first senior nurses to recognise the impact of war on minds, she set up separate units for men who had self-harmed and she pioneered nurse anaesthetists in the British Armed Forces" (-Rosemary Shields).

Photocopied article from the St John History Journal. The first page is a copy of the contents page of volume 9, followed by copies of pages 49-55 containing the article and photographs.

nursing history, world war 1, world war 1914-1918, first world war, wwi, australian medical history, british medical history, nurses, emma maud mccarthy, maud mccarthy

Article published in the Journal of Medical Biography in 2014 about the life of Emma Maud McCarthy, "one of the most decorated nurses of the First World War". She had a profound influence on nursing, serving overseas throughout WWI and then later becoming "one of the first senior nurses to recognise the impact of war on minds, she set up separate units for men who had self-harmed and she pioneered nurse anaesthetists in the British Armed Forces" (from abstract).

Black and white photocopy of an eight page, double-sided, journal article with text divided into two columns down each page. The article contains two photographic images of Maud McCarthy, one dressed as a Matron and the other as Dame on the occasion of the King's coronation.

'February 19, 2015' [Highlighted in yellow highlight marker at the top of the first page]

nursing history, world war 1, world war 1914-1918, first world war, wwi, australian medical history, british medical history, nurses, emma maud mccarthy, maud mccarthy

Copy of Appendix B from an unknown publication, detailing the names of the medical and nursing personnel who served in Southeast Asia (including: Malaya, Borneo and Vietnam). "The following lists have been compiled from a wide range of contemporary file sources, from some published works and from information provided by medical and nursing officers" - (from the opening paragraph).

Photocopy of five pages of a printed appendix listing three columns of names under each heading. The words 'Malaya 1955-63' are highlighted in yellow on the first page.

'Malaya 1955-63' [Highlighted with a bright yellow highlight marker on the first page] [Thirteen names on the third page have small pencil cross marks by them]

southeast asia, australian army nurses, royal australian air force nurses, medical officers, vietnam, malaya, borneo

Copy of a photo of inside the Returned Nurses' Club room at ANZAC House on Collins Street in Melbourne.

Black and white A4 photocopy of a photograph of a large room at ANZAC House with armchairs and small tables spread throughout.

australian nurses, anzac house (melbourne), returned army nurses' club, club rooms

Certificate of registration as a General Nurse for Gertrude O'Halloran of Hunter's Hill (New South Wales), dated Twenty-ninth December, 1927.

Certificate printed on cream coloured paper. There is an emblem at the top and below it reads 'New South Wales Nurses Registration Act, 1924'. The name and date have been typed in and it has been hand-signed.

nursing registration certificate, australian nurses, gertrude o'halloran

Photocopies of four catalogue records detailing various correspondence and documents relating to World War II, miscellaneous points regarding medical units, personnel and patients.

Photocopy of four handwritten record cards (two per page), from a catalogue. Each card has a margin with a number above the top line and further numbers down the left margin. The rest of the card lists various items found at those numbers.

world war 1939-1945, ww2, wwii, australian army nursing service

A list of graduate names from Mooroopna Base Hospital in Victoria in World War II.

Copy of a handwritten list of names. Title printed across the top of the page and double underlined.

world war 1939-1945, ww2, wwii, australian army nursing service, mooroopna base hospital (victoria)

Photocopy of the Nominal Roll of A.A.N.S. Personnel Transports 3rd Convoy, with the names of those embarking in Sydney and in Melbourne.

Photocopy of typed correspondence with the Australian Imperial Force title and emblem at the top of the first page. The Australian Archives details are typed along the left side edge.

world war 1939-1945, ww2, wwii, australian army nursing service, embarkation, nomoinal roll, personnel transports 3rd convoy

Copy of official wartime correspondence from the Australian Archives detailing the embarkation and personnel movements aboard hospital ship 'Manunda'. It refers to nursing staff: Sister CONWAY, Amy Christine, NX70210 Sister PEGUS, Edna Ivy, NX25945 Sister CHADWICK, Elizabeth Alexandria, QX43177 Sister DAVIDSON, Hazel Rosalind, Q140277

Photocopy of A4 typed correspondence report.

world war 1939-1945, ww2, wwii, manunda hospital ship, australian army nursing service

The clipping appears to be a pictorial of Melbourne's Anzac Day March.

A large newspaper clipping of a large and a small black and white photo. The large photo is of a large group of women marching, led by a row of older women in nurse's uniform and war medals. The small photo is of a man smiling and saluting, wearing an army uniform.

wwii, world war two, ww2, korea, vietnam, ww1, wwi, world war one, gulf war, pacific theatre, combined nursing services, swanston st, flinders st station, sir 'weary' dunlop

Book review of "A special kind of service" by Joan Crouch. The book is about a wartime field hospital, the 2/9th Australian General Hospital (AGH). It was a portable group of about 300 nurses, doctors and support servicemen. The 2/9th AGH started it's life by heading by sea for the Middle East, where it was to care for ill and injured troops. It operate with a minimum of 600 bed, with 4000 at times of stress. Sister Joan Crouch has collected dairies, correspondence, official records, recollections and photos from people who served with the 2/9th for her book, told chronologically. The book begins with the first passage as a unit, via India, to the Middle East. They established the 2/9th AGH near the Arab village of Amiriya, where sand storms penetrated everything, including the operating theatre, but the staff were able to go sightseeing at the Pyramids. Next they moved to a monastery in Nazareth, where it snowed over Christmas 1941. The 2/9th AGH was recalled after Pearl Harbour to assist in South-East Asia, but Singapore fell so they came back to Northfield, Australia for a few months. They were then moved to a site 30km out of Port Moresby, called Seventeen-Mile. There they bore the brunt of casualties from the Kokoda Trail, with December 1942 seeing them looking after 4000 with a staff of twenty-nine doctors, 112 sisters and about 300 others. The 'walking wounded' were known to help nurse the bedridden. In September 1943 the first group of the Australian Army Medical Womens Service (AAMWS) arrived to assist the 2/9th AGH. March 1944 ended the service of the 2/9th AGH in what is now Papua New Guinea and they briefly returned to Tamworth, Australia, before closing temporarily for a few months. March1945, the 2/9th AGH were sent to assist in the Borneo campaign at Morotai, where they saw out the war. Joan Crouch worked as a nurse with 2/9th AGH, during World War II, continued afterwards in the Army Nursing Service (ANS) and was later involved in the Korean War, working in Japan and Seoul.

A photocopy of a large newspaper clipping consisting of a title, eight columns of text and a black and white photo of a group of women sitting outside

'THE NEWCASTLE HERALD / 21 FEB 1987' [photocopied ink, top left]

wwii, world war two, ww2, korea, alternative publishing co-operative, adelaide, alexandria, tobruk, crete, merewether beach, red cross, bbc world service, big ben, red cross radio, syria, 7th australian division, casa nova monastery, terra santa monastery, rouna falls, laloki river, loribaiwa, church of the nativity, bethlehem, westmead hospital, new south wales, south australia, molucca group, macarthur, philippines, japanese emperor, potsdam agreement, nagasaki, american, america, pows, prisoners of war

Book review of "Guns and brooches: Australian Army Nursing from the Boer War to the Gulf War" by Jan Bassett Australia's army nurses were often in the line of fire during World War 1, working at the front in atrocious conditions. About 2300 members of the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) were the only women to serve overseas in an official capacity with the Australian Imperial Forces (AIF). They nursed in hospitals in Egypt, Greece, England, France, Italy and Belgium. They were all qualified nurses and virtually all were single or widowed, between twenty-five and forty years old. The nurses were subject to clumsy attempts to impose military way upon them, such as having a group of nurses from No. 3 Australian General Hospital (AGH), wearing ankle-length dresses and bonnets, led by a piper, marching several kilometres to their hospital site on the island of Lemnos, Greece. Only to find hundreds of sick and wounded patients from Gallipoli lying on the ground waiting for them, but no equipment.

A large newspaper clipping consisting of a title, six columns of text and a black and white photo of a woman in the winter nurse's uniform of the AIF.

'Weekend Australian. / Nov. 1993' [blue ink, top right]

wwii, world war two, ww2, wwi, ww1, world war one, korea, vietnam, pacific war, evelyn davies, alice davies, healesville, armistice, salonika, luna park, cairo, melbourne, nellie gould, jane bell, evelyn conyers, no. 1 agh, lemnos, spanish influenza, india, british, peshawar, carrel-dakin method, abbeville, ag butler, hardelot, mimie proctor, no. 2 australian casualty clearing station, messines, elsie tranter, accs, alice ross king, alice ross-king, university of melbourne

Part of a two page spread with the articles on the event on the missing page. The photographs on this page give insight into the ages and number of women who were present at the celebration of the 41st birthday of the Australian Army Nursing Service. Including a representative of the US Army Nursing Service.

Newspaper page with headline, and four black and white photographs of women in Australian Army Nursing Service uniforms and one black and white photograph of women in Australian Army Medical Womens Service uniforms. All photos have captions.

'NC14' [photocopied ink, top left hand corner] '9'[over the top of 14, to make 'NC9', pencil, top left hand corner] 'WWII' [blue ink, top right hand corner]

wwii, world war two, ww2, australian army nursing service, annie moriah sage, grace wilson, charlotte joan mcallister, blanche sagner, us army nursing service, ethel jessie bowe, margaret alison tisdale, jean evelyn headberry, mary dorothy fahle

Book review of "Guns and brooches: Australian Army Nursing from the Boer War to the Gulf War" by Jan Bassett. Jan Bassett painstakingly traced Australian Army nursing through the six major conflicts of the past ninety-three years: Boer War, World War One and Two, Korea, Vietnam and the Persian Gulf. Though nurses have been celebrated throughout literature, in reality the endured low status, appalling work conditions, low pay and occasionally betrayal by their male officers. Such as the army doctors in Papua New Guinea taking the unit's ambulances on the approach of the Japanese, leaving the nurses and wounded behind. In an incident during World War Two, British army officers in charge of a hospital ship disembarked the entire contingent of Australian nurses in Indonesia, without any resources, for disputing the distributing of medical supplies and drugs to their patients onboard. Also during World War Two nurses were increasingly given honourary officer status, with requirements for them to abide by the disciplines of the army, while lacking many privileges of their rank. Until comparatively recently the same privileges and facilities open to returned servicemen were not extended to army nurses and there are many documented cases of extreme poverty. But times are changing, with recognition, status and equal pay now here to stay.

A large newspaper clipping of a title, six columns of text and a black and white photo of women in what appears to be an army hospital, some are standing, some are seated and some are laying down. Some of the women cleary in nurse's uniform but others don't appear to be.

oxford university press, singapore, empire star, banka island, sumatra, vivian bullwinkel, south africa, europe

The caption says "Nursing sisters Logan, Sellers, Lade, Mole, Goodwin, Healey, McPhall and Bryant leave for the war." The women appear to be in uniforms circa WW2

A newspaper clipping of a large black and white photo of eight women in nurse's uniforms standing along a railing with a caption beneath

nancy olive logan, iris ruby seller, mary j. lade, gladys elva mole, wilhelmina edna goodin, gwendoline healey, lilian elaine mcphail, ellen may (nell) bryant, ss mauretania

'In the Service of Mankind' is the mottos of the Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps, and has stuck to that ideal for seventy years. The corps was born just after Federation, though Australian nurses had already served in the Boer War. Since then, whenever Australia has fought, the nurses have been there to treat the wounded. The Australian Army Nursing Service Reserve, the original title of the Corps, got underway in 1902 as a voluntary body supplying trained nurses in times of emergency. Since 1949 the corps has been part of the regular army.

A photocopy and the original newspaper clipping that includes a title, captions, three columns of text and four black and white photos. The first photo depicts an older woman with a large photo of women in nurse's uniforms. The second photo is of tents in a field. The third photo is of a younger woman in nurse's uniform next to a picture on the wall. The final photo is of two women in nurse's uniforms.

'NC 11' [blue ink (on original), top left]

irene woodward, victorian returned nurses' club, aans, ranc, aarnr, australian army nursing service, france world war one, world war 1, wwi, ww1, korea, malaya, vietnam, citizens' military forces, new south wales, anzac house, collins st, salonika

Cream booklet with 2 staples, black and white interior and coloured cover featuring illustrated red cross with the Centaur ship surrounded by a green wreath

non-fiction

ww2, australian army nursing serive, commemorative, second world war, e lydia shaw, world war ii, military nursing

Green paperback cover with white printed title on the spine. White text box on the cover with title printed inside it in black. Photograph of four women on the cover in black and white.

non-fiction

The sequel to 'You'll be sorry!'. This is an account of what the 66,000 Servicewomen returning from WWII had to deal with when they returned home, home to a country that would never be the same as it was prior to the war years.

nurses, australian ex-servicewomen, women veterans, australian social conditions 1945-1965, world war ii, ww2, wwii

Green paperback cover with white printed title on the spine. White text box on the cover with title printed inside it in black. Photograph of four women on the cover in black and white.

non-fiction

The sequel to 'You'll be sorry!'. This is an account of what the 66,000 Servicewomen returning from WWII had to deal with when they returned home, home to a country that would never be the same as it was prior to the war years.

nurses, australian ex-servicewomen, women veterans, australian social conditions 1945-1965, world war ii, ww2, wwii

Hardback book with a dark blue dustjacket. Along the spine the title is printed in light aqua script, followed by the printed text of the sub-title and author's name, there is a mark on the bottom of the spine where a sticker has previously been removed. The front shows an image of a red flower with some greenery set in a light brown rectangle, below which the title is again printed in light aqua script.

non-fiction

'Proper Care traces the story of the Heidelberg Repartriation Hospital in Melbourne from its creation, when it took over the 115th (Heidelberg) Military Hospital in 1947. Catering exclusively to the needs of ex-service personnel, the 'Repat' as it is generally known, developed a strong sense of community among staff and patients. Staff were often ex-service themselves, and for many years the hospital administration retained a strong military flavour.' - from inside dustjacket.

veterans hospitals, heidelberg repartriation hospital, teaching hospitals, repartriation general hospital heidelberg

Maroon and white dustjacket with a black and white image of eight nurses at the top and a white text box below with the title printed in black and maroon.

non-fiction

Historical study of the work of Australian Army Nurses during World War I. Covers nursing and training, army, environments, patterns of work, impact of disease, surgical nursing, legacy of Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS).

australian army nursing serive, aans, army nurses--australia--history, military nursing

Paperback book with a white cover and the title printed in red. The cover shows three Australian nurses standing together.

non-fiction

When Singapore fell dramatically to the Japanese on 15 February 1942, hundreds of people scrambled to leave. Amongst the evacuees were 65 Australian nurses. They boarded a coastal freighter named the Vyner Brooke, which was sunk by the Japanese. Miraculously, there was one survivor, Vivian Bullwinkel who, in spite of a bullet wound, endured 13 days in the jungle before surrendering to another Japanese patrol. On 12 February 1942, Singapore was just days away from its fall to the Japanese. As the city burned, hundreds of desperate people scrambled to the docks to flee. Amongst them were 65 Australian Army nurses, who boarded a coastal freighter, the Vyner Brooke. But theirs was a doomed voyage. Japanese bombers attacked and sank the vessel off Sumatra. Those who survived drifted for up to three days before making landfall on one of the many beaches on Banka Island. A group of survivors, including 22 nurses, gathered at Radji Beach. They voted to surrender, but the Japanese patrol that found them divided them into three groups and the executions began. In the last group were the Australian nurses, who died in a hail of bullets as they walked, abreast, into the sea. Miraculously, there was one survivor, Vivian Bullwinkel, who in spite of a bullet wound endured 13 days in the jungle before surrendering to another Japanese patrol. She was reunited with the other surviving Vyner Brooke nurses in a makeshift camp on the island. Three-and-a-half years later, only 24 made it home. Meticulously researched from the diaries and papers of some of the nurses who survived, this is a moving account of the fate of every nurse who boarded the Vyner Brooke that day. [From Trove]

australian nurses, singapore, prisoners of war, world war two, wwii, world war 2, vivian bullwinkel

Paperback book with maroon cover and black and white images of Nurse Wilma Oram Young on the cover.

non-fiction

This is the story of one of Australia's most remarkable women. As a captive of the Japanese during World War II, Wilma Oran, a young Australian nurse, experienced the very worst of human brutality: starvation, deprivation and degradation. Yet, through the comradeship of her fellow prisoners , she also encountered humankind at its best. [From back cover]

australian nurses, wima oran young, ww2, wwii, world war 2, world war two, prisoners of war, japan, women and war

Cream coloured book with title printed in brown text across the top. Under the title is a large rectangle photo of a man and a woman riding two camels in Egypt in sepia tones. At the top of the image is a diamond with the subtitle printed inside, and inside that is a maroon rectangle with the author's name printed in white text. Next to this shape is an image of a gramaphone.

non-fiction

The diaries and letters of Sister Olive Haynes from November 1914 to February 1918.

olive l.c. haynes, australian nurses, royal australian army nurses, wwi, ww1, world war one

Hardback book with a dark blue dustjacket. Along the spine the title is printed in light aqua script, followed by the printed text of the sub-title and author's name, there is a mark on the bottom of the spine where a sticker has previously been removed. The front shows an image of a red flower with some greenery set in a light brown rectangle, below which the title is again printed in light aqua script.

non-fiction

'Proper Care traces the story of the Heidelberg Repartriation Hospital in Melbourne from its creation, when it took over the 115th (Heidelberg) Military Hospital in 1947. Catering exclusively to the needs of ex-service personnel, the 'Repat' as it is generally known, developed a strong sense of community among staff and patients. Staff were often ex-service themselves, and for many years the hospital administration retained a strong military flavour.' - from inside dustjacket.

veterans hospitals, heidelberg repartriation hospital, teaching hospitals, repartriation general hospital heidelberg

Brown hardcover book with a brown dust jacket. Both the front cover and spine of the dust jacket show the title and a brown and white drawn image of lines of soldiers marching in uniform.

non-fiction

Gallipoli was the final resting place for thousands of young Australians. Death struck so fast there was no time for escape or burial. And when Gallipoli was over there was the misery of the European Campaign. Patsy Adam-Smith read over 8000 diaries and letters to write her acclaimed best-seller about the First World War. These are the extraordinary experiences of ordinary men – and they strike to the heart. The Anzacs remains unrivalled as the classic account of Australia's involvement in the First World War. [Penguin Books]

world war 1, ww1, wwi, world war one, australian and new zealand army corps, anzac, military campaigns, anzac day

White hardcover book covered in a white dust jacket. The dust jacket has a red box, with the heading printed in red text inside, at the top half of the page. The lower half of the page shows a black and white photo of a man and woman with six children standing in front of them and another child sitting on the man's shoulders, they are all standing in a field of tall crops. There are two horizontal red lines running along the top and bottom of the cover.

non-fiction

This ia a genuine people's history of Australia. When Australians were asked to name our unsung heroes and heroines, these are some of the people we chose. Their lives cover the last 200 years of Australia's history, a history that they shaped in the living of it. Their names do not appear in conventional histories - they did not direct what are usually regarded as 'great events' and are not history's traditional 'great men'. They are 'the people'. They are convicts and inner-city welfare workers, war heroes and mothers of twelve, children and old-age pensioners. They are bush nurses and fire-fighters, suffragettes and explorers, circus performers and poets. Some perform single acts of great bravery; other reveal different kinds of couragem enduring and surviving through years of hardship. Some of their stories are amusing, many are deeply moving. There are the stories of women, children, Aborigines, immigrants from many oother countries, 'ordinary' people. These are our stories. (Inside cover)

australia history, australia biography, nurses, rose golding, joyce tweddell