BATES, Louvinia Mary Isabella
| Service Numbers: | W16346, WX11169 |
|---|---|
| Enlisted: | 7 July 1941 |
| Last Rank: | Sister |
| Last Unit: | 2nd/13th Australian General Hospital |
| Born: | Fremantle, Western Australia, Australia , 1 January 1910 |
| Home Town: | South Perth, South Perth, Western Australia |
| Schooling: | Not yet discovered |
| Occupation: | Nurse |
| Died: | Presumed drowned - Lost at sea SS Vyner Brooke, Bangka Island, 14 February 1942, aged 32 years |
| Cemetery: |
No known grave - "Known Unto God" Singapore War Memorial, Singapore Col 141 |
| Memorials: | Augusta Australian Army Nursing Sisters Monument, Australian Military Nurses Memorial, Australian War Memorial Roll of Honour, Bicton Vyner Brooke Tragedy Memorial, W.A., Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital Memorial Rose Garden, Kapunda Dutton Park Memorial Gardens Nurses Plaques, Singapore Memorial Kranji War Cemetery |
World War 2 Service
| 7 Jul 1941: | Enlisted Australian Army Nursing Service (WW1), WX11169, Perth, Western Australia | |
|---|---|---|
| 7 Jul 1941: | Enlisted WX11169, General Hospitals - WW2 | |
| 7 Jul 1941: | Enlisted Australian Military Forces (WW2) , Lieutenant, W16346, General Hospitals - WW2 | |
| 12 Feb 1942: | Embarked Australian Army Nursing Service (WW1), Sister, WX11169, 2nd/13th Australian General Hospital, Embarked Ship - Date and Place of Departure: SS Vyner Brooke, 12/02/1942, Singapore, (with 65 other nurses, and civilians); to Japanese Aircraft Attack - sinking disaster - SS Vyner Brooke - Date and Place: 14/02/1942, Bangka Strait (by Bangka Island); (AWM) The Sinking of the SS Vyner Brooke. | |
| 14 Feb 1942: | Involvement Australian Army Nursing Service (WW1), Sister, WX11169, 2nd/13th Australian General Hospital, Malaya/Singapore |
OUR SINGAPORE NURSES
Emotional Welcome As Gallant Women Return
Fremantle, Western Australia; The Australian Women's Weekly
Saturday; 3 November 1945, Page 19.
OUR SINGAPORE NURSES
BY: Josephine O'Neill
No legendary figures, but ordinary women, you, who died
Facing the water, last glance each to each
Along the beach, leaving your bodies to the accustomed surf
Your hearts to home
No legendary figures, but ordinary women, you, who lived
Holding the spirit, through the camps slow slime
Unsoiled by time ...
Bringing your laughter out of degraded toil
As a gift to home
As ordinary women, by your dying you fortify the mind
As ordinary women, by your living you honor all mankind.
TROVE: http://nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/55465571
Submitted 6 November 2018 by Daniel Bishop
Vyner Brooke
Louvima was one of sixty five Australian nurses and over 250 civilian men, women and children evacuated on the Vyner Brooke from Singapore three days before the fall of Malaya. The Vyner Brooke was bombed by Japanese aircraft and sunk in Banka Strait on 14 February 1942. Of the sixty five nurses, thirty two survived the sinking and were taken Prisoner of War (POW) of which eight later died in captivity, another twenty two also survived the sinking and were washed ashore on Radji Beach, Banka Island where they surrendered to the Japanese along with twenty five British soldiers. On 16 February 1942 the group was massacred, the soldiers were bayoneted and the nurses were ordered to march into the sea where they were shot. Only Sister Vivian Bullwinkel and a British soldier survived the massacre. Both were taken POW, but only Sister Bullwinkel survived the war. Sister Bates drowned, she was one of twelve nurses who were lost at sea after the Vyner Brooke sank.
Submitted 20 October 2016 by Sharon harford
Biography contributed by Daniel Bishop
Daughter of Anthony Edward BATES, & Mary Jane (nee WILSON) BATES, of Sth Perth, Western Australia.
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