The Ramblings of a Crusty Old Sailor - Remembering Sister Vivian Bullwinkel and the Nursing Sisters of the Australlian Army Nursing Service

Remembering Sister Vivian Bullwinkel and the Nursing Sisters of the Australian Army Nursing Service

Sister Vivian Bullwinkel, along with sixty-three other Australian Army nurses, escaped from Singapore aboard the cargo ship, the Vyner Brooke on 12 February 1942. The Vyner Brooke was sunk by Japanese air attack off Banka Island, Sumatra, on 14 February. Two of the nurses were killed and nine others, who escaped on a raft, were never seen again. A party of twenty-two Australian nurses landed from a lifeboat on the north coast of Banka Island where they were captured, along with other survivors, by Japanese soldiers. Their fate was to be forced to wade out into the water never to be seen again. Sister Vivian Bullwinkel, 2/13th Australian General Hospital was the sole survivor.

Vivian met up Private Patrick Kingsley, who was badly wounded but had also survived the attack on the beach. The two decided they're only chance of survival would be to surrender. Unfortunately Private Kingsley succumbed to his injuries within days.

At the women’s prison camp, Vivian was overjoyed to find another group of 24 Australian nurses from the Vyner Brooke. They had failed to make it to Radji Beach, and had landed on another part of the island, where they were captured. Being the only the only witness to the crime on the beach, Vivian spent three and a half years in the Palembang prison camp in complete silence.

Vivian retired from the Australian Army in 1947 with the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel. That same year, she gave evidence of her horrific experiences at the Tokyo War Crimes Commission trials. By testifying, Vivian was finally able to tell the world what really happened to the men and women on Bangka Island.

Vivian served on the council of the Australian War Memorial, and later as president of the Australian College of Nursing. Vivian was awarded both the Order of Australia and the MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire) for her bravery. Vivian passed on July 3, 2000 at the age of 84 in Perth Australia. Four of the surviving nurses who were fellow prisoners at the Palembang camp attended her state funeral. Lest We Forget.