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Sub-branch of the Victorian RSL dedicated to nurses who served in the armed forces
Sub-branch of the Victorian RSL dedicated to nurses who served in the armed forces
Betty Jeffery and Beryl Woodbridge were among the war nurses who marched in the 1952 Anzac march. The two nurses were both Japanese POWs for three years. Kath McMillan and Betty Pump who served with them in the 2/10 Australian General Hospital (AGH) also marched. Matron-in-Chief Sage let the procession that also included Miss Edna Shaw, Lady Superintendent of the Alfred Hospital. An English ex-pat, Kathleen Carpenter, who served in the Queen Alexandra Imperial Nursing Service Reserve, having settled in Australia after being demobilised, also marched.
A newspaper clipping from a larger sheet consisting of a title above a large black and white photo of a large group of women in uniform marching together down a street. The story has been cut off.
'[down arrow] MRS (JOHNS) SHIPPEN' [blue ink, upper left hand side] '(Black Armbands respect for late King.) George. VI)' [blue ink upper left hand side] 'Miss HANNAH / Alford Hosp.' [graphite, lower left hand side] 'Miss E [R] SHAW / Alford Hosp.' [graphite, lower left hand side]
annie moriah sage, british army, italy, west africa, north nigeria, willaura district hospital, peggy wall, foncie smith, egypt, palestine, greece, aip, british expeditionary force, bef
The farewell party for Col Annie Sage, retiring Matron-in-Chief of the Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps (RAANC) brought together principal matrons of every Army Command in Australia, as part of the 250 guests. Guests included nurses from many parts of Australia, as well as the Chief of the General Staff, Minister for the Army and the former Director-General of Army Medical Services. A brooch was presented to Miss Sage on behalf of friends in and out of the profession by the former Director-General, who said "Miss Sage was one of the most outstanding examples of leadership I have ever seen." Miss Sage also received telegrams from well wishers..
A newspaper clipping from a larger page, consisting of three columns of text next to a black and white photo of a group of women, one of which is presenting something to another.
'NC3' [blue ink, top left, front of page] 'NC3' [blue ink, top right, back of page]
annie moriah sage, sydney fairbairn rowell, josiah francis, samuel burston, harry crowe, vivien bullwinkel, banka island, g m taylor, c a fall, jean elsie ferguson, joan stevenson abbott, c a kestal, edith lydia shaw
Information page detailing the history of Sages Cottage from building in 1853/56 as a homestead, to being purchased in 1976 by the Victoria Conservation Trust. John Edward Sage built the cottage as the homestead for his farm "Eurutta" in 1856. John lived in the cottage with his wife and children up until his death in 1908 with his wife, Maria Sage (nee Baxter) continuing to live there until her death in 1927. Their youngest son, Thomas Holden Sage, and three daughters, Fanny Martha, Annie Agususta and Ellen Amynta continued to live there until their deaths. Thomas died in 1960 but gifted the remaining block of land with the cottage to his [niece?] Annie Moriah Sage a year before his death. Annie was Matron of the Australian Military Forces (AMF) in WW2. [Annie was born in 1895 as the fifth child to Edward Arthur and Mary Anne Sage. She trained in nursing, obtaining her nursing certificate in 1926. 1940 saw Annie join the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS), Australian Imperial Force (AIF). During WWII Annie served as matron for the 2nd/2nd Australian General Hospital in the Middle East. She was made matron-in-chief, AIF (Middle East) in 1940, and was appointed a member of the Red Cross in 1942. Returning to Australia in 1942, she was elevated to deputy matron-in-chief, AMF in February 1943, and sub-sequentially promoted to colonel in March. Her duties included organising the AANS for duty in the South-West Pacific Area and oversaw the training scheme for the Australian Army Medical Women's Service (AAMWS). In September 1945 Annie flew to Sumatra to assist with the repatriation of the twenty four Australian nurses imprisoned by the Japanese. For her war service she was awarded the Florence Nightingale medal (1947) by the International Red Cross. In 1951 she was appointed Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE).] After Annie's death in 1969 the cottage and land went to a nephew and two nieces, before being purchased in 1976 by the Victoria Conservation Trust as an example of early settlement history.
A printed information document in black ink on white paper, with an address in the upper left and opening times and refreshments available in the upper right. Below and over the page is full width text.
'NC.3' [red ink top left hand corner of front page] '059 7111 3577 [?] Alastair Herbert / & / [?] Camilla [Hapfor]' [blue ink, top if second page]
wwii, world war 2
At a historic gathering of past and present Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps (RAANC) nurses were in attendance at the dedication and unveiling of the RAANC's badged door at the Solider's Chapel at Kapooka, the first dedication of a corps door there. Col Coralie Gerrard, DNS-A spoke of the history of nurses in the Army. The first nurses served with troops in 1898 with the Australian Nursing Service (ANS) being formed 1902. Nurses have continued to serve in all wars where Australians have served. Lt-Col Ian Mawson, Deputy Comdt 1RTB, gave the opening address. Guests included nurses who had served in Australia and overseas in WW2 as well as those who served in Japan, Korea, Malaya, Vietnam, Singapore and New Guinea between 1946 and 1980 and in recent UN deployments. It was a wonderful occasion for past and present nurses to meet and talk about their Army nursing experiences.
A photocopied news paper clipping of an article with a large black and white photo of a group of women standing in front of a building above two columns of text and a smaller black a white photo of an army colonel and a chaplain
ww2, wwii, melbourne, canberra, sydney, angus mcdonald, carmelo sciberras, gary kenney, wilma young, wilma jones [oram young]
The caption beneath the photos names Mrs Wilma Young (nee Oram) and Mrs Vivian Statham (nee Bullwinkel) who were at a reunion for their unit where they had a common bond as wartime nurses and POWs.
A newspaper clipping of a large black and white photo featuring two older women holding wine glasses and standing in front of the 13th Australian General Hosptial's flag
ww2, wwii, wilma jones, japanese, 13th australian general hospital, hilton hotel
The letter to editor is written from L. D. Emerson-Elliot. The writer commends Australian nurses who shared in the danger of air and ground attacks in Singapore by the Japanese in 1942. They go on to detail the a particular incident when the ship they were on was under heavy air attack. The captain sent them to check on the nurses and their charges. Through the horror of blasted metal, blood and shattered bodies the nurses were quietly and steadfastly continuing their work. The writer states that Sister Anderson received the George Medal for that day, but that they believe that all nurses who have served in wars deserve a memorial. They had heard that a submission was made for a memorial for military nurses on Anzac Parade, Canberra, but that for almost a year nothing had happened.
Photocopied news paper clipping of a letter to the editor consisting of three columns of text under a title
'009/04 '96 11:00 [phone symbol] 06 266 4982 DGAFHS [symbol] 002' [typed/printed before photocopied, along top] 'THE CANBERRA TIMES 9 APR 96' [written before photocpied, centre top] 'Page 8' [blue ink top, following photocopied writing' [paragraph at the end of the second column and beginning of the third column is highlighted, yellow ink] 'Sign letter, give your full address and . / phone number. Not more than 250 words' [blue ink, centre below clipping] 'Address' [underlined, blue ink, bottom left] 'Letters to the Editor / The Canberra Times / PO Box 7155 / Canberra Mail Centre / ACT' [blue ink, bottom left]
ww2, wwii, mv empire star, captain capon, sister anderson, royal college of nursing australia, national capital planning authority, charnwood
The article details the war time recollections of Vivian Bullwinkel, sole survivor of the Japanese massacre of Australian nurses in 1942. The Australian Army nurses, with 200 civilians, were aboard the SS Vyner Brook when the Japanese bombed and sank the ship. After ten hours, twenty four nurses survived to make it ashore on Banka Island. The Japanese took them prisoner and then proceeded to shoot them all, after first bayoneting forty Bristish prisoners. Vivian was shot in the side and pretended she was dead. Vivian credits her initial survival to the duty she felt to a fellow survivor of the massacre, a British man. They then had to make the decision that giving themselves up to the Japanese was their best chance of survival. After threes years as a POW Vivian had lost alot of weight and seen many die, but she had continued to care for those that were her patients. More than 50 years later Vivian is to return to Banka Island as and honoured guest of Indonesia, to chose the site of of a memorial to her dead comrades. Vivian avoids talking in detail about her POW experiences but she does have strong views on selling Australian land to Japanese investors. The Japanese government had recently apologised for the atrocities they committed, but Vivian believes the apology was not specific enough.
First page of a magazine clipping consisting of a large title with two columns of text next to a colour reproduction of a painting of a nurse Second page of a magazine clipping consisting of three columns of text under a large colour photo of an older man and woman leaning into each other
'N22' [blue ink, top left, first page]
ww2, wwii, red cross, frank statham, dutch east indies, anzac day
The article details the war time recollections of Vivian Bullwinkel, sole survivor of the Japanese massacre of Australian nurses in 1942. The Australian Army nurses, with 200 civilians, were aboard the SS Vyner Brook when the Japanese bombed and sank the ship. After ten hours, twenty four nurses survived to make it ashore on Banka Island. The Japanese took them prisoner and then proceeded to shoot them all, after first bayoneting forty Bristish prisoners. Vivian was shot in the side and pretended she was dead. Vivian credits her initial survival to the duty she felt to a fellow survivor of the massacre, a British man. They then had to make the decision that giving themselves up to the Japanese was their best chance of survival. After threes years as a POW Vivian had lost alot of weight and seen many die, but she had continued to care for those that were her patients. More than 50 years later Vivian is to return to Banka Island as and honoured guest of Indonesia, to chose the site of of a memorial to her dead comrades. Vivian avoids talking in detail about her POW experiences but she does have strong views on selling Australian land to Japanese investors. The Japanese government had recently apologised for the atrocities they committed, but Vivian believes the apology was not specific enough.
The first page of a magazine article including two columns of text and a colour reproduction of a painting of a woman in nurse's uniform, page one of two
'N22' [blue ink, top right]
ww2, wwii, red cross, frank statham, dutch east indies, anzac day
The newspaper clipping is an obituary for Agnes Ivy Clyne, also known as Sunbury's grand old lady. Agnes, [known as Ivy], died at the age of 95 on March 17 [1995]. Her funeral service was attended by friends and relatives on March 22 [1995]. Born April 29 1899, Ivy began her nursing career in her late teens, being a hospital matron before the outbreak of WWII. During the war she worked at the military hospitals in Heidelberg, Broken Hill and Bendigo, being promoted to Captain of the Nurse Corps. Ivy married in early 1948, but had no children. The obituary goes on the summarise her interests in racing, politics, bowling and organisations such as Salvation Army Companions Club, Returned Servicemen's League and the Country Women's Association.
A clipping from a larger sheet of newspaper of four columns of text with a centred black and white photo of an older woman holding a photo of a young woman in uniform
'Obituary Notice / Old file / Regional News April 4th, 1995' [blue ink, top right]
ww2, st vincent's hospital, melbourne, department of defense, agnes benson, john benson, reginald charles clyne
The article tells how playwright, John Misto, won first prize and $20,000 in the Australia Remembers National Play Competition and proceeded to donated his winnings to the help fund a nurses memorial in Canberra. John's play, The Shoehorn Sonata, tells the story of an army nurse in a Japanese prisoner of war camp during World War II. John decided to donated his winnings after finding out, during his research for the play, that nurses did not have a war memorial. He stated that it was mindboggling how brave the nurses were in the conditions and that he didn't want them and their work to continue to be unknown. Nurses have cared for the sick and wounded in every conflict in which Australia has committed troops, from the Boer war to present day. Ex-service nursing organisations and the Royal College of Nursing, Australia convened a committee to plan a memorial. The committee want to unveil a national memorial at the centenary of the raising of the first military nursing service celebrations in 1999. The memorial will cost about $1.5 million and be funded by nurses, nursing organisations and donations and depict the various environments where nurses served.
A photocopied article from a newsletter with three columns of text and a black and white photo of a man in front of a group of older women, all smiling
ww2, wwll, janice mccarthy, royal australian army nursing corps association, nurses' national memorial committee, australian army nursing service, national capital planning authority, anzac parade, dorothy angell, coralie gerrard, barbara orchard, joyce edwards, elizabeth percival, defence force nursing, rcna
The article documents Vivian Statham being recognised by the City of Melville Bicentennial Subcommittee of Ex-Service Associations. Vivian was asked to deliver a requiem at the following year's Anzac service, during which a clock tower would be dedicated to those who served in the war. The article is also biographical, detailing Vivian's experiences 45 years before as, while serving with the Australian Army Nursing Service, the ship she and other nurses were being evacuated on was sunk by the Japanese. Vivian was part of a group that survived to make it shore, where they and a group of English servicemen decided to give themselves up to the Japanese. She was one of twenty-one nurses who were then shot, along with the bayoneting of the English servicemen. Vivian survived but ultimately became a POW for the next three and a half years. After returning to Australia Vivian gave evidence at the War Crime Trials in Tokyo in 1946-47. More recently Vivian a member or representative of many organisations and keeps herself busy.
A newspaper clipping with six columns of text and a black and white photo of an smiling older woman centred under the title and subtitle
ww2, wwll, banka island, japanese, sumatra, vivian bullwinkel, vivian statham (nee bullwinkel), 13th australian general hospital, johore bahru, singapore, vyner brooke, vyner brook
Article about the dedication of a memorial stained glass window in the Coast Chapel of the Prince Henry Hospital in Sydney, dedicated to nurses from all hospitals who served in the army, navy and airforce.
Clipping of article with a large black and white photograph of two women and a man standing in front of a stained glass window. Article has two columns of text and the details of the publication are sticky taped to the top of the clipping.
'Our local Randwick / Newspaper' [blue ink top right hand corner]
war nurses, army nurses, airforce nurses, navy nurses, memorial, bill hayden, maylean cordia, sydney
Article is about an exhibition in the Myer's Mural Hall of artefacts that WWII POW's made during their incaceration.
Photocopy of part of an article with three columns of text, one small black and white photograph of an elderly lady and small sketch. Half page photocopy of part of a newspaper article with three columns of text, a small black and white photograph of a group of women in nurses uniforms and a sketch.
wwii, world war two, ww2, vivian statham (nee bullwinkel), agnes betty jeffrey, pows, ernest edward (weary) dunlop, canon harry thorpe, jim simpson, roy thomson, r wright
Article is about life as a prisoner of war from the experiences of Wilma Young.
Photocopy of part of an article with three columns of text, one small black and white photograph of an elderly lady and small sketch. Half page photocopy of part of a newspaper article with three columns of text, a small black and white photograph of a group of women in nurses uniforms and a sketch.
wwii, world war two, ww2, japanese pow, wilma young [oram], carrie jean ashton, vivian statham (nee bullwinkel), ellen mavis hannah, ellen mavis allgrove
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
Article about Mattie Morris' service aboard the hospital ship Centaur as a merchant seaman. Article mentions Ellen Savage, the only nurse who survived the sinking near Moreton Bay, Brisbane. [Article says ship had no patients at the time of sinking, this may be untrue]
Two newspaper clippings of one article over different pages. Article features six columns of text and a large black and white photograph of a man in a hooded raincoat standing near a pier.
'Age 30/8/89' [blue ink under photograph on first clipping] 'AGE 30/8/89' [blue ink at top of second clipping]
wwii, world war two, ww2, ahs centaur, ellen savage, mattie morris
Biographical article on Mary Elizabeth Cuthbertson (killed on Bangka Island) of Ballarat and the upcoming exhibition of her wartime & personal effects at Soverign Hills Gold Museum. Article mentions Vivian Bullwinkel and her dedication to the nurses she survived in the massacre.
Large newspaper clipping with four columns of text and two black and white photographs in diagonal corners. Photo in top right hand corner a portrait of a young woman in army nursing uniform. Photo in bottom left hand corner of a woman cleaning a cape on a stand.
'Ballarat Courier 7/9/85' [red ink along lower edge of page]
wwii, world war two, ww2, bangka island, ss vyner brooke, mary elizabeth cuthbertson, vivian statham (nee bullwinkel)
Biographical article about Wilma Young (neƩ Oram) returning to Singapore to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the fall of Singapore, including her time as a captive of the Japanese. Other POW's mentioned: Betty Jeffrey & Vivian Bullwinkel.
Newspaper clipping of article with two black and white photographs, one of an elderly woman in a striped top and the other of a group of women in uniforms, at the top and six columns of text.
wwii, world war two, ww2, japanese pow, singapore, wilma young [oram]
Photocopy of artefacts relating to WWI nurse Blodwyn Williams, sent to the Returned Nurses by her great neice Marjorie Drohan [?]. Article about honour board is controvertial due to it's location at All Saint's Church, Kooyong not being prestigious enough. It has since been moved to St Paul's Cathedral Melbourne. The artefacts copied on this sheet are two Christmas cards from Blodwyn Williams' service in WWI. One being from the First Australian General Hospital Egypt Jan 1915-March 1916 & France April 1916, the other being from the same hospital France 1918-1919.
A3 photocopy showing newspaper clipping with two columns of text and a large black and white photograph of an honour board listing WWI nurses, two WWI Christmas cards & two handwritten notes
wwi, world war one, ww1, australian army nursing service, blodwyn williams, honour roll, christmas cards, first australian general hospital (1 agh)
Article about the creation of an ex-servicewomen's memorial garden in the Melbourne Shrine of Remembrance precinct and the different flowers that have been associated with the commemoration of war loss. Article also contains quotes from interview with Katherine Rekaris (landscape architect for the garden) and Jan McCarthy (President of the Ex-Servicewomen's Association).
Newspaper clipping with article, four columns of text, a colour photo of a woman with a park in the background on the right and a colour photo of a [badge] in the centre.
remembrance, melbourne shrine of remembrance, violet day, rosemary, memorial garden, jan mccarthy, katherine rekaris, ex-servicewomen's association
'Wise up to old age' article is general about returning to studies when older, giving options to do so for a reader and mentioning two older students Eileen Stuart and Elizabeth Birchall. 'Your course guide' article under the photo of Eileen Stuart & Elizabeth Birchall provides contacts for adult education classes in Melbourne. 'Study a real joy' article brief biographical article about Elizabeth Birchall including her writing and war service.
Full page, three articles using six columns of text surrounding a large black and white photograph of two older women holding books, standing outside
world war 2, wwii, ww2, spanish civil war, elizabeth birchall, eileen stuart, monash university, adult education
Article is biographical, describing the massacre on Bangka Island from the point of view of Vivian Statham, the only survivor. Article published on the day a memorial was unveiled on Bangka Island, commemorating the other nurses who died.
Clipping of a newspaper article with four columns of text, one large black and white photo of an elderly lady at the top, another black and white photograph of the same woman, younger in a nurses uniform and a black and white drawing and detail of a map in the centre of the article.
'THE AGE TUESDAY / 2 MARCH 1993' [blue ink at base of page]
world war 2, wwii, ww2, japanese pow, bangka island, vivian statham (nee bullwinkel)
Article is biographical, describing the massacre on Bangka Island from the point of view of Vivian Statham, the only survivor. Article published on the day a memorial was unveiled on Bangka Island, commemorating the other nurses who died.
Clipping of a newspaper article with four columns of text, one large black and white photo of an elderly lady at the top, another black and white photograph of the same woman, younger in a nurses uniform and a black and white drawing and detail of a map in the centre of the article.
'POW' [blue ink top left corner of page]
world war 2, wwii, ww2, japanese pow, bangka island, vivian statham (nee bullwinkel)
Article is about biographical and present political activities of Wilma Young, including fighting for pension justice for war veterans and supporting the local Liberal party candidate.
Full page clipping from a newspaper with main article and photo centre page with smaller article at the top and advertisements along the base of the page. Main article has five columns of text and a black and white photo of an elderly lady seated, looking at the camera.
'P.OW NURSE. W.W2.' [blue ink top of page]
world war 2, wwii, ww2, japanese pow, singapore, wilma young [oram]
This story explains Vivian Bullwinkel's concerns around the television drama being made about her her war service and time as a Japanese POW. Vivian had promised her story to another production company, and is worried the company now working on the drama may be sensationalise the story and destroy the meaning and truth of one of the worst atrocities of the war. Matt Carroll, the executive producer of the production company, Roadshow, Coote and Carroll, was unaware Vivian had signed an exclusive contract with Crawford Production, after research by his company on the story had been completed.
Newspaper clipping from a larger page with a black and white photo of a smiling older woman and four columns of text
ww2, wwll, mike willesee, vivian statham, royal adelaide hospital, adelaide, banka island, singapore, japanese, sumatra
This story explains Vivian Stratham's ongoing mistrust of the Japanese people and her concerns that the television drama being made about her her war service and time as a POW may be sensationalist as the production company making the film was not of her choosing.
A newspaper clipping from a larger page with three columns of text with a black and white photo of the same woman on either side. In the left photo the woman has her hand on her chin and looks concerned, while in the right photo she is smiling.
ww2, wwll, vivien stratham, vivian bullwinkel, banka island, singapore, roadshow, mike willesee, rachel ward, hector crawford productions, bicentenary
This story details the individual stories of isolation experienced by Jonathon Sanders and Vivien Stratham, both special guests at a RSL luncheon at Anzac house. Vivien Stratham spoke about becoming and living as a Japanese POW and how quickly life returned to normal when she was finally able to return to nursing in Australia.
A newspaper clipping from a larger page with four columns of text and a large black and white photo of a man and a woman holding a book between them and smiling.
' "The West Australian" 21/6/84 / WWII' [blue ink top of page] 'A TRUE LONER!' [blue ink following an underlined sentence at the lower right side]
ww2, wwll, singapore, vivien stratham (nee bullwinkel), vivian bullwinkel, vivian statham, vivian statham (nee bullwinkel), vivien stratham (nee bullwinkle), vivian bullwinkle, vivian statham (nee bullwinkle)
This clipping is announcing the launch of a book written by Betty Jeffrey about her and other Australian Nurses' time as WW2 POW's. The article details Sister Jefferey starting to write the book while still a POW, and during her two year recuperation in an Australian Army hospital. She is willing to gift the original scraps of paper she used to write the book to the National War Memorial in Canberra.
A newspaper clipping from a larger page of a single column of text and large black and white photo of two women holding glasses and smiling. The bottom of the article appears to be missing.
'16/3/54 Sun' [blue ink top of page]
vivien bullwinkel, australian army nurses, wwii, vivian statham (nee bullwinkel)
This clipping has a caption beneath the photo naming Betty Jeffrey, Beryl Woodbridge and Wilma Young .
A newspaper clipping from a larger page featuring a large black and white photo of three women in Fitzroy Gardens, with a caption beneath. Part of the title appears to have been cut off.
'WWII 1981' [blue ink top of page] '[crossed out] / [crossed out] / last [lake] / [crossed out] / 9.30 am / 1.30 pm / 1.30 pm' [black in on reverse side of page]
ww2, wwll, pow, fitzroy gardens
This article is about Wilma Jones (nee Oram), her time as a WW2 Japanese POW and the Council of Ex-Servicewomen's Associations who are trying to make a film covering the experiences of surviving ex-servicewomen before it is too late.
Newspaper article of four columns of text under a large black and white photo of an older woman looking at a document, clipped from a larger page.
ww2, wwll, wilma young, elizabeth lucas, catie hewins, film australia, returned nurses' association