Three Royal Navy Nurses talk over their Stanley Internment Camp experiences

Alan Ho
Tue, 04/11/2023 - 11:01
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Three Royal Navy Nurses talk over their Stanley Internment Camp experiences
  • “We Just Got On With It: British Women in World War II”, written by Bette Anderson.

       (Publication Date: 1994 , Edition: 1st Edition)

Page 28: "Three Royal Navy nurses who arrived in Sydney in HMS Oxfordshire, talk over their internment experiences. They were on the staff of the Royal Naval Hospital, Hong Kong, and after being in other camps eventually reached Camp Stanley, Left to Right: Sister G. M. Griffiths, Sister I. Rollin and Matron O. H. Franklin."
  • According to "The Royal Naval Medical Service"
https://gwulo.com/node/59265 , page282 :
On August 30 , 1945 , Hong Kong was retaken by the Royal Navy . On the following day , the Naval Matron and her nursing sisters were taken on board H.M. Hospital Ship Oxfordshire . It was only then that the leader of this small unit of gallant women spoke those words which are typical of themselves , their Service and their profession . "My Sisters have , at all times , remained cheerful and have made the best of everything . Among our memories of our time spent in a prison camp there will be many happy ones . Our one great disappointment was that we were unable to continue nursing our own sick men . "
  • Franklin C. Gimson, Hilda Alice Selwyn-Clarke, and other friends signed Miss Franklin's Secret Embroidery from Stanley Internment Camp when Miss Franklin left Hong Kong.
    Olga Franklin's embroidery from Stanley Internment Camp (B)
    Miss Olga Franklin - Secret Embroidery from Stanley Internment Camp, by Alan Ho
  • For information about the situation at that time, we can also refer to Sir C. Grenville Alabaster's wartime journal “More Than 1001 Days and Nights of Hong Kong Internment”.

31st August, 1945 :
"Mr. Gimson and Prior came to the camp and the former told me that I was one of sixty internees who were to be evacuated by the hospital ship Oxfordshire ."

1st September, 1945 :
"I packed my things and gave to the Welfare all I was not taking with me . Between 5 and 6 p.m. young Ramsey kindly carried my bag , and taking the stool myself to sit on every hundred yards or so , I got down to the pier , saying goodbye to all I passed on the way . Arrived there , I was taken by boat to the Australian sloop Freemantle , and that took us early next morning to No. 2 pier at Kowloon where."

3rd September, 1945 :
"I and the others on board were transferred to the Oxfordshire . Many friends visited us and sailed on it via Manila , Manus and Brisbane to Sydney , where we were put into the Naval Hospital at Herne Bay ."

 

Date picture taken
3 Sep 1945 (day is approximate)
Tags
WW2: Interned at Stanley Camp
Shows person / people
Gwynydd Marjorie GRIFFITH [1909-1977]
Iris Amy Lilian ROLLIN [1905-1977]
Olga Heather FRANKLIN [1895-1987]