TASMANIAN NURSES AT MALAYA (1941/42)

Credit: AI Gemini Google

The images you’ve shared capture a group of Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) sisters in Malaya, 1941/1942, just before the fall of Singapore. These women are part of a legendary and tragic chapter in Australian military history.

The Tasmanian Connection

Several nurses from Tasmania served with the 2/4th Casualty Clearing Station (CCS) and the 2/13th Australian General Hospital (AGH) in Malaya. Key figures among them include:

• Sister Dora Shirley Gardam: Born in Ulverstone and trained at Launceston General Hospital. She was known for her musical talent and "sweet disposition." Sadly, she survived the sinking of their ship and three years in captivity, only to die of illness in April 1945, just months before liberation.
• Sister Jessie Elizabeth Simons: From Nunamara (near Launceston). She survived the sinking of the SS Vyner Brooke by swimming for 18 hours to reach shore. She endured 3.5 years as a prisoner of war (POW) and returned to Tasmania in October 1945.
• Sister Wilhelmina Rosalie Raymont: Another Tasmanian who served with the 2/4th CCS. She survived the initial attacks but died as a POW in 1945.
• Other notable Tasmanians: Harley Brewer, Mollie Gunton, Hilda Hildyard, and Maisie Rayner.

The Events of 1942

• Evacuation (February 12): As Singapore was about to fall, 65 nurses (including the Tasmanians) were ordered to evacuate on the SS Vyner Brooke.
• The Sinking (February 14): Japanese bombers attacked the ship in the Bangka Strait. It sank in 30 minutes. Some nurses drowned; others, like Jessie Simons, swam for hours to reach Bangka Island.
• The Bangka Island Massacre (February 16): A group of 22 nurses reached Radji Beach. After surrendering to Japanese soldiers, they were ordered to march into the sea and were machine-gunned from behind. Sister Vivian Bullwinkel was the sole survivor of this massacre.
• Captivity: The surviving nurses (32 in total, including Simons and Gardam) were reunited in POW camps in Sumatra. They faced brutal conditions, starvation, and tropical diseases for over three years.

The Images

The image shows the 2/4th Casualty Clearing Station nurses. You can identify Shirley Gardam (back row, far left) and Wilhelmina Raymont (back row, center). These photos are poignant reminders of their service and the "Grey and Scarlet" uniform they wore with pride.

Spotlight: Sister Dora Shirley Gardam (TFX 2183)

• Born in Ulverstone, Tasmania in 1910, Shirley Gardam was a key figure in this group. Her story is one of documented bravery and "sweet disposition" under extreme hardship.
• Pre-War: She trained at Launceston General Hospital alongside Jessie Simons before enlisting in the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) for service in Malaya.
• The Sinking: After the SS Vyner Brooke was bombed, Shirley was part of a group that managed to reach a capsized lifeboat. They successfully righted the heavy craft, and the nurses used parts of their own clothing to plug holes caused by machine-gun fire.
• Life in Captivity: During her three years as a POW in Sumatra, Shirley was known for her musical talents. She frequently played a piano found by the internees and gave lectures to the other women about her home state of Tasmania to keep spirits high.
• Final Days: Shirley survived several camp moves but succumbed to illness and malnutrition on April 4, 1945, at the Muntok camp on Bangka Island. She was 34 years old. Records note she was buried in a jungle clearing with a coffin made of wood slats, covered in the flowers she had always loved.

Sister Jessie Elizabeth Simons (TX6023)

Though not in the specific 2/4th CCS group photo (she served with the 2/13th AGH), Jessie Simons was another prominent Tasmanian from Nunamara.

• She survived the sinking and 3.5 years of internment.
• In 1954, she published her memoirs, While History Passed, which became a primary source for understanding the experiences of Australian nurses in Sumatra.

Sister Wilhelmina (Mina) Rosalie Raymont

Though she was nursing in Hobart, Tasmania at the time of her enlistment, Mina was originally from South Australia. Her story in captivity is one of resilience and high spirits despite severe illness.

• During Captivity: Mina was known for maintaining a positive attitude under harsh conditions. She organized "sing-alongs" and concerts in the Palembang and Irenelaan camps. On one occasion, during an impromptu fashion show in camp, she was selected to represent the year "1943," wearing a makeshift outfit of a top and shorts.
• The Guard House Incident: Archival accounts note a specific hardship where a Japanese guard accused the nurses of making holes in a barracks wall (holes that were already there). As punishment, Mina and another sister were forced to stand in the sun for an extended period. Despite the other nurses attempting to warn the guards of Mina's heart condition, they were ignored. She eventually collapsed and had to be carried back to the barracks.
• Death: Mina contracted cerebral malaria and lapsed into a coma, passing away on February 8, 1945, at the age of 33. Her fellow nurses gave her a military funeral, wearing their "carefully preserved" grey uniforms. She was buried at Muntok, though her grave was later moved to the Jakarta War Cemetery.

Sister Jessie Elizabeth Simons and the Liberation

Jessie Simons was one of the 24 nurses who survived the internment. She later wrote a memoir titled While History Passed (also published as In Japanese Hands), which provides a firsthand account of their ordeal and liberation.

• The Liberation (September 1945): After three and a half years of captivity, the nurses were assembled at the Lahat airfield in Sumatra. They were met by Colonel Annie Sage (Matron-in-Chief of the AANS) and Sister Jean Floyd.
• The Reunion: Witnesses described the nurses dropping their "tiny parcels of belongings" to rush and hug their rescuers. Despite their state of malnutrition—some nurses weighed as little as 30 kilograms—they had carefully kept their grey nursing uniforms and "Rising Sun" badges to wear for the occasion of their freedom.
• Return to Tasmania: Jessie returned to Tasmania in late October 1945. When interviewed by The Mercury upon her arrival, she reflected on the trauma of the camps, stating: "There were things you couldn't imagine, and I wouldn't want you to know... It seems 1,000 years since I left Launceston."

Summary of the 2/4th CCS (First Photo)

Based on the group photo you provided of the 2/4th CCS, the tragic toll of the unit is clear:

• Dora Shirley Gardam: Died in captivity, April 1945.
• Wilhelmina Raymont: Died in captivity, February 1945.
• Matron Irene Drummond: Killed in the Bangka Island massacre, February 1942.
• Sister Mavis Hannah: The only nurse from the 2/4th CCS shown in these records to survive and return home.

Sister Harley Brewer (TX6022)

Harley Brewer was part of the group of Tasmanian nurses who served with the 2/13th Australian General Hospital (AGH).

• Evacuation: In February 1942, Harley was assigned to evacuate Singapore on the SS Empire Star, one of the ships that left just before the SS Vyner Brooke.
• The Voyage: The Empire Star was heavily bombed and strafed by Japanese aircraft during its journey. Unlike the Vyner Brooke, the Empire Star managed to reach Batavia (Jakarta) and eventually made it to Australia.
• Fate: Because she was on this vessel, Harley Brewer avoided the sinking and subsequent internment that many of her colleagues faced. She returned safely to Australia and continued her service.

Sister Maisie Rayner (TX6021)

Maisie Rayner was also a Tasmanian nurse from the 2/13th AGH, enlisting from Launceston.

Service in Malaya: Before the evacuation, Maisie worked at St. Patrick’s School in Singapore, which had been converted into the 2/13th AGH.

Evacuation and Survival: Like Harley Brewer, Maisie was assigned to the SS Empire Star. She experienced the same intense aerial attacks on the ship but reached Australia safely in late February 1942.

Post-War: After returning, she continued to serve in the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) throughout the war.

Dora Shirley Gardam	2/4th CCS	SS Vyner Brooke	POW; Died in captivity, 1945
Wilhelmina Raymont	2/4th CCS	SS Vyner Brooke	POW; Died in captivity, 1945
Harley Brewer	2/13th AGH	SS Empire Star	Survived; Returned to Australia
Maisie Rayner	2/13th AGH	SS Empire Star	Survived; Returned to Australia
Jessie Simons	2/13th AGH	SS Vyner Brooke	POW; Survived and liberated

Compiled from Google Gemini

Hj Zulheimy Maamor

19/12/2025: 3.50 p.m