Cinesound Review - first pictures of massacre survivors

An excerpt from Cinesound Review 0727 which shows footage of Australian prisoners of war in a Singapore hospital after their rescue in 1945, including Vivian Bullwinkel, who was the only survivor of a massacre on Banka Island by Japanese soldiers that killed 21 Australian Army nurses.

The clip casts a rare spotlight on the experiences and camaraderie of women during wartime. Narration conveys the harrowing facts, while the footage captures their visceral emotions: relief, exhaustion and care for one another.

To honour her fellow nurses who lost their lives, Bullwinkel devoted the rest of her life to the profession. She became president of the Australian College of Nursing and was awarded the Florence Nightingale Medal, an MBE and the AO.

The Cinesound Movietone Australian Newsreel Collection held at the NFSA comprises 4,000 newsreels from 1929 to 1975, offering insight into Australia's rich cultural history.