roberta lou
Story of nurses, in a newspaper journal, one survives,with a bayonet wound in her abdomen hidden by her water bottle and becomes a POW. She would be killed by the Japanese if they know she is a witness to the killings on BANKO Island, 18 years later she,V
This photo is included to tell the stories behind of THE MONUMENT ON SCENIC HILL coming down into Lithgow. It was built to honour the Doctors and Nurses caught as part of in the fall of Singapore Built by 10 Australian solders who became POWS (prisoners of war) from the Australian Eight Division living in Lithgow post war. Men who survived extreme Japanese brutality, They extended a thank you for their care and Bravery through a permanent monument Designed to respect the highest principles of Democracy shown by The Nurses and Doctors selfless and endless care.
10 POWs ( lived) in Lithgow after WWII who had worked on the Burma line and or in Changi.
Ten men met regularly after the war. These men remained loyal caring friends all their lives. In retrospect they formed an informal support group to debrief and rebuild their lives. Out of these sessions together, the 10 men decided to build a monument to recognize and honour the people that had cared for them above themselves, the doctors and nurses.
The men felt the selfless behavior of the Doctors and Nurses had represented the the highest principles of democracy and this needed to be recognised. The selflessness and personal strength of the Doctors and Nurses was inspirational to the men as they challenged the Japanese for medical supplies, food,to give seriously sick men the opportunity to rest instead of work. The surgery was done without anesthetic, multiple amputations occurred due to leg ulcers, from the malnutrition effects eg berri berri. They cared for those with infectious disease including Cholera, Malaria, Dystentry, Dengie fever Many volunteered to worked on Cholera Hill and others area like it exposing themselves to further illness.They were punished for their assertions by beatings and and endured sadistic torture. Many were injured and ill themselves and underweight. One nurse weighed 35kg so small she fell through the toilet seat At this weight still worked!
Vivian Bullwinkle had abdominal wound from being bayoneted on the beach on Banko Island their ship had been bombed and the nurses were machine gunned were coming ashore and then bayoneted to ensure their death.
The women were were separated from the men and the nurses when interned cared for women POWs The women were devalued as the Asian (The Asian workers losses were immense in the camps and graves were not even recorded.) Later in the camps some of the nurses were used as comfort women as well. In spite of their personal health and circumstances the Nurses and Doctors continued to care for others and never sought recognition for themselves.
These 10 men were part of the 8th division, in (An ANZAC story in its self. They lost 80% of the men were killed with the first onslaught of the Japanese attacking Malaysia through to Singapore.The attack started ! hour before Pearl Harbour The superior force an army with the advantage of the technology of the time! air support (This technology informarion was supplied earlier to Japan by the UK) we Australian's supplied the iron via Menzies" Pig Iron Bob".
These men traditionally are remembered as the POWs. What is not recognised is their bravery on the front! As they were abandon by the UK Churchill who never sent the planes requested to to defend Singapore. The UK had miss judged the capacity of the Japanese They had not listen to the information fed back to them through reconnaissance that the Japanese were coming overland not by sea. The bravery of the men in the face of continued slaughter and in spite of the odds has not been valued. The British command were disparaging of the Australian and Indian Commanders who wanted to supported the men in jungle training in preparation for attack,The Australian were nott placed directly under the English command The British sacked the Indian commander thinking he was mad getting emotional insisting on such stratagies.
.
These men should also be recognised and honoured as part of the Anzac history for the fierce battle for Singapore including the Battle of Muar on the Malayan Peninsular.
This epic Muar battle, which prevented the enemy from cutting the line of retreat of the main Allied forces, is one of the most desperate, and least known, fighting retreats of WW2, The Australian commander, Lieutenant-Charles Anderson, was awarded a Victoria Cross for the 8th Divisions efforts and his cool guidance to save as many men as possible. After the communications line were cut and the British forces did not wait at Parit Sulong to en circle the Japanese. Instead the eight Division were encircled by the Japanese Imperial guards and Solders
A Bathurst man Ben Hackney was of the 145 soldiers left in the convoy of injured men from the Battle at the bridge of Pari Sulong
Wounded men assumed to protected by the Geneva convention through Red Cross for care left as the Allies could not reclaim the bridge and progress to Singapore left unintentionally to be Massacred!
. After the considered order to disperse and" every man for himself" as documented by The historian Lynette Silvers in the book on the Battle of Pari Sulong and who later organised the excavation of the site through the Australian governent where the massacred occurred
(She has a web site on the books on she has written excellent books on Australian W11 History)
The prisoners were massacred by the Japanese but Ben Hackneywas bayneted 18 times left for dead, avoided being burnt and Reg Wharton a young boy of 16 survived the massacre and lived in the jungle for two weeks separately then both were capturedto became POWS and survived the war, Ben's Hackney's story is important to know! as he is 'local' is Recorded by Gilburt Mann
Due to the fierceness of the fighting The Japanese commander diverted across Asia and did not go directly to Australia for the Emperor.s Birthday! as planned. Very good luck for Australians !Thank you Eighth Division,a small but important victory in defea , for the Aussies.English and Indian who still protected Australia through the fierceness of the fighting delay the invasion by one week .The Japanese plans were reformed to go through Asia first . America was only just entering the war and not fully mobilized!
The brick of the monument is a symbolic red, the dimensions around the oblisk are in divisions of eight.to honour The Eight Division who fought in the Battle of Muar! Lights come on at automatically with the city lights. There is a aircraft search light that focuses upwards and flash at regular intervals and lights behind the red glass crosses to shine steadily. in honour of all who died. There were tended gardens for travellers to stop for a break after the mountain drive but the area has suffered vandalism due to its site position. As it is slighly out of town but it would be great to see gardens cared for again!
IN 1959 Sister Vivian Bulwinkle was one of the guests of honour at the opening, in recognition of her and other nurses services in the camps and also to represent the nurses that were gunned down down on the beach.
My father was one of the men who built the monument. he was a member of F force on the Burma line where 73% died due to the in human conditions He was proud He was survivor .His first job post war was as a Police Constable in Lithgow till 1960 and continued in public service all his life as a policeman. He retired as a police inspector and later as the President of the 2nd /19th Battalian in the last 10yrs of his life. An Association serving the men and visiting them at Concord Hospital when ill.
I many years later I became a nurse. Col Davis's daughter (an other one of the men became deputy matron at Lithgow hospital). There is a strong ethos of service and sacrifice within the families. The monument honours indirectly the resilience of the men,and specifically the nurses and doctors.Built to respect and record their incredible commitment to life .All involved resolved not to perpetrate hate and racism This is to be admired respected and acknowledged.
It was the only monument in Australia that recognized the nurses and their role in the war for a very long time. I think there is one in Adelaide built later. Then 50 yrs later the memorial in Canberra to commemorate the the role of the nurses .
NB As part of the Geneva Convention the practice of waterboarding and many other unspeakable acts described as "inhuman treatment " were outlawed as a result of the experiences of all these brave people and others like them. Read (The Sonkrai Tribunal) The River Kwai Story by Robin Rowlands 2007 Publisher Allen &; Unwin
The Book The Railway Man by Eric Lomas describes a personal experience of waterboarding and an eventual resolution with his experience and torturer. It is currently becoming a film with Nicole Kidman as his 2nd wife,
AT the stroke of a pen in 2002 George Bush changed and ignored the recommendations evolved from this bitter experience resulting legislation internationally to stop this happening again!.
Link to USA info in the now unrestricted classified documents to UK recieved information from people rescued in the sea after being bombed reporting on the Burma line and Changie to the USA The Drs Coates and Dr Dunlop are mentioned along with other information on the extreme condition of the men.No specific operations were established to save them
BUT All POWs men would have been dead with in a month if the atomic bomb had not been dropped as their body weights were around 40 Kgs and less>
Story of nurses, in a newspaper journal, one survives,with a bayonet wound in her abdomen hidden by her water bottle and becomes a POW. She would be killed by the Japanese if they know she is a witness to the killings on BANKO Island, 18 years later she,V
This photo is included to tell the stories behind of THE MONUMENT ON SCENIC HILL coming down into Lithgow. It was built to honour the Doctors and Nurses caught as part of in the fall of Singapore Built by 10 Australian solders who became POWS (prisoners of war) from the Australian Eight Division living in Lithgow post war. Men who survived extreme Japanese brutality, They extended a thank you for their care and Bravery through a permanent monument Designed to respect the highest principles of Democracy shown by The Nurses and Doctors selfless and endless care.
10 POWs ( lived) in Lithgow after WWII who had worked on the Burma line and or in Changi.
Ten men met regularly after the war. These men remained loyal caring friends all their lives. In retrospect they formed an informal support group to debrief and rebuild their lives. Out of these sessions together, the 10 men decided to build a monument to recognize and honour the people that had cared for them above themselves, the doctors and nurses.
The men felt the selfless behavior of the Doctors and Nurses had represented the the highest principles of democracy and this needed to be recognised. The selflessness and personal strength of the Doctors and Nurses was inspirational to the men as they challenged the Japanese for medical supplies, food,to give seriously sick men the opportunity to rest instead of work. The surgery was done without anesthetic, multiple amputations occurred due to leg ulcers, from the malnutrition effects eg berri berri. They cared for those with infectious disease including Cholera, Malaria, Dystentry, Dengie fever Many volunteered to worked on Cholera Hill and others area like it exposing themselves to further illness.They were punished for their assertions by beatings and and endured sadistic torture. Many were injured and ill themselves and underweight. One nurse weighed 35kg so small she fell through the toilet seat At this weight still worked!
Vivian Bullwinkle had abdominal wound from being bayoneted on the beach on Banko Island their ship had been bombed and the nurses were machine gunned were coming ashore and then bayoneted to ensure their death.
The women were were separated from the men and the nurses when interned cared for women POWs The women were devalued as the Asian (The Asian workers losses were immense in the camps and graves were not even recorded.) Later in the camps some of the nurses were used as comfort women as well. In spite of their personal health and circumstances the Nurses and Doctors continued to care for others and never sought recognition for themselves.
These 10 men were part of the 8th division, in (An ANZAC story in its self. They lost 80% of the men were killed with the first onslaught of the Japanese attacking Malaysia through to Singapore.The attack started ! hour before Pearl Harbour The superior force an army with the advantage of the technology of the time! air support (This technology informarion was supplied earlier to Japan by the UK) we Australian's supplied the iron via Menzies" Pig Iron Bob".
These men traditionally are remembered as the POWs. What is not recognised is their bravery on the front! As they were abandon by the UK Churchill who never sent the planes requested to to defend Singapore. The UK had miss judged the capacity of the Japanese They had not listen to the information fed back to them through reconnaissance that the Japanese were coming overland not by sea. The bravery of the men in the face of continued slaughter and in spite of the odds has not been valued. The British command were disparaging of the Australian and Indian Commanders who wanted to supported the men in jungle training in preparation for attack,The Australian were nott placed directly under the English command The British sacked the Indian commander thinking he was mad getting emotional insisting on such stratagies.
.
These men should also be recognised and honoured as part of the Anzac history for the fierce battle for Singapore including the Battle of Muar on the Malayan Peninsular.
This epic Muar battle, which prevented the enemy from cutting the line of retreat of the main Allied forces, is one of the most desperate, and least known, fighting retreats of WW2, The Australian commander, Lieutenant-Charles Anderson, was awarded a Victoria Cross for the 8th Divisions efforts and his cool guidance to save as many men as possible. After the communications line were cut and the British forces did not wait at Parit Sulong to en circle the Japanese. Instead the eight Division were encircled by the Japanese Imperial guards and Solders
A Bathurst man Ben Hackney was of the 145 soldiers left in the convoy of injured men from the Battle at the bridge of Pari Sulong
Wounded men assumed to protected by the Geneva convention through Red Cross for care left as the Allies could not reclaim the bridge and progress to Singapore left unintentionally to be Massacred!
. After the considered order to disperse and" every man for himself" as documented by The historian Lynette Silvers in the book on the Battle of Pari Sulong and who later organised the excavation of the site through the Australian governent where the massacred occurred
(She has a web site on the books on she has written excellent books on Australian W11 History)
The prisoners were massacred by the Japanese but Ben Hackneywas bayneted 18 times left for dead, avoided being burnt and Reg Wharton a young boy of 16 survived the massacre and lived in the jungle for two weeks separately then both were capturedto became POWS and survived the war, Ben's Hackney's story is important to know! as he is 'local' is Recorded by Gilburt Mann
Due to the fierceness of the fighting The Japanese commander diverted across Asia and did not go directly to Australia for the Emperor.s Birthday! as planned. Very good luck for Australians !Thank you Eighth Division,a small but important victory in defea , for the Aussies.English and Indian who still protected Australia through the fierceness of the fighting delay the invasion by one week .The Japanese plans were reformed to go through Asia first . America was only just entering the war and not fully mobilized!
The brick of the monument is a symbolic red, the dimensions around the oblisk are in divisions of eight.to honour The Eight Division who fought in the Battle of Muar! Lights come on at automatically with the city lights. There is a aircraft search light that focuses upwards and flash at regular intervals and lights behind the red glass crosses to shine steadily. in honour of all who died. There were tended gardens for travellers to stop for a break after the mountain drive but the area has suffered vandalism due to its site position. As it is slighly out of town but it would be great to see gardens cared for again!
IN 1959 Sister Vivian Bulwinkle was one of the guests of honour at the opening, in recognition of her and other nurses services in the camps and also to represent the nurses that were gunned down down on the beach.
My father was one of the men who built the monument. he was a member of F force on the Burma line where 73% died due to the in human conditions He was proud He was survivor .His first job post war was as a Police Constable in Lithgow till 1960 and continued in public service all his life as a policeman. He retired as a police inspector and later as the President of the 2nd /19th Battalian in the last 10yrs of his life. An Association serving the men and visiting them at Concord Hospital when ill.
I many years later I became a nurse. Col Davis's daughter (an other one of the men became deputy matron at Lithgow hospital). There is a strong ethos of service and sacrifice within the families. The monument honours indirectly the resilience of the men,and specifically the nurses and doctors.Built to respect and record their incredible commitment to life .All involved resolved not to perpetrate hate and racism This is to be admired respected and acknowledged.
It was the only monument in Australia that recognized the nurses and their role in the war for a very long time. I think there is one in Adelaide built later. Then 50 yrs later the memorial in Canberra to commemorate the the role of the nurses .
NB As part of the Geneva Convention the practice of waterboarding and many other unspeakable acts described as "inhuman treatment " were outlawed as a result of the experiences of all these brave people and others like them. Read (The Sonkrai Tribunal) The River Kwai Story by Robin Rowlands 2007 Publisher Allen &; Unwin
The Book The Railway Man by Eric Lomas describes a personal experience of waterboarding and an eventual resolution with his experience and torturer. It is currently becoming a film with Nicole Kidman as his 2nd wife,
AT the stroke of a pen in 2002 George Bush changed and ignored the recommendations evolved from this bitter experience resulting legislation internationally to stop this happening again!.
Link to USA info in the now unrestricted classified documents to UK recieved information from people rescued in the sea after being bombed reporting on the Burma line and Changie to the USA The Drs Coates and Dr Dunlop are mentioned along with other information on the extreme condition of the men.No specific operations were established to save them
BUT All POWs men would have been dead with in a month if the atomic bomb had not been dropped as their body weights were around 40 Kgs and less>