2nd 13th Australian General Hospital

Arriving in Singapore on 15 September 1941, the hospital established itself at St. Patrick’s Boys School on the island’s south coast, but initially treated few patients. Many of its nursing staff were attached to other units or establishments, including the Singapore General Hospital, while those that remained spent much of their time training in the treatment of tropical diseases and modern military surgical practices.

Group portrait of sisters and staff nurses of the 2/13th Australian General Hospital outside one of the wards at St Patrick's School.

Identified (left to right) back row: Gladys Hughes; Annie Trenerry; Lorna Fairweather; Jean Ashton; Bess Muldoon; Vivian Bullwinkel; Matron Irene Drummond; unidentified; Bessie Taylor; unidentified; Marie Hurley; Mary McGlade; Florence Casson; Veronica Clancy; Harley Brewer. Front row: May Rayner; Ada Bridge; Minnie Hodgson; Nellie Bentley; B Garrood; unidentified; Janet Kerr; Elvin Wittwer. On 16 February 1942, Matron Drummond, Sister (Sr) Fairweather, Sr McGlade, Sr Casson, Sr Bridge, Sr Hodgson, Sr Kerr and Sr Bullwinkel were among the 22 Australian Army sisters who were machine gunned by the Japanese after reaching Radji Beach, Banka Island, following the sinking of the SS Vyner Brooke. Sr Trenerry was presumed killed when the ship was sunk. Sr Bullwinkel, the only survivor of the massacre, later surrendered to Japanese troops. She was held captive for three and a half years in Sumatra. Sr Hughes died of illness on 31 May 1945 while a prisoner of war (POW) in Sumatra.

Between 21 and 23 November 1941, the 13th relocated to the Malayan mainland and occupied a newly-built, but not quite finished, mental hospital at Tampoi, six and a half kilometres from Johore Bahru. The 13th was still at Tampoi when the Japanese launched their invasion of Malaya on 8 December. Their rapid advance soon forced the withdrawal of the 10th Australian General hospital from Malacca to Singapore, leaving the 13th as the only Australian hospital in Malaya. As a result, it was ordered on 11 December to double its patient capacity to 1,200. At the time it only had 359 beds open; but by 18 December, 945 were in operation.

Paybook photograph, taken on enlistment, of VX57176 Private Royce Ernest Columbine (served as Roy Aylett), 2/13th Australian General Hospital, Australian Army Medical Corps. He was one of over 2000 Allied prisoners of war (POW) held in the Sandakan POW camp in north Borneo, having been transferred there from Singapore as a part of E Force.
The 500 Australian and 500 British POW's who made up E Force, left Changi on 28 March 1943, on board the S.S. DeKlerk arriving at Berhala Island (adjacent to Sandakan Harbour) on 15 April 1943. The POW's were held there until 5 June, when they were taken by barge to Sandakan. The next day they were transferred to the 8 Mile Camp, which was about half a mile from the B Force compound. Private Columbine, aged 20, died as a prisoner of the Japanese on 7 February 1945. He was the son of Ernest and Evelyn Columbine, of Williamstown, Vic. He is commemorated on the Labuan Memorial Panel 26.

The 13th treated most of the casualties that resulted from the AIF’s battles in Johore, and, as the fighting got closer, it effectively became a large-scale casualty clearing station – the most forward surgical unit in the army’s medical organisation.

Eventually, the approach of the Japanese also forced the 13th to withdraw to Singapore, commencing on 23 January. Thirty-eight hours later it was re-established as a 700-bed hospital back at St. Patrick’s. see photo above

Like all medical units, the 13th was hard-pressed during the fighting for Singapore. It was subject to bombing, sustaining hits to both its kitchen and a ward, and had to operate under complete blackout conditions at night. Mounting casualties soon outstripped the hospital’s ability to accommodate and treat them and patients had to lie on the lawns around the hospital. With defeat appearing imminent, the 13th’s nursing sisters were progressively evacuated on three ships. The last contingent of 27 left aboard the ill-fated Vyner Brooke on 12 February.

In the final days of the fighting, the 13th found itself in a problematic position at the edge of the British Commonwealth perimeter around Singapore City. A nearby canal was the only anti-tank obstacle for some distance, requiring infantry and artillery to be positioned around the hospital, thereby placing its protected status in jeopardy. Repeated requests had to be made to combatant troops not to establish their positions in the hospital area. On the night of 13 February the perimeter was pulled back, leaving the hospital in no man’s land until the Commonwealth forces capitulated on the night of 15 February. By 19 February the 13th was treating 1,273 patients, its maximum effort during its short history, and had absorbed the staff of the 4th Casualty Clearing Station, the 2nd Mobile Bacteriological Laboratory, and the 2/10th Field Ambulance.

Between 22 and 23 February the 13th re-established itself in buildings at Selerang Barracks, part of the sprawling prisoner-of-war complex on the Changi Peninsula. On 6 March the Japanese authorities directed that only one prisoner-of-war hospital would be maintained in Changi and the bulk of the Australian medical units, including the 13th General Hospital, were merged with the British hospital at Roberts Barracks.

Casualties

39 killed

Decorations

1 OBE
3 MBE
1 RRC
8 MID

Text from the AWM site