Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Private Carl Gustaf Thorsten Nilsson (60736) was born 8 July 1890 in Jönköping, Sweden and died from Spanish Flu at Woodman Point Quarantine Station on 21 Dec 1918 aged 28. He was the son of Carl Gottfrid Nilsson and his mother, Sara Frederika Nilsson (the beneficiary of his will), was living at 140 Ostra Norgaten Jonkaping Sweden.

Carl was originally buried at the quarantine station’s military cemetery but reinterred with many other Boonah servicemen and Wyreema nurse, Doris Ridgway at Perth War Cemetery. As described in Ian Darroch’s book, ‘The Boonah Tragedy’, there were 30 deaths from Spanish Flu at Woodman Point and two other fatalities on the day of Carl’s death: Sister Rosa O’Kane from Queensland (the first of four nursing staff to die) and Private C Torney from Victoria.

Carl’s World War I records give the following descriptions.

A single seaman, he had a tattoo of a ship on his chest, and both forearms were covered in dancing girls, anchors, hearts, a crown, a ship and a snake! He had attempted to join the Royal Australian Navy but was rejected because he could not produce his papers from the Merchant Navy. There is no passenger arrival information for him.

Of no fixed address at the time, he enlisted in the AIF on 15 May 1918 at Melbourne, Victoria, was 150 lbs (68 kg) and 5’ 5.5” (166.4 cm) tall, with a medium complexion, hazel eyes, and light brown hair.

His name, and that of over 103,000 men and women who have died in service to Australia is projected onto the façade of the Hall of Memory on various dates throughout the year.

The former quarantine station at Woodman Point is now a recreation camp. Its Isolation Hospital, Friends Headquarters and museum, has a room dedicated to the Boonah incident. Outside is a war memorial honouring the 26 servicemen and four nurses who lost their lives from Spanish Flu.