Bicton Vyner Brooke Tragedy Memorial, W.A.

Details

Location Point Walter Reserve, Honour Avenue, Bicton, Melville - Western Australia, Australia
Type memorial
Description

A bronze plaque on a granite obelisk situated on the banks of a lake.

Built Not yet discovered
Opened 2 May 1999 by Mrs Vivian Statham (nee Bullwinkle) AO MBE ARRC FNM and another POW survivor Mrs Wilma Young (nee Oram) AM
Inscription

Our Nursing Heritage. The Vyner Brooke tragedy.

On 12th February 1942 sixty five Australian Army Nursing Sisters were ordered to leave Singapore in the wake of the advancing Japanese army. They boarded the ship the "Vyner Brooke" along with civilians. Two days later the ship was discovered by Japanese aircraft and bombed. Twelve nurses drowned after the attack. Twenty two nurses, many of them wounded landed on Banka Island. The group was found by Japanese soldiers and forced to walk into the sea and were shot. One nurse named Vivian Bullwinkel although shot, feigned death, and later made her way to shore. She and the remaining thirty one nurses became prisoners of war for three and a half years. A further eight nurses died during this period of captivity. Twenty four nurses returned home. This memorial was officially unveiled on 2 May 1999 by Mrs Vivian Statham (nee Bullwinkle) AO MBE ARRC FNM and another POW survivor Mrs Wilma Young (nee Oram) AM to celebrate the 100th year of Womens Suffrage in Western Australia.

Condition

Good

Names

Showing 8 people of interest from memorial

GUNTHER, Janet Patteson

Service number NFX70493
Captain
Born 31 Aug 1913

NEUSS, Kathleen Margaret

Service number NFX70527
Sister
2nd/10th Australian General Hospital
Australian Military Forces (WW2)
Born 16 Oct 1911

CASSON, Florence Rebecca

Service number SX13418
Lieutenant
2nd/13th Australian General Hospital
Australian Military Forces (WW2)
Born 6 Mar 1903

WILMOTT, Bessie

Service number WFX3439
Sister
2nd/4th Casualty Clearing Station
Australian Military Forces (WW2)
Born 24 May 1913

TRENERRY, Annie Merle

Service number SFX13419
Lieutenant
2nd/13th Australian General Hospital
Australian Military Forces (WW2)
Born 31 Mar 1909

GARDAM, Dora Shirley

Service number TFX2183
Staff Nurse
2nd/4th Casualty Clearing Station
Australian Military Forces (WW2)
Born 24 Aug 1910

RAYMONT, Wilhemina Rosalie

Service number TFX6012
Sister
2nd/4th Casualty Clearing Station
Australian Military Forces (WW2)
Born 17 Dec 1911

ASHTON, Carrie Jean

Service number SFX13548
Captain
2nd/13th Australian General Hospital
Australian Military Forces (WW2)
Born 31 May 1905