Guide to the papers of Vivian Bullwinkel
Collection Number: PR01216
Summary
Title:Papers of Vivian Bullwinkel
Date range of collection:1916-1998
Collection number:PR01216
Extent:1.6 shelf metres (2 boxes, 26 albums and folios)
Location:Private Records collection, Research Centre, Australian War Memorial.
Abstract:The collection comprises Bullwinkel's diaries and notebooks covering 1941-1942; postcards, albums of correspondence relating to her experience as an Australian Army Sister; original transcripts based on her testimony at the Tokyo war trials in 1942; photographs, news cuttings, letters and ephemera relating to her postwar career which included work with the Red Cross and ex-service, nursing and other voluntary organisations.
Administrative information
Provenance:Donated by Vivian Bullwinkel in October 1999 and April 2000. Records were transferred to the Australian War Memorial in two consignments: diaries and notebooks from the war years in 1999, correspondence and albums in 2000.
Processing and collection guide completed in 2001.
Access:Open
Restrictions on use:Copyright of materials described in this guide is governed by copyright law in Australia. For further information contact the Curator of Private Records, Research Centre.
Preferred citation:Papers of Vivian Bullwinkel, Australian War Memorial PR01216
Additional information
Related collections: The Australian War Memorial holds related material in the following Private Records collections:
Papers of Captain C H Ashton, AWM PR87/080
Papers of Matron Irene M Drummond, AWM PR87/187
Papers of Sister D G Elmes, AWM PR88/108
Papers of Nursing Sister Pat J Gunther, AWM PR90/019
Papers of Sister Ellen M Hannah, AWM 3DRL/7474
Papers of Lieutenant Betty Agnes Jeffrey, AWM 3DRL/1857
Papers of Staff Nurse E L Keats, AWM PR88/002
Papers of Captain Wilma Elizabeth Forster Oram, AWM PR84/345
Papers of Staff Nurse Mena P Raymont, AWM PR88/003
Papers of Lieutenant Mona Margaret Wilton, AWM PR89/092
Papers of Sister Veronica Turner (nee Clancy), AWM MSS1086
Subjects: Prisoners of war; Second World War; Australian Army Nursing Service
Biographical note
Born Kapunda, South Australia, 18 December 1915.
Died, Perth, Western Australia, 3 July 2000.
Vivian Bullwinkel was a Second World War Australian Army Nursing Sister who is widely known as the sole survivor of a tragic massacre on Banka Island in Sumatra on 16 February 1942, in which 21 of her colleagues were killed by Japanese troops. Her courage while a prisoner of war of the Japanese exemplified the bravery of Australian women in war, and her distinguished postwar career was marked by many humanitarian achievements.
Nursing
| 1934 | Probationer in training, Broken Hill and Districts Hospital |
| 1938 | Graduated at Broken Hill and Districts Hospital |
| 1939 | Completed midwifery |
| 1939-1940 | Staff nurse, Kiaora Private Hospital, Hamilton, Victoria |
| 1940-1941 | Jessie McPherson Hospital, Melbourne |
| 1940 | Enlisted in the Australian Army Nursing Service, Australian Imperial Force |
| 1941-1945 | Overseas service Malaya; prisoner of war, Banka Island and Sumatra |
| 1945-1949 | Heidelberg Military Hospital |
| 1950 | Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital |
| 1950-1953 | St Mary's Hospital, Paddington and Australia House, London |
| 1955-1970 | Lieutenant-Colonel, 3 Royal Australian Nursing Corps Training Unit (CMF), Southern Command |
| 1959 | Diploma in Nursing Administration |
| 1947-1961 | Charge Sister and Assistant Matron, Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital, Melbourne |
| 1961-1977 | Director of Nursing, Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital, Victoria |
| 1964-1969 | Deputy Commander and Nursing Advisor, Australian Red Cross |
| 1970 | Council Member of the College of Nursing, Australia |
| 1973-1974 | President of the College of Nursing, Australia |
| 1980-1995 | Chairperson, Women's Auxiliary Group, Hollywood Repatriation General Hospital, Perth |
Member and later Vice President, Victorian State Committee, College of Nursing Australia. Member of the Executive Committee of the Association of Directors of Nursing, Victoria. Nurses Representative on the Nurses Wage Board, Victoria.
General
| 1964-1969 | First Woman Trustee of the Australian War Memorial, Canberra |
| 1972-1974 | Founder, Member and later President, Soroptimists Club of Deakin |
| 1970-1971 | Chairperson, Liaison Committee for Victoria Outward Bound |
| 1976 | Appointed to the Court of Directors of the Royal Humane Society |
| 1976 | Honorary Member for Western Australia, RHS Member of the Executive Committee Naval, Military and Airforces' Club, WA Member of the Executive Committee of the Army Museum of Western Australia |
Honours and awards
| 1947 | The Florence Nightingale Medal (FRCNA) |
| 1949 | Associate of the Royal Red Cross (ARRC) |
| 1969 | Efficiency Decoration (ED Australian Military) |
| 1973 | Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) |
| 1993 | Order of Australia (AO): Part of the Citation reads: Her heroism, courage and humanitarian achievements are unique |
Honorary Life Membership of the Australian Red Cross Society of WA.
Selected by the National Heritage 2000 Committee for inclusion in the Bicentennial publication of The people who made Australia.
References:
Manners, Norman G, Bullwinkel Carlisle: Hesperian Press 1999
Scope and content note
In 1941, at the age of 26, Bullwinkel enlisted in the Australian Army Nursing Service, Australian Imperial Force. She reported for duty in May and in September embarked for Singapore as a Staff Nurse with the newly raised 2/13th AGH. She served in Singapore from September 1941 until she was evacuated with 64 other Australian Army Nursing Sisters aboard a small coastal steamer, the Vyner Brooke on 12 February 1942. On 14 February, heading for Sumatra via Banka Strait, the ship was sunk by Japanese bombers.
Bullwinkel's diaries and notebooks, with entries dated from August 1941 to February 1942, give first hand account of the evacuation from Singapore, and the sinking of the Vyner Brooke by Japanese bombers on 14 February 1942:
'Beautiful sunny morning, calm sea, and anchored very pretty island. Peacefulness disturbed as planes flew over and machine-gunned boat, all took to lower deck as pre-arranged, but raid all over and much discussion on planes sinking us and enemy aircraft. Took up anchor and steamed along. 2 pm air raid siren. All down to lower deck and flatten down. Six planes attacking once more, bombs hit, second, third time, third bomb below the water line. Whistle for all on deck to take to life boats. Wight, Nourse, Cuthbertson, several civilians injured...'
Bullwinkel was with a group of survivors on Banka Island when a Japanese patrol arrived and ordered the 22 women in the group to walk into the sea. They were machine-gunned from behind. All except Bullwinkel were killed.
After two weeks in the jungle on Banka Island caring for a wounded British soldier, Bullwinkel gave herself up and rejoined other Sisters who had made it to shore. The surviving 32 Sisters spent the next three and a half years as prisoners of war on Banka Island and Sumatra. Of the original 65 nurses evacuated from Singapore on the Vyner Brooke, only 24, including Bullwinkel, returned to Australia. During their internment, eight Sisters died in the last seven months of their captivity as a result of malnutrition and other easily treated diseases. Among Bullwinkel's papers is the only postcard she was allowed to send home, in March 1943. Exemplifying the courage of the Sisters, she made light of her situation. Bullwinkel wrote to her mother, 'My roving spirit has been somewhat checked'.
Bullwinkel gave evidence before the Tokyo war crimes trials in December 1946 and was described a model witness. Included in the collection is her original transcript at the war crimes trials and her notes listing war crimes committed by the Japanese while she was a prisoner of war.
The albums of correspondence provide a rich source of testimony concerning Bullwinkel's experience as an Australian Army Sister and the impact her story had on Australians at the end of the war. There is a delightful postwar illustrated series sent in by school children, 'Dear friend, I hope you will soon be home again. Home is the best place. Thank you for helping to win the war'. Particularly poignant are the many letters sent to Bullwinkel by relatives of her colleagues, seeking information about the fate of their loved ones.
Bullwinkel's career can be traced through the albums, comprising photographs, newspaper cuttings, letters and ephemera. After the war, Bullwinkel retained her position at Heidelberg Military Hospital when it was taken over by the Department of Repatriation, and as Assistant Matron continued to care for Australian servicemen. From 1955 to 1970, she served as Lieutenant Colonel in 3 Royal Australian Nursing Corps Training Unit (CMF). On retirement in 1977, she was Director of Nursing, Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital, Victoria. While at Fairfield, she organised a rescue mission to evacuate Vietnamese war orphans from Saigon and supervised their convalescence before adoption to Australian families. She worked tirelessly for the Red Cross, ex-service, nursing and other voluntary organizations. An achievement close to her heart was the instigation of nursing scholarships so that Malaysian nurses could finish training in Australia.
Bullwinkel received many honours and awards, and the albums contain the commendations for several of these. She was selected by the National Heritage 2000 Committee for inclusion in the Bicentennial publication of The people who made Australia. The photographs include one autographed by Queen Mary, presented to Bullwinkel after an audience in 1951, and another from the set of 'Paradise Road', autographed with thanks by the film's director, Bruce Beresford, in 1997.
Bullwinkel married Col Francis West Statham OBE, ED in September 1977. She returned to Banka Island in 1992 to select a site for a memorial. The series of photographs contain images of this journey. In 1993, with the dedication of the memorial on Banka, she fulfilled a long-held ambition to make a fitting tribute to her colleagues.
Wartime diaries and papers are arranged in Series 1. The remaining papers are arranged in folders in chronological order. Correspondence 1941-1945 is arranged in Series 2. The albums (Series 3) contain a variety of material, including photographs, letters and news cuttings arranged by year and dating from before the war to 1998. Other material is arranged thematically: Honours and awards (Series 4), Soroptimist Club (Series 5), newspaper cuttings (Series 6), photographs (Series 7) and POW accounts (Series 8). Bullwinkel's postwar nursing career, particularly at Fairfield Hospital, is not well represented in the collection.
SERIES 1: Wartime diaries and papers,1941-1946
Bullwinkel's wartime diaries contain daily entries dated from 29 August 1941 to 14 February 1942. The diaries describe her experience in Malaya up to the fall of Singapore. Notebooks and other papers kept while Bullwinkel was a prisoner of war include recipes, poems, songs and sketches. Other papers relate to the war crimes trials in Tokyo held in 1946.
| Series /Item | Title, date and description | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 1/1 | Diary (mock snakeskin cover with 2/13th AGH colour patch) with handwritten entries, 10-14 February 1942; additional entry for Saturday 28 February 1942; includes recipes, lists of nursing sisters and servicemen, and song lyrics. The section of pages cut out following the entry for the 28 February 1942 had already been removed from the notebook when Bullwinkel found it in a POW camp. | 1 |
| 1/2 | Diary entries, transcribed on foolscap pad, 29 August 1941-14 February 1942. Annotated by Bullwinkel's biographer, Norm Manners. | 1 |
| 1/3 | Diary entries, handwritten in pencil on loose scraps of paper, 29 August-27 September 1941. | 1 |
| Folio 1(1/4) | Diary entries, handwritten in pen, on a re-used page of a Dutch ships manual, 28 September 1941-9 February 1942. Includes a list of summary entries. | Oversize |
| 1/5 | Diary entries, handwritten in pencil on loose scraps of paper, describing Bullwinkel's attempt to get help from the locals on Banka Island, after being shot by the Japanese, 28 February 1942. | 1 |
| 1/6 | Diary entries, transcribed by Bullwinkel, 7 January 1942-14 February 1942, 3 versions. | 1 |
| 1/7 | Diary entries in summary, transcribed, 14 October 1941-1 February 1942, list of men's names and service numbers. | 1 |
| 1/8 | Letter-card written by Bullwinkel, from Women's Camp, Palembang, Sumatra to her mother, 18 March 1943. | 1 |
| 1/9 | Message sent by Eva Bullwinkel to Bullwinkel in Sumatra, wishing her birthday and Christmas wishes and thanking her for the letter-card [nd]. | 1 |
| 1/10 | Letter to Bullwinkel, from 'Weston', written from the men's POW camp in Muntok, 22 November 1943. | 1 |
| 1/11 | Handwritten letter to Bullwinkel, [nd]. | 1 |
| 1/12 | Handwritten letter to Bullwinkel, [nd]. | 1 |
| 1/13 | Government issue notebook, containing handwritten recipes and Malay phrases; loose page with handwritten draft of a letter to the Governor of Sumatra. | 2 |
| 1/14-22 | Recipes handwritten on fragments of paper and on a page of a Dutch book. | 2 |
| 1/23 | Recipes written in a Dutch diary that Bullwinkel discovered in the POW camp. Contains entries written by the original owner. | 2 |
| 1/24-30 | Song lyrics and poetry; copy of a birthday card includes the 'Captives Prayer' dated 12 October 1942, Palembang; handwritten page from notebook in Dutch and English, describing a command from Japanese authorities, dated 13 June 1942, Palembang; handwritten miscellaneous notes, September 1942-6 February 1943; a concert program (4 pages typescript) [nd]. | 2 |
| 1/31-36 | Fragments of pencil sketches drawn in the POW camp [nd]. Page from the Camp Chronicle with pencil drawing [nd]. | 3 |
| 1/37 | Handwritten account of Christmas Days in 1942, 1943 and 1944 (2 pages). | 3 |
| 1/38 | Handwritten list of soldier's names, possibly of those imprisoned in a nearby camp. | 3 |
| 1/39 | Handwritten funeral arrangements, listing pallbearers and attendance, Wednesday 7 June, 1944. Handwritten prayer. | 3 |
| 1/40 | Bullwinkel's copy of the Record of proceedings of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, 20 December 1946. | 3 |
| 1/41 | Handwritten account of war crimes and conditions experienced while Bullwinkel was in the POW camps. | 3 |
| 1/42 | Handwritten account of the first day of proceedings of the International Military Tribunal for the Far East, 3 May 1946. | 3 |
| 1/43 | Handwritten account of Bullwinkel's experience in Singapore, 1941-1942. | 3 |
SERIES 2: Correspondence,1941-1945
Early correspondence in this series is principally between Bullwinkel and her mother, Eva Bullwinkel. It covers the period from Bullwinkel's enlistment in 13 AGH to the fall of Singapore and the evacuation of Bullwinkel and her colleagues aboard the Vyner Brooke. There is a folder of letters written by Eva Bullwinkel seeking information as to Bullwinkel's fate and letters written by Eva to Bullwinkel that were returned to sender. Items 3, 4, and 5 comprise letters, cards and telegrams sent during 1945 when Bullwinkel was found alive in a prison camp in Sumatra and repatriated to Australia. Items 6 and 7 comprise letters written from 1946 to 1950. For preservation reasons, copies only will be issued to researchers.
| Series /Item | Title, date and description | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2/1 | Correspondence, 1941, includes: Letters 1941, Bullwinkel to her mother, from Jessie McPherson Hospital; Puckapunyal; Lady Dugan Hostel; 'abroad'; and Malaya 1941. One letter from John Bullwinkel to Bullwinkel, 30 November 1941. | 1 |
| 2/2 | Correspondence, 1942-1944 includes:Letters 1942 include four letters from Bullwinkel to her mother, the last written on 8 February 1942. Five undelivered letters from Eva Bullwinkel to Bullwinkel. Letters from Eva Bullwinkel to various agencies and persons seeking information on Bullwinkel, missing since the fall of Singapore; letters in reply to her inquiries, including official notification of Bullwinkel as 'missing'. Letter to Mr and Mrs Bullwinkel, concerning a message, spoken by Bullwinkel, broadcast from a Japanese-controlled radio station, 21 March 1943. Official telegram dated 21 October 1943 informing Eva Bullwinkel that Bullwinkel 'previously reported missing is now reported prisoner of war'. Letter from the Australian Red Cross stating that Bullwinkel 'is interned in Sumatra Camp', dated 28 October 1943. Undelivered letters from Eva Bullwinkel to Bullwinkel; two notes from Eva Bullwinkel to Bullwinkel acknowledging receipt of letter card sent from Palembang prisoner of war camp. | 1 |
| 2/3 | Correspondence, August-October 1945, includes:POW card from Bullwinkel to family, 2 July 1945. Correspondence between John, Eva and Vivian Bullwinkel, August 1945-October 1945. 'Welcome home' letters. Letters from relatives of Bullwinkel's colleagues to Bullwinkel, including on behalf of Elsie Kinsley (wife of Cecil Kinsley, from Mabel Hill) and Sisters Wight, Singleton, Halligan, and Casson. Letters and cards from ex-servicemen, September 1945. Illustrated letters from children, September 1945. Official letter from Red Cross Bureau for Wounded, Missing and Prisoners of War to Eva Bullwinkel, informing Eva that Bullwinkel has arrived at Singapore, 19 October 1945. | 1 |
| 2/4 | Correspondence, November-December 1945, includes:'Welcome home' letters. Letter from Agnes Borton (whose brother Richard Borton, was captain of the Vyner Brooke), 18 September 1945. Letters from relatives of Bullwinkel's colleagues to Bullwinkel; includes letters concerning Sisters Wilmot, McKnight, Neuss, Elmes, Glade, Cuthbertson, Bridge, Kerr, Beard, and Matron Drummond. | 1 |
| 2/5 | Cards and telegrams 1945'Welcome home' , gift tags and telegrams, 1945. | 1 |
| 2/6 | Correspondence, 1946, includes:Correspondence between John, Eva and Vivian Bullwinkel. 'Welcome home' letters. Letters from relatives of Bullwinkel's colleagues to Bullwinkel; includes letters concerning Sisters Singleton and Davis. | 1 |
| 2/7 | Correspondence, 1947-1950, includes:Letters from Bullwinkel to Eva and John Bullwinkel from 115 AMH, Heidelberg; Melbourne; Launceston; Sydney; Brisbane; and Perth, 21 January 1946-March 1946. Letters from Bullwinkel to Eva and John Bullwinkel from 115 AMH Heidelberg, March-September 1946. Letters from Bullwinkel to Eva Bullwinkel, 1947. Letters from Bullwinkel to Eva and John Bullwinkel, from Japan, concerning Tokyo war crimes trials, November 1946-January 1947. Telegrams, various dates. Miscellaneous letters addressed to Eva Bullwinkel and Bullwinkel, 1947-1948. Letters to Bullwinkel from various admirers after her wartime experiences were made public. Letters of farewell to Bullwinkel on her visit to England with Sister Betty Jeffrey, August 1950. Letter from the Private Secretary of Queen Mary, requesting audience with Bullwinkel and Sister Jeffrey, London, 15 November 1950. | 1 |
SERIES 3: Albums, 1916-1998
Albums of official papers, photographs, newspaper cuttings, correspondence and ephemera relating to activities around Australia, work for voluntary organisations, attendance at Memorial services and prisoner of war reunions.
| Series /Item | Title, date and description | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 3/1 | Album, prewar. Certificate of Holy Baptism, 15 October 1916; childhood photographs; hatband and school uniform pocket, 1930; newspaper cuttings related to Broken Hill High School, 1930s; primary and high school photographs; Nurses Registration Certificate, 16 December 1937; photographs, Broken Hill and District Hospital 1934-1939; photographs, Kiaora Hospital, Hamilton, Victoria, 1939-1940; genealogical research. | 1 |
| 3/2 | Album, 1941-1945 Photographs of 2/4 CCS; 2/10 AGH, 2/13 AGH 1941, Puckapunyal, May-August 1941; John Bullwinkel, 1941; Malacca September-October 1941. Papers related to Bullwinkel's repatriation to Australia, including photographs; newspaper cuttings; card 2/1 Hospital Ship Manunda, with nurses' signatures; official typescript of Bullwinkel's statement concerning war crimes, September 1945. | 2 |
| 3/3 | Album, 1946-1948 Photographs, newspaper cuttings, invitations related to Bullwinkel's trip to Tokyo and her attendance at the Tokyo War Crimes Trial, October 1946; papers related to Nurses' Memorial Appeal, 1947; photographs including 13 AGH reunion, 1948. | 3 |
| 3/4 | Album, 1949-1952 Tributes related to Matron Paschke, 1949; admission card to House of Representatives signed by Prime Minister Chifley, 20 September 1949; tributes to Sister Drummond, 1949; photographs of Heidelberg Repatriation Hospital, 1950; newspaper cuttings and photographs related to Bullwinkel and Betty Jeffrey's tours around Australia in 1949, and overseas to England in 1950; invitations include those to Bullwinkel and Jeffrey from Queen Mary, the Duchess of Gloucester, and Prime Minister Menzies at Australia House. | 4 |
| 3/5 | Album, 1953-1957 Ephemera related to Bullwinkel's participation in the Coronation Parade for HM Queen Elizabeth, 6 July 1953; Bullwinkel's return to Australia, 1953; correspondence; newspaper cuttings and photographs related to publication ofWhite coolies, 1954, and While history passed, 1955; correspondence re Bullwinkel's promotion to Deputy Matron, December 1955; Bullwinkel's trip to Singapore for unveiling of Singapore Memorial at Kranji Cemetery, March 1957. | 5 |
| 3/6 | Album, 1958-1963 Includes papers related to Bullwinkel's appointment as Matron, Fairfield Infectious Diseases Hospital, 1961; appointed to 1st Board of Trustees, Australian War Memorial 1963; support for Outward Bound Association, 1963; ephemera and photographs related to various visits around Australia to memorial services and POW reunions. | 6 |
| 3/7 | Album, 1964-1969 Includes opening of Remembrance Avenue, Gunnedah, NSW, 1964; Bullwinkel's inclusion in The Age newspaper series, 'Uncommon men' written by John Hetherington, and subsequent omission from a book based on the series, 1964; travel to Europe and USA, 1965; photograph and newspaper cutting of Trustees of Australian War Memorial, Gavin Long, Neville Howse and Bullwinkel, 1966; letter from the Duke of Edinburgh re Outward Bound, 1967. | 7 |
| 3/8 | Album, 1970-1976 Photographs and ephemera related to Bullwinkel's presence as Guest of Honour, RSL Congress, Lae, PNG, 1971; souvenir booklet, opening of the 'Completed Australian War Memorial', 1971; colour photographic portrait, 'President of College of Nursing Australia 1973-1974'; correspondence and ephemera related to the 25th Annual Meeting of the College, 1974; photograph and newspaper cutting related to airlift of Vietnamese war orphans, 1975. | 8 |
| 3/9 | Album, 1977-1983 Bullwinkel's marriage to Colonel Frank Statham November 9, 1977; farewell menu, Fairfield Hospital, November 1977. Newspaper cuttings related to a documentary 'Women in Captivity', and to the TV series 'Tenko', 1982. | 9 |
| 3/10 | Album, 1984-1987 Correspondence and newspaper cuttings related to TV series 'Mike Willesee's Australians'; film and television agreement between Bullwinkel and Crawford Productions for 'The Vivian Bullwinkel Story', 1986; photographs and correspondence related to Bullwinkel's appearance on TV show 'This is Your Life', 1987. | 10 |
| 3/11 | Album, 1988 Correspondence related to TV series 'Mike Willesee's Australians'; Bullwinkel's critique of the show; a letter written by Bullwinkel to Rachel Ward and a reply from Rachel Ward; dedication of Changi Chapel; Bullwinkel's inclusion inThe people who made Australia great; Bullwinkel's appointment as warden of WA State War Memorial 1988. | 11 |
| 3/12 | Album 1989-1991 Includes colour photographs of sites on Banka Island 1989; correspondence related to 75th Anniversary of the Australian Red Cross 1989; program for 'Song of Survival', Perth Concert Hall August 1990. | 12 |
| 3/13 | Album 1992 Includes program '50th Anniversary Kranji War Cemetery Singapore', 1992; certificate 'Commemoration of Battle of Coral Sea 1992'; notes on visit to Banka Island , 27-29 October 1992, and colour photographs of Banka Island. | 13 |
| 3/14 | Album 1993 Correspondence, photographs, signed piece of cloth, and other documents related to visit to Banka Island for dedication of Australian Army Nurses' Memorial, 2 March 1993; election as Patron, AIF Malayan Nursing Scholarship Board July 1993. | 14 |
| 3/15 | Album 1994-1998 Correspondence and newspaper cuttings related to the making of 'Paradise Road'; production photograph signed by Bruce Beresford 1996; naming of 'Vivian Bullwinkel Wing' Hollywood Hospital October 1998. | 15 |
SERIES 4: Honours and awards and postwar service in Royal Australian Nursing Corps, 1947-1992
Correspondence, newspaper cuttings and photographs relating to awards bestowed upon Bullwinkel after the Second World War.
Associate of the Royal Red Cross (March 1947)
The Florence Nightingale Medal (May 1947)
Efficiency Decoration (1969)
Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (1 January 1973)
Order of Australia (1993)
Honorary Life Membership of the Australian Red Cross Society (March 1992)
| Series /Item | Title, date and description | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 4/1 | Album of honours and awards relating to Order of Associate of Royal Red Cross, March 1947; Florence Nightingale Medal, May 1947; postwar service and Efficiency Decoration, 1969. Includes official letter of notification and citation for Associate of Royal Red Cross; Bullwinkel's speech at investiture of Florence Nightingale Medal; photographs, newspaper cuttings, letters and telegrams of congratulation; and 'Australian Red Cross Society Citation Honorary Life Membership', 1992. Postwar service: personal record card, Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps; newspaper cuttings related to Bullwinkel's appointment to command 7 Company, RAANC, 1955; letters of congratulation for award of Efficiency Decoration, 1969; booklet 75 Years of Service: Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps 1902-1977. |
1 |
| 4/2 | Album of honours and awards relating to MBE 1973. Includes citation dated 1 January 1973, newspaper cuttings, and letters of congratulation. | 2 |
| 4/3 | Album relating to MBE 1973 includes; letter conferring Honorary Life Membership in the Australian Red Cross Society,1992; newspaper cuttings and letters, including from Weary Dunlop, and photograph relating to award of Officer of the Order of Australia 1993; newspaper cutting related to naming of Vivian Bullwinkel Wing, Hollywood Private Hospital, 1993. Miscellaneous awards, including Girl Guides Association of WA 'Woman of Distinction' award, 1991; Certificate of Honour, The Macfarlane Burnet Centre for Medical Research,1991; Certificate of Service as President, Probus Club of Nedlands, 1989-1990. Includes letter dated 30 September 1992, from the Honours Secretariat, concerning Wilma Young's nomination to be awarded the Order of Australia and a reply from Bullwinkel. |
3 |
SERIES 5: Soroptomist Club,1963-1982
Album of papers relating to Bullwinkel's membership in the Soroptomist Club. Includes correspondence, booklets and speeches.
| Series /Item | Title, date and description | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 5/1 | Album of papers relating to Bullwinkel's membership in the Soroptomist Club 1963- 1982. Includes correspondence, booklets, and speeches. | 1 |
SERIES 6: Newspaper cuttings,1945-1949
| Series /Item | Title, date and description | Album |
|---|---|---|
| Series/Item | Title, date and description | Folio |
| Folio 4 (6/1) | Newspaper cuttings 1945-1949 | Oversize |
| Folio 5 (6/2) | Newspaper cuttings 1945-1949 | Oversize |
SERIES 7: Photographs, 1922-1950
| Series /Item | Title, date and description | Album |
|---|---|---|
| Folio 6 (7/1) | Photograph of Bullwinkel in 1922, aged seven, Kapunda, South Australia, with her grandfather William Lyle Shegog ; photograph presented to Bullwinkel by Queen Mary; photograph of Bullwinkel and Betty Jeffrey laying a wreath in Melbourne in the early 1950s; photograph presented to Bullwinkel on the occasion of her unveiling a Memorial to Matron O D Paschke, 1949. | Oversize |
| 7/2 | Prewar photographs, including photographs from childhood and early nursing career and a group photograph taken at Broken Hill and District Hospital 1935. | 2 |
| 7/3 - 4 | Wartime photographs, includes hand tinted photograph pasted on card of Bullwinkel in Australian Army Nursing Service uniform 1941; photograph of Bullwinkel giving evidence at Tokyo War Crimes Trial, December 1946; photographs of wartime Singapore supplied by National Archives of Singapore. | 2 |
| 7/5 | Bullwinkel and Jeffreys in London, early 1950s. | 2 |
| 7/6 | Formal colour portrait of Bullwinkel wearing her decorations; photograph of work of art held by the Australian War Memorial, artist S Bourke; colour photographs of Bullwinkel's return to Muntok, 1993. | 2 |
| 7/7 | Miscellaneous photographs in albums, include portrait of Bullwinkel in nurses uniform, 1937; contemporary colour photographs of Singapore, and commemorative plaques and gravestones. | 2 |
| 7/8 | Transparencies of Singapore, Jakarta and Banka Island [nd]. | 2 |
SERIES 8: Prisoner of war accounts
These two albums include various accounts of the experience of Australian prisoners of war.
| Series /Item | Title, date and description | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 8/1 | POW accounts including those written by Major John Hunt; Sister Jean Ashton; Margaret Dryburgh; Sister Betty Forward (evacuated on the Empire Star); address and overheads prepared by Bullwinkel for the 3rd annual scientific meeting of the Australian Military Medical Association [nd]. | 1 |
| 8/2 | POW accounts, including those written by Sister Nesta James; Sister Thelma McEachern (evacuated on the Whasui); Edith Leembruggen; and Sister Ellen Allgrove. | 2 |
| 8/3 | POW accounts, including those written by Father Lionel Marsden; an address by Col John Edis; a list of nurses evacuated on the Vyner Brookegiving unit, place of enlistment, and fate. Also includes official Japanese report Condition of general foreigners and natives, Headquarters of South Eastern Group Army, August 30, 1945. | 3 |