| Places | |
|---|---|
| Accession Number | AWM2020.22.49 |
| Collection number | PR01216 Series 1 |
| Collection type | Digitised Collection |
| Record type | Wallet |
| Item count | 1 |
| Object type | Diary, Papers |
| Maker |
Various |
| Date made | 1942 |
| Conflict |
Second World War, 1939-1945 |
| Source credit to | This item has been digitised with funding provided by Commonwealth Government. |
Wallet 1 of 8 - Diary and diary entries of Sister Vivian Bullwinkel, 1941-1942
Description
Collection of personal papers relating to the Second World War and post-war service of VFX61330/F31029 Lieutenant Colonel Vivian Statham (nee Bullwinkel) AO, MBE, ARRC, ED, FRCNA (b.1915 – d.2000) nursing sister and matron and prisoner of war, 1916-2001.
Series 1 Wallet 1 Item 1 is a diary (mock snakeskin cover with 2/13th AGH colour patch) kept by Sister Bullwinkel with handwritten entries, 10–14 February 1942 and an additional entry for Saturday 28 February 1942. The diary includes recipes, lists of nursing sisters and servicemen, and song lyrics. The section of pages cut out following the entry for the 28 February 1942 had already been removed from the notebook when Bullwinkel found it in a POW camp.
Series 1 Wallet 1 Item 2 contains handwritten diary entries between 29 August 1941 and 14 February 1942 and transcription of these entries (both handwritten by Bullwinkel and typed) with annotation by Bullwinkel’s biographer, Norm Manners. These entries include a description of Bullwinkel’s voyage on the “Vyner Brooke” and lists of men’s names and service numbers. The wallet includes a diary entry describing Bullwinkel’s attempt to get help from locals on Banka Island, after being shot by the Japanese, dated 28 February.