Bullwinkel, Vivian (Oral history)

Australian officer served as nurse with 2/13th Australian General Hospital in Malaya, 9/1941-2/1942; survivor of sinking of SS Vyner Brooke and Bangka Island Massacre on Banka Island, Dutch East Indies, 2/1942; POW in Muntok Jail Camp, Palembang Camp, Muntok Women’s Camp and Lubuk Linggan Camp, Sumatra, Dutch East Indies, 3/1942-8/1945

REEL 1 Aspects of period as nurse with 2/13th Australian General Hospital in Malaya, 9/1941-2/1942: background to enlistment in Australian Nursing Service; move to Malaya, 9/1941; three week transfer to 2/10th Australian General Hospital; return to 2/13th Australian General Hospital in Johore Bahru and Singapore; orders to embark on SS Vyner Brooke, 12/2/1942. Recollections of surviving sinking of SS Vyner Brooke and Bangka Island Massacre, Bangka Island, Dutch East Indies, 14/2/1942-28/2/1942: embarkation on board ship and voyage southwards; Japanese air attacks on ship, 14/2/1942; abandoning ship; landing on Bangka Island; attempt to obtain aid from village; arrival of boat load of wounded British servicemen; decision for civilian party to march inland; arrival of Japanese and killing of wounded servicemen, 16/2/1942; Japanese machine gunning of nurses in water, 16/2/1942; her wounding and playing dead in water; making her way ashore; encounter with wounded Private Patrick Kingsley and treatment she gave him; degree of aid received from village; decision to surrender to Japanese; capture and interrogation by Japanese. Recollections of period as POW in Muntok Jail Camp, Palembang Camp, Muntok Women’s Camp and Lubuk Linggan Camp, Sumatra, Dutch East Indies, 3/1942-8/1945: reaction to arrival at Muntok Jail Camp on Banka Island; rations and method of supplementing them. REEL 2 Continues: prevalent medical problems; birth of babies in camp; clothing worn; wearing uniforms during camp moves; recreational activities; living conditions in Palembang Camp; removal to Muntok Women’s Camp on Bangka Island, 10/1944; move to Lubuk Linggan Camp, 4/1945; nursing work; how nurses adjusted to captivity and acquired money for food; treatment by Japanese captors; incident of Australian nurses being thanked by Japanese commandant; hearing news that war was over, 8/1945; period in camp after Japanese surrender; evacuation of camp and reaction to sight of matron in chief wearing trousers.