2/10th Australian General Hospital

The building in Malaya used as the 2/10th Australian General Hospital AWM photo P09909.013

Brief History

2/10th Australian General Hospital was formed at Sydney Showgrounds in January 1941 and left immediately for Malaya. They were established at Malacca by February and operated from here until the Japanese advance forced them back to Singapore in December where they were located at Oldhams Hall. They operated from here until the forces on Singapore were surrendered in February after which it moved to Changi with the other POWs, and operated for much of their period of captivity from this location.

Sixty five Australian nurses and over 250 civilian men, women and children were evacuated on the Vyner Brook from Singapore, three days before the fall of Malaya. The Vyner Brooke was bombed by Japanese aircraft and sunk in Banka Strait on 14 February 1942. Of the sixty five nurses on board, twelve were lost at sea, twenty two survived the sinking and were washed ashore on Radji Beach, Banka Island where they surrendered to the Japanese, along with twenty five British soldiers. On 16 February 1942 the group was massacred, the soldiers were bayoneted and the nurses were ordered to march into the sea where they were shot. Only Sister Vivian Bullwinkel and a British soldier survived the massacre. Four of those massacred by the Japanese on Banka Island were members of the 2/10th Australian general Hospital.

Unit Personnel

• William Albert Arthur Parkin 22 Jul - 12 Oct 1941
• Bessie Christina Ellen Taylor 1 - 21 Oct 1941

Notes

Content has come from The Unit Guide - Volume 4 - The Australian Army 1939-1945, page 4.119 - Graham R McKenzie-Smith - Big Sky Publishing - 2018