Massacre on the beach

From Athole Stewart.

SINGAPORE, Sept. 17. — The three and a half year mystery of the missing Australian nursing sisters of the Eighth Division was cleared up with the arrival of the survivors at Singapore by air from Sumatra yesterday.

Theirs was a tale of the massacre of helpless women on a beach of Banka Island, of floating in the sea for 16 hours, of privation and hardship while prisoners of the Japanese. One sensed the unspoken heroism of the women, who remained undaunted by face slappings from guards and by suggestions from officers that they should become geisha girls at their clubs.

Sister Lole Harper, of York-road, East Guildford (W.A.), a childhood friend of mine, told how their ship, the Vyner Brooke, after being pelted with bombs, sank in 15 minutes. Three lifeboats, to one of which she was allotted, were useless and she and dozens of others found themselves floating in the sea, supported by their lifebelts. She and others drifted apart from the rest and soon after dawn they were washed on to Banka Island. They struggled into mangroves, which were so tangled that she and a friend were a couple of days struggling through them. Eventually Malays found them and took them to a village, where Japanese caught them.

She told me the women had to march between camps carrying sick people on stretchers. During their many changes of address, having lost everything they possessed when the shipwrecked, their shoes soon wore out and unless they wanted to go barefoot they had to use Japanese clogs.

**Walked 15 Miles**

On a broken raft, Sister Hannah, of Goodwood Park (S.A.) and Sister Simons, of Launceston, and seven others floated all night together. Dawn found them stranded on Banka beach.

"There were about 30 of us," said Sister Hannah. "We began walking. Eventually we covered 15 miles, reaching Muntok, where we gave ourselves up. At first we were placed in a filthy building which was a Chinese smoke-house. The next day the Japanese shifted us to coolie lines where, finding sailors' trousers, we seized them.

"One pair of bell-bottoms for a man made two pairs of shorts for us," said Sister Simons, who explained they did not know the owners of the trousers were out working until too late.

Continuing, Sister Hannah said that at Muntok, after first being housed in a Chinese club, Japanese officers opened a club and invited them to come along. This sister, however, withstood all inducements. Eventually the Japanese realised they did not desire to become geisha girls. But whenever the Japanese were annoyed they slapped the girls on the face.

"Gosh! I'd like to have stayed there," Sister Hannah said.

When I asked how they occupied themselves Sister Simons said contract bridge was learned. They all learned contract bridge and held frequent bridge parties. There was a woman gymnast instructor in the camp, while field and room women gave talks on physical training classes and the sisters gave lectures on first aid. This was quite apart from ordinary housekeeping chores, gathering firewood, and cooking their own food and drink.

About 14 sisters staffed the prison camp hospital until they themselves went down with malaria.

In charge of the party of nurses was Assistant Matron Nesta James, of Shepparton East, who, in spite of her diminutive stature, stood up to the Japanese in protection of her girls.

With all precision she related the unwelcome attentions of the Japanese officers at Muntok, Banka Island. Their treatment suddenly improved, and the sisters were grouped in nicely furnished bungalows. The Japanese invited the girls to go to the officers' club, but the girls refused steadfastly, in spite of threats.

The matron said it was the most difficult period of the whole imprisonment. Blandishments having failed, the senior Japanese officer informed the matron it was their duty to work for the Japanese, indicating exactly what that duty was.

"I replied that the only duty we knew was nursing," the matron said.

The matron was asked how they would like to die. The matron told the Japanese they would prefer it. The Japanese kept up the pressure for three weeks, until a very senior Japanese arrived at the camp and ordered them to cease. That put an end to the threats and the day and night entries without warning by Japanese officers into the sisters' rooms.

Although free from this treatment, the sisters were forced to work in the fields, carry water for the Japanese baths, and do all domestic jobs, with the most meagre food rations. "But we were very much happier," the Matron added.

**Shot, But Lived**

When the Japanese bombers caught the *Vyner Brooke* in Banka Straits on Friday, February 13, 1942, and sank her, a portion of the complement got away in two lifeboats. Sister Vivian Bullwinkel was in one which eventually reached Banka. When the party decided to surrender in order to save the women and gave themselves up to a party of 20 Japanese, who calmly unslung their tommy-guns, set up a machine-gun and ordered the castaways back into the sea. The intentions of the Japanese were very obvious and the unhappy party scattered hastily into the surf.

Automatic fire broke out and there were shrieks as bullets found their mark. Sister Bullwinkel said she saw friends sink beneath the waves. Then she was struck herself by a bullet in the side. She became partly conscious, and though she could never swim nor float, she was aware of being washed by the surf on the beach. She lay still, knowing she would be shot if she showed a sign of life, and then lapsed into unconsciousness. When she revived she found herself alone except for the dead bodies of men and women. Dragging herself up the beach she reached spring water in the jungle, where she again fainted. She lived in a daze for two or three days, until she recovered her strength and then went from body to body seeking signs of life.

She found a young Englishman on the beach still alive, but he had lost one arm. For some days the pair lived in the jungle, gaining help from villagers, but the strain was too great and they decided to give themselves up. So they staggered from their hiding place and met a Japanese naval officer in a car, who took them into custody. Sister Bullwinkel was soon among friends again. The young Englishman died soon afterwards, she learned.

Of 65 who sailed from the inferno of Singapore into the purgatory of Japanese imprisonment, 12 were drowned when the ship went down, 21 were massacred on the beach, and eight died of sickness in the prison camp.

**The Survivors**

Names of the rescued nurses, all staff sisters, are:—

C. J. Ashton, 57 Mary-street, Unley (S.A.).

J. J. Blanch, Alstonville, North Coast (N.S.W.).

K. C. Blake, Havilah-road, Lindfield (N.S.W.).

V. Bullwinkel, 25 Blythe-street, Fullarton (S.A.).

V. A. Clancy, 40 Stanley-street, North Adelaide.

C. M. Delforce, Augathella (Qld.).

J. G. Doyle, 3 Springfield-avenue, Potts Point (N.S.W.).

J. K. Greer, 17 Napier-street, Petersham (N.S.W.).

J. P. Gunther, Leeville, Casino (N.S.W.).

S. K. Hannah, 27 Essex-street, Goodwood Park (S.A.).

L. Harper, York-road, East Guildford (W.A.).

N. G. James, Shepparton East (Vic.).

A. B. Jeffrey, Alisa-avenue, East Malvern (Vic.).

V. I. McElnea, Byanda, Ingham (North Queensland).

S. J. M. Muir, 17 Dowling-street, Brisbane.

W. F. Oram, Monroe-street, Murtoa (Vic.).

C. S. K. Oxley, 12 Railway-parade, Clayfield (Brisbane).

E. M. Short, 48 Greenlea-street, Toowoomba (Qld.).

J. E. Simons, Nunamara (Tasmania).

V. D. Smith, Upper Barrad, via Atherton (Qld.).

A. C. Syer, 22 Marine-avenue, Mornington (Vic.).

F. E. Trotter, Stanley Terrace, Taringa (Brisbane).

J. Tweddell, Morton-street, Norman Park (Brisbane).

S. Woodbridge, 10 Hassett-avenue, Canterbury (Vic.).