Australian War Memorial Logo
Search

Donate Today

  • Collection Open Information Close Information
    • Official Histories & Unit Diaries
    • Understanding the Collection
    • Research at the Memorial
    • Donating to the Collection
    • National Collection Loans
    • Projects
  • People
  • Visit
  • Commemorate Open Information Close Information
    • Last Post Ceremony
    • Honour Rolls
    • Anzac Day
    • Remembrance Day
    • Customs & Ceremony
    • Speeches
  • Learn Open Information Close Information
    • Schools & Teachers
    • Memorial Articles
    • Encyclopedia
    • Understanding Military Structure
    • Podcasts
    • Glossary
    • Magazine
  • Get Involved Open Information Close Information
    • Donations & Bequests
    • Corporate Partnership
    • Employment Opportunities
    • Volunteer at the Memorial
    • Friends of the Memorial
    • eMemorial Newsletter
    • Grants, Scholarships & Residencies
    • Research Papers
  • Shop Open Information Close Information
    • Memorial Shop
    • Images, film and sound
    • Lone Pine Seedlings

Breadcrumb

  1. Home
  2. Memorial Articles
  3. blog
  4. The Last Letters of Matron Irene Melville Drummond

Main navigation

  • Our People
  • Our Work
  • Our Organisation
  • Media Centre
  • Memorial Articles
    • Australians and Peacekeeping
    • Australians at war
    • Gulf War 1990-1991
    • Journal of the Australian War Memorial
    • Korean War 1950 - 1953
    • NAIDOC Week
    • RAAF Centenary
    • Victory in the Pacific Day
  • Speeches

The Last Letters of Matron Irene Melville Drummond

Olivia Carroll

07 May 2025

In November 1940, Irene Melville Drummond, a nurse from Broken Hill, NSW, enlisted in the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) to provide care to wounded and sick soldiers amid the turmoil of the Second World War. Appointed to the 2/4th Casualty Clearing Station, she soon embarked on the converted cruise liner Queen Mary, bound for Singapore. There she began her duties and for a short period transferred to the 2/9th Field Ambulance. On 5 August 1941, Irene was promoted to matron and posted to the 2/13th Australian General Hospital, then stationed in an incomplete hospital in Johore Bahru, Malaya.

Matron Drummond was one of the 21 Australian Army nurses to be horrifically executed by the Japanese on Radji Beach during the Banka Island Massacre on 16 February 1942.

The sole survivor of the massacre, Lieutenant Colonel Vivian Bullwinkel, who was a close friend to Irene, reported that she was one of the first to be shot and killed that day. As the nurses walked into the sea, where they would be executed by machine-gun, Matron Drummond uttered her final words: "Chin up, girls. I'm proud of you and I love you all."

Vivian and Irene first met in 1935 at the Broken Hill and District Hospital while Vivian was training under Irene’s mentorship.

AANS nurses, 2/4th Casualty Clearing Station (Matron Drummond is front row, middle right), Malaya,

AANS nurses, 2/4th Casualty Clearing Station (Matron Drummond is front row, middle right), Malaya

AANS nurses and other staff (Matron Drummond is far left, front row), Malaya, 1941. P01691.001

AANS nurses and other staff (Matron Drummond is far left, front row), Malaya, 1941. P01691.001

AANS nurses and other staff (Matron Drummond is centre, front row), Malaya, 1941. P01691.002

AANS nurses and other staff (Matron Drummond is centre, front row), Malaya, 1941. P01691.002

 

AANS nurses, 2/14th Casualty Clearing Station, Malaya, 1941

AANS nurses, 2/14th Casualty Clearing Station, Malaya, 1941.

Matron Drummond pours tea for Vivian Bullwinkel at Johore Bahru hospital, Malaya,

Matron Drummond pours tea for Vivian Bullwinkel at Johore Bahru hospital, Malaya, 1941. PO1344.008

The Australian War Memorial holds a Private Records collection containing two letters that Matron Drummond wrote to her family months before this event.

In her first letter, dated 17 December 1941, Matron Drummond wrote to her sisters, Phyllis and Ruth, to reassure them that she was “well and safe” and update them on life during the war: “Our hospital grows bigger daily and a tremendous lot of work has been done during the last ten days. We are in the throes of a thunder storm at present and my tent is not very water proof though it has the advantage of being cool and I get a breeze. I really don’t mind if the rain continues as it gives us a quiet night from air raid alarms as visibility is bad with the heavy clouds about.”

Matron Drummond’s letter to her sisters, Phyllis and Ruth, 17 December 1941

Matron Drummond’s letter to her sisters, Phyllis and Ruth, 17 December 1941. AWM2025.6.17

Matron Drummond’s letter to her sisters, Phyllis and Ruth, 17 December 1941

Matron Drummond’s letter to her sisters, Phyllis and Ruth, 17 December 1941. AWM2025.6.17

Irene also thanked her sisters for sending a parcel of books, mentions blackouts being the “bane of my existence”, the pausing of cables until after Christmas, and described how the blue air mail paper and kerosene lamps made a terrible combination for writing at night. Near the end of her letter, she includes a joke, and a closing remark: “Well I can’t recommend this paper to anyone but as I have said before it is an uncomfortable war and I suppose we’ll have to put up with it.”

At the time of the letter, Japan had just invaded Malaya and the Fall of Singapore was looming.

On 5 February 1942, just days before Matron Drummond and the remaining Australian Army nurses were ordered to evacuate Singapore aboard SS Vyner Brooke, she wrote another letter to Phyllis. This time discussing the increasing challenges they faced: “There is nothing to write about as usual. Except bombs and more bombs which is not a particularly cheerful subject … The stopping of the air mail is a great blow to us here, as the only bright spot was the regularity of the mail.”

Matron Drummond’s letter to her sister, Phyllis, 5 February 1942

Matron Drummond’s letter to her sister, Phyllis, 5 February 1942. AWM2025.6.17

Matron Drummond’s letter to her sister, Phyllis, 5 February 1942

Matron Drummond’s letter to her sister, Phyllis, 5 February 1942. AWM2025.6.17

Matron Drummond’s letter to her sister, Phyllis, 5 February 1942

Matron Drummond’s letter to her sister, Phyllis, 5 February 1942. AWM2025.6.17

As the rapid Japanese advance towards Singapore caused British forces to withdraw through the Malay Peninsula and onto Singapore Island, the hospital was quickly moved to St Patrick’s School in Singapore. Matron Drummond helped to organise the new hospital, which contained 700 beds, within 38 hours, she writes: “Our new hospital is taking shape well and I am beginning to think it works … now. For a few days I was in despair that we would never be straight but it is amazing how things gradually right themselves.”

St Patricks School, Singapore, 1941

St Patricks School, Singapore, 1941. P09909.016

The second letter mentions the ship that was likely carrying mail for her going missing, and hearing news of officers and friends being killed or reported missing. She also writes of the brave Australian soldiers she had encountered: “The Australians are marvellous you can’t imagine the stories we hear of their bravery. One colonel I know well is almost certain to get the V.C. He is an amazing man – very short sighted and not a bit like a soldier ... He always carries three pairs of glasses – incidentally he lost one pair swimming [in] a river. He and I had a fellow fishing about [for the] glasses.”

Irene’s ability to remain positive through such a trying time is clearly displayed throughout her letters and echoed in her final words.

The Research Centre has recently digitised Matron Drummond’s letters, held within the Private Records collection PR87/187 which will be available online soon and can be viewed in the Charles Bean Research Centre.

Author

Olivia Carroll

Last updated: 7 May 2025

  • Back to Articles
1 The Donations and bequests

Donations & Bequests

Your generous donation will be used to ensure the memory of our Defence Forces and what they have done for us, and what they continue to do for our freedom remains – today and into the future.

Find out more
2 Visit Transcribe.awm.gov.au

Transcribe

Help preserve Australia's history by transcribing records from the National Collection. Enhance accessibility and discoverability for all Australians.

Find out more
The placesofpride

Places of Pride

Places of Pride, the National Register of War Memorials, is a new initiative designed to record the locations and photographs of every publicly accessible memorial across Australia.

Find out more
Visit the Australian War Memorial

Visit the Australian War Memorial

The Australian War Memorial is open for visitors as we work to expand our galleries. Entry is free and tickets are not required.

Find out more
Canberra Highlands in Grayscale

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF
TRADITIONAL CUSTODIANS

The Australian War Memorial acknowledges the traditional custodians of country throughout Australia. We recognise their continuing connection to land, sea and waters. We pay our respects to elders past and present.
Location map of The Australian War Memorial
The Australian War Memorial building

The Australian War Memorial

Fairbairn Avenue
Campbell ACT 2612
Australia
View on Google Maps (opens in new window)
Google Map data ©2025 Google
Australian War Memorial Logo
  • Go to AWM Facebook
  • Go to AWM Trip Advisor
  • Go to AWM Instagram
  • Go to AWM Youtube

Footer

  • About
  • Contact
  • Venue Hire
  • Media
  • WM Magazine
  • Donate Today

The Australian War Memorial

Fairbairn Avenue

Campbell ACT 2612

Australia

 

Opening Hours

10 am to 4 pm daily (except Christmas Day)

 

In preparation for the daily Last Post Ceremony,

galleries are progressively closed from 3:40 pm.

 

Public entrance via Fairbairn Avenue, Campbell ACT 2612

Sign up to our newsletter

Subscribe

Legal

  • Copyright
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • Accessibility
  • Freedom of information

Copyright 2025 Australian War Memorial, Canberra. All rights reserved