Bangka Strait Memorial Service

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Bangka Day Memorial Service 2015 Sunday 15 February 2015 Sue Newton, Jenny Hughes, Evonne Tylor and I attended the Memorial Service held at the South Australian Women’s Memorial Playing Fields, St Marys, in honour Army Nursing sisters massacred at Bangka Island on 16 February 1942. Bangka Strait Memorial Service On February 16th, 1942, 22 Australian Army Nurses were machine gunned by soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army on Bangka Island's Radji Beach in the Dutch East Indies (now known as Indonesia). All but one nurse were killed in the massacre. Five years later, the lone survivor, Vivian Bullwinkel, gave evidence at a war crimes trial in Tokyo, having survived the war. Thirteen years after the massacre, the first Bangka Strait Memorial Service was held at the South Australian Women's Playing Fields and has been held annually on the Sunday closest to 16th February. The memorial service has expanded its scope of commemoration to Australian women who served their country overseas in the armed forces. It was to be a very hot day; luckily there was plenty of cover, with chairs to sit on and the committee providing all those present with cold drinking water throughout the service. This was my first experience and representing the members of the Region of South Australia was a privilege. The service was very moving and there were many organisations that paid their respects with the laying of wreaths, donations of books and money in front of the memorial plaque. The address was by author Ian W. Shaw who wrote the book ‘On Radji Beach’ and spoke of his research in the country regions of South Australia and the many untold stories of those who served in our Australian Forces. Each person who attended the service was given a printed booklet ‘The Roses of No Man’s Land’ written by Ian W Shaw. ‘This was a story of the young and not so young women who stepped forward when the call went out, the 365 South Australian nurses who served their state with the same steadfastness and bravery as their brothers and cousins who also stepped forward to help the Empire in its hour of need.’ The booklet has 14 pages of a story written about some of the women and the author’s words of why ‘we recognise and celebrate each year on Bangka Day’. Dianne Potter – Region President of South Australia http://womensmemorial.org.au/ .

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