Virtual
War Memorial
Australia

Daughter of Selwyn STODDART, Boomi Creek, Urbenville, New South Wales.

Enid Cruice (nee Stoddart) was born in Yerranderie, NSW, 100 years ago.
Sadly, she didn’t quite reach her milestone birthday, passing away on 24 December.

Enid was a veteran of the Second World War and the post-war British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) in Japan. In January 1944, at age 21, she enlisted in the Australian Army Medical Women’s Service having received written permission from both her parents. In March, Enid was posted to the 112th (Brisbane) Military Hospital (also known as the 112th Australian General Hospital), where she completed her training. In April, she was posted to the 2/14th Australian General Hospital at Townsville as a general duties orderly, later becoming a nursing orderly. While there, Enid helped care for soldiers who were sick and injured while training in northern Queensland, as well as sick and wounded soldiers evacuated from the fronts in the Pacific.

In February 1946, six months after the war ended, Enid returned to the 112th (Brisbane) Military Hospital where she continued serving as a nursing orderly. In February 1947, she volunteered to serve in Japan with the BCOF. Enid left Australia on the Motor Vessel Mekur in May 1947, arriving at Kure in Japan three weeks later, where she joined the 130th Australian General Hospital. Enid served in Japan until December 1948 when she returned to Australia to discharge the following month.

In 1953, Enid married Russell James Cruice, who had been a gunner in the Army. Enid then worked as a hairdresser before moving onto a farm to start her family life. She and Russell went on to have 5 children – 4 sons and a daughter, and there are now also 10 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren with another on the way. Russell sadly passed away in 2009.

When Enid was younger, she enjoyed dressmaking and had knitted for much of her life. She also loved annual family holidays at the beach.
Enid had said that the secret to her long life was good genes and a desire to just keep going throughout life. She had also looked after her health by not drinking or smoking.