| Accession Number | P04585.002 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Black & white - Print silver gelatin |
| Maker |
Herald Newspaper |
| Place made | Australia: Victoria, Melbourne |
| Date made | c 1950 |
| Conflict |
Period 1950-1959 Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright expired - public domain
|
VX61330 Captain (Capt) Vivian Bullwinkel (left) and VX53059 Lieutenant (Lt) Anges Betty (Betty) ...
Description
VX61330 Captain (Capt) Vivian Bullwinkel (left) and VX53059 Lieutenant (Lt) Anges Betty (Betty) 'Jeff' Jeffrey laying flowers at the Edith Cavell Memorial. Capt Bullwinkel and Lt Jeffrey, both nurses in the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS), were aboard the Vyner Brooke when it was attacked and sunk on 14 February 1942. Capt Bullwinkel made it to shore almost immediately and the following morning she and British soldier, 7654688 Private (Pte) Cecil Gordon Kinsley, survived the massacre of the nurses, soldiers and civilians at the hands of the Japanese. They surrendered as prisoners of war (POWs) 12 days later and she was held in POW camps in Sumatra until September 1945; Pte Kinsley died not long after surendering. Lt Jeffrey was also aboard the Vyner Brooke when it was sunk, however, she did not make it ashore until several days later and was immediately captured as a POW. She was also held in POW camps in Sumatra until September 1945. Edith Cavell was a First World War British nurse who helped British soldiers escape from the Germans via underground channels. She was captured and executed.