Vivian Bullwinkel
| Vivian Bullwinkel | |
|---|---|
Studio portrait of Vivian Bullwinkel, taken in May 1941
|
|
| Born |
18 December 1915 Kapunda, South Australia |
| Died | 3 July 2000 (aged 84) Perth, Western Australia |
| Allegiance |
 Commonwealth of Australia
|
| Service/branch | Royal Australian Army Nursing Corps |
| Years of service | 1941–47 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Battles/wars | Second World War |
| Awards |
Officer of the Order of Australia Member of the Order of the British Empire Associate of the Royal Red Cross Efficiency Decoration Florence Nightingale Medal |
Lieutenant-Colonel Vivian Bullwinkel, Mrs. Statham, AO, MBE, ARRC, ED, FNM (18 December 1915 – 3 July 2000) was an Australian Army nurse during the Second World War. She was the sole survivor of the Bangka Island Massacre, when the Japanese killed 21 of her fellow nurses on Radji Beach, Bangka Island (Indonesia) on 16 February 1942.
Vivian Bullwinkel was born on 18 December 1915 in Kapunda, South Australia, to George Francis and Eva Bullwinkel (née Shegog). She had a brother, John. She trained as a nurse and midwife at Broken Hill, New South Wales, and began her nursing career in Hamilton, Victoria, before moving to the Jessie McPherson Hospital in Melbourne.
In 1941, wanting to enlist, Bullwinkel volunteered as a nurse with the Royal Australian Air Force but was rejected for having flat feet. She was, however, able to join the Australian Army Nursing Service; assigned to the 2/13th Australian General Hospital (2/13th AGH), in September 1941 she sailed for Singapore. After a few weeks with the 2/10th AGH, Bullwinkel rejoined the 13th AGH in Johor Baharu.
Japanese troops invaded Malaya in December 1941 and began to advance southwards, winning a series of victories. By late January 1942 they were advancing through Johore and the 13th AGH was to evacuate to Singapore. A short-lived defence of the island ended in defeat, and, on 12 February, Bullwinkel and 65 other nurses boarded the SS Vyner Brooke to escape.
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