Edna Nell Doig as a member of the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS), the Royal Australian Army Nursing Service (RAANS) and the Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps (RAANC), 1939-1970, interviewed by Jan Bassett

Places	Africa: Egypt, Suez Canal, Kantara Asia: Japan, Kure Asia: Singapore Asia: Vietnam, Phuoc Tuy Province, Nui Dat Oceania: Australia, New South Wales, Sydney, Concord Oceania: Australia, New South Wales, Sydney, Ingleburn Oceania: Australia, Queensland, Brisbane Oceania: Australia, Queensland, North Queensland, Atherton Tableland, Atherton Oceania: Australia, Victoria, Melbourne
Accession Number	S01813
Collection type	Sound
Measurement	41 min
Object type	Oral history
Physical description	1/4 inch sound tape reel; BASF LP 35; 3 3/4 ips/9.5 cm.s; stereo; 5 inch
Maker	Bassett, Jan Doig, Edna Nell
Date made	8 October 1986
Access	Open
Conflict	Period 1950-1959 Period 1960-1969 Second World War, 1939-1945
Copyright	Item copyright: © Australian War Memorial This item is licensed under CC BY-NC
Copying Provisions	Copyright restrictions apply. Only personal, non-commercial, research and study use permitted. Permission of copyright holder required for any commercial use and/or reproduction.
Source credit to	AWM Special Project Fellowship Award

Description

Early life; commenced civilian nursing training in 1933; joined army in December 1939; attached to 2/2nd Australian General Hospital (AGH) at Ingleburn NSW; left Australia 5 May 1940 on the SS Queen Mary bound for Britain; attached to British Hospital at Godalming, thirty miles outside London; left Britain in December 1940 for Middle East arrived Kantara on 1 January 1941; describes conditions at Kantara; description of wounds and illnesses; returned to Australia in 1942; 2/2 AGH sent to the Atherton Tablelands in Queensland; describes the hospital facilities and illness and injuries treated; after war in 1945 sent to Concord Repatriation Hospital in Sydney then sent to 2/14 AGH in Singapore to repatriate Australian prisoners of war (POW); describes condition of POWs; describes facilities and conditions of hospitals she served in during the war; conditions on ships; relationships between ranks; in March 1946 joined 130 Australian General Hospital attached to British Commonwealth Occupation Force (BCOF) in Japan; describes nursing duties in Japan; visited Hiroshima; returned to Australia in 1949 and left army to undertake midwifery course in Melbourne; rejoined the army in 1951 when the Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps (RAANC) was formed; posted to the 1st Hospital at Yeronga in Brisbane as Matron; posted to Camp Hospital at Ingleburn NSW then in 1961 promoted to Matron in Chief at Army Headquarters in Melbourne; describes role of Matron in Chief; salary discrepancy between civilian and military nurses; problems of personnel shortages; visits to Vietnam; describes uniforms; restrictions and recreation; advances in medical treatment prompted by war; served on various nurses welfare organisations after retirment in 1970. END OF INTERVIEW
A transcript of this recording may be available. For further information please contact the Sound section.

Listen to Edna Nell Doig as a member of the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS), the Royal Australian Army Nursing Service (RAANS) and the Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps (RAANC), 1939-1970, interviewed by Jan Bassett