| Accession Number | P04585.005 |
|---|---|
| Collection type | Photograph |
| Object type | Colour - Print |
| Maker |
Unknown |
| Place made | Netherlands East Indies: Banka Island |
| Date made | March 1993 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 Period 1990-1999 |
| Copyright |
Item copyright: Copyright unknown - orphaned work |
Colonel Coralie Gerrard, Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps (right) escorts Vivian Statham (nee ...
Description
Colonel Coralie Gerrard, Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps (right) escorts Vivian Statham (nee Bullwinkel), after laying a wreath, away from the memorial commemorating the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) nurses who died at the hands of the Japanese in the Banka Island massacre on 15 February 1942. VX61330 Captain (Capt) Vivian Bullwinkel (standing at rear, far right). Capt Bullwinkel was a nurse in the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS), and was aboard the Vyner Brooke when it was attacked and sunk on 14 February 1942. She 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 soon after they were captured.