Scholarships remember sacrifice of Ballarat prisoner of war nurses on the 80th anniversary of their deaths in Bangka Island massacre

Staff nurse Sr Mary Elizabeth (Beth) Cuthbertson and Sister Clarice Isobel Halligan were evacuated from Singapore three days before it fell, onboard the SS Vyner Brooke which was bombed by Japanese aircraft and sank in Bangka Strait on February 14, 1942.

Twenty-two Australian nurses, including Ms Cuthbertson and Ms Halligan, were washed ashore on Radji Beach, Bangka Island, Indonesia, where they and 25 British soldiers surrendered to the Japanese. On February 16, the Japanese bayoneted the soldiers and ordered the nurses to march in to the sea where they were shot.

Ms Halligan and Ms Cuthbertson were both born in Ballarat and have no known grave. Their names are etched on the Australian Ex-Prisoners of War Memorial at Lake Wendouree.

The Australian College of Nursing this week marked the 80^th anniversary of the sinking of the Vyner Brooke and the Bangka Island Massacre.

ACN chief executive Kylie Ward reflected on the incredible courage the nurses displayed in the most horrific of situations during WWII and highlighted their legacy still had a lasting impact on the nursing profession today.

"Eighty years ago, a group of Australian nurses paid the ultimate sacrifice for their dedication to serve their country and use their expertise to care for those who needed it most," she said.

"All the nurses onboard the Vyner Brooke were highly skilled professionals at the cutting edge of health care innovation for their time. They had a variety of clinical and personal backgrounds and came from all over Australia from Perth to Broken Hill, Sydney to Ballarat and everywhere in-between.

"When the bombs were falling on the ship, it was the nurses who stood tall to lead the ship's evacuation and treat the injured. On Bangka Island, they endured exceptionally trying conditions in the face of death. Even in their final moments, they stayed true in their commitment to care for others, with several supporting their injured nursing colleagues walk into the water before their tragic deaths.

"The group's courage, leadership and professional skill continue to have a legacy on nurses in Australia today. These traits are what make us proud to be nurses and our profession never forgets the immense sacrifice of those who came before us."

Sr Mary Elizabeth (Beth) Cuthbertson had served as a nurse for six months during the war before her death.

Her family did not find out she had been killed until three and a half years later, after the war was over, when they heard the only survivor of the massacre, Vivian Bullwinkel, interviewed on radio.

"I remember hearing Vivian being interviewed and she told the reporters the names of those who had been killed, and Beth's name was read out. It was the army's job to tell us, but they never did," Mary's sister Joyce Charles told The Courier in 2004 before the opening of the Ex Prisoner of War Memorial in Ballarat.

Mrs Charles returned to the shores of Bangka Island in 1994 with her daughter Beth, whom she named in her sister's honour, and walked the beach where Beth had died.

Ms Halligan was born in Ballarat in 1904 and moved away when her father left his job at Ballarat Brewery to take up a new position at Abbotsford Brewery in Melbourne.

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Her family have her original Australian Nursing Federation Certificate of Registration, dated October 3, 1929 , and she worked and trained at various Melbourne hospitals before becoming a missionary in Papua New Guinea and finally enlisting in the Australian Army Nursing Service on July 11, 1940.

To help inspire the current and future generations of nurses, the Australian College of Nursing Foundation is establishing a scholarship in the name of each of the 21 nurses who died at Bangka Island, and fundraising to build a sculpture in the grounds of the Australian War Memorial to honour the only survivor of the massacre Lieutenant Colonel Vivian Bullwinkel.

"These scholarships will inspire younger generations of nurses to lead their own contemporary journeys in providing exceptional skilled health care for all Australians," Adjunct Prof Ward said.

"Australia needs many more nursing scholarships to support nurses as they invest in their education to ensure they have the skills to deliver the standard of health care Australia is known for."

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