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Royal Brisbane & Womens' Hospital Foundation - HUMANS OF THE ROYAL - Joyce Tweddell (1916-1995) (s3-ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com)

Daughter of Arthur Reginald TWEDDELL & Rose (nee-BROCHER) TWEDDELL

HUMANS OF THE ROYAL

Joyce Tweddell (1916-1995)

Joyce Tweddell went to school at Petrie Terrace State School and Brisbane State High School.  She attended Nunns and Trivetts Secretarial School before training as a nurse.

After graduating from general nurse training on the 4th April 1939, Joyce joined the staff of the then [Brisbane General Hospital], known today as, Royal Brisbane & Womens' Hospital.  She then completed a Therapy Radiolagy Course, 'a rare achievement for a female of her era'.

On the 17th January 1941, Joyce enlisted in the Australian Army Nursing Service and was ordered to active service in the 2/10th Australian General Hospital.  She embarked for Singapore on the 14th February 1941.

Just before Singapore Fell (12/02/1942), Joyce evacuated Singapore with (65) other nurses, War Men, & civilians aboard the SS Vyner Brooke, the last of (3) ships that left for Australia.  The ship was bombed by Japanese enemy attack in the Banka Strait.  (Just off the Island of Banka) on the 14th February 1942, and sank.

Many who survived the blast were shot in the water or drowned.  With no land in sight, the remaining survivors sang "We're off to see the Wizard", to keep their spirits up as they floated in the water for at least another day.

They were all captured and held as 'prisones of war' in Sumatra for over three years.  During captivity Joyce and other prisoners lived in a series of prison camps and worked in the jungle.  Of the (32) nurses captured, (8) died whilst prisoners of war.

World War II - ended on the 15th August 1945, however the prison camps were not informed until the 24th August, of that year.  The whereabouts of the final camp that held Joyce was not immediately known.

Joyce was finally recovered at 5am, on the 5th September 1945, and evacuated to Singapore Hospital.  During her interment as a "P.O.W", she had contracted - Malaria, Beri Beri, Chronic Amoebic Dysentery.  She returned to Australian on a hospital ship arriving on the 27th October 1945, and was admitted to the Margate Convalescent Hospital.

Joyce was discharged from the Australian Army on the 27th June 1946.  She was then employed by the Brisbane Hospital, as second in charge of the Radiography Unit, and remained in that role until her retirement - as Queenslands' Chief Radiographer in 1979.

On the 2nd March 1993, Joyce and (6) of the surviving POW nurses dedicated a memorial on Radji Beach, Banka Island.  Many years earlier, she refused to accept the honour of the 'MBE', as she believed - "all surviving prisoners of war should have been awarded this honour".

The Royal Brisbane & Womens' Hospital named a building in honour of this remarkable woman and staff member.  Today Joyce, the Joyce Tweddell Building houses the Infectious Diseases Unit, Cancer Care Unit, Radiation Oncology Unit, & Bone Marrow Unit.

REFERENCE to original Transcript of Text:

The Royal Brisbane Hospital Foundation

Article:  THE HUMANS OF THE ROYAL - Joyce Tweddell (1916-1995)

Also - REFERENCE - to extra additional details included in this Transcript of Text (Just before Singapore Fell (12/02/1942), Joyce evacuated Singapore with (65) other nurses, War Men, & civilians aboard the ship - SS Vyner Brooke).  REFER TO (AWM) Australian War Memorial - The Sinking of The Vyner Brooke.

This Transcript of Text - Submitted by:  DL Bishop