How many Australian nurses became prisoners of war?

Thirty-two of these nurses became prisoners of war, held with civilian internees in camps on and around Palembang, in Sumatra. Conditions were grim, and over three and a half years of captivity the women suffered from tropical disease and the effects of malnutrition. Eight nursing sisters died in captivity.

What happened to nurses who were captured by the Japanese?

Miraculously, the nurses all survived the long imprisonment from May 1942 to February 1945, but after liberation, received little recognition as military prisoners of war. But most of the nurses said that they didn’t do anything extraordinary, they were just doing their jobs. “I don’t consider myself a hero.

How many Australian nurses were captured by the Japanese?

[Sylvia Muir quoted in Hank Nelson, Prisoners of War: Australians under Nippon, Sydney, ABC, 1985, 82.] The Australians captured by the Japanese in early 1942 included fifty-nine women who were serving with the Australian Army Nursing Service.

What happened to the army nurses after Corregidor fell in 1942?

When Bataan and Corregidor fell, 11 navy nurses, 66 army nurses, and 1 nurse-anesthetist were captured and imprisoned in and around Manila. They continued to serve as a nursing unit while prisoners of war. After years of hardship, they were finally liberated in February 1945.

Did Japanese eat Australian soldiers?

The wide variety of cases include the soldiers eating the flesh of Australian soldiers, Asian laborers, and Indigenous people in Papua New Guinea. In some instances, the soldiers’ supply lines were indeed cut off and they were genuinely hungry. At this place, the Japanese again started selecting prisoners to eat.

Where did Australian nurses go during World War 2?

In early April 1941, the nurses and physiotherapists of 2/5th and 2/6th Australian General Hospitals (AGH), were transported to Greece with the men of the 6th Division. They were moved around frequently, often at short notice, as the Germans advanced down the Greek peninsula.

How many nurses died in the POW camps?

Eight nurses died in the POW camps, and twenty four nurses eventually returned home to Australia. Sister Eileen Short recuperating in hospital after release from the Belalau Prisoner of War camp (Australian War Memorial collection).

Are there any Australian prisoners of war in World War 2?

Australian service men and women have been taken prisoner in wartime from World War I to the Korean War. The highest number of Australians held prisoner was during World War II. However, it’s important to remember and understand the experiences of all Australian prisoners of war (POWs) regardless of the particular conflict.

What did nurses do at the end of the war?

By the end of the war, nursing sisters had been commissioned as officers, although many were loath to give up their traditional titles of “sister” and “matron”. They were yet to be given the same status and pay as male officers.