Sister

Gladys Laura Hughes

Conflict: 
WW2
Additional Information: 

Daughter of James and Elizabeth Shore Hughes, of Mount Albert, Auckland, New Zealand.

NZ WAR GRAVES
CONTRIBUTED

Biographical Notes:

"Paybook photograph [above], taken on enlistment, of VFX61331 Lieutenant Gladys Laura Hughes, 2/13th Australian General Hospital, Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS). She was one of sixty five Australian nurses and over 250 civilian men, women and children evacuated on the Vyner Brooke from Singapore three days before the fall of Malaya. The Vyner Brooke was bombed by Japanese aircraft and sunk in Banka Strait on 14 February 1942. Of the sixty five nurses, twelve were lost at sea, twenty two survived the sinking and were washed ashore on Radji Beach, Banka Island, where they surrendered to the Japanese along with twenty five British soldiers. On 16 February 1942 the group was massacred, the soldiers were bayoneted and the nurses were ordered to march into the sea where they were shot. Only Sister Vivian Bullwinkel and a British soldier survived the massacre. Both were taken POW, but only Sister Bullwinkel survived the war. Sister Hughes was one of the remaining thirty two nurses who also survived the sinking and were captured as POWs, eight of which later died in captivity. Sister Hughes, aged 33, died of illness on 31 May 1945 in Sumatra. She was the daughter of James Hughes of West Brunswick, Vic." [Source: Australian War Memorial P02783.025]

Kai Tiaki - The New Zealand Nursing Journal v38n1p271 (15 November 1945) "Amongst those who died whilst held prisoner of war by the Japanese at Sumatra was Miss Gladys Hughes of Auckland. She was captured in Malaya and it is only within recent months that her parents were notified that she had died of beri beri. Miss Hughes was a graduate of Thames Hospital in 1932. Later she took a midwifery training at St. Helens Hospital, Auckland. She was on the staffs of Rotorua and Patea Hospitals and also did some private nursing. In 1938 she went to Australia and did private nursing in Melbourne. Miss Hughes joined the Australian Army Nursing Service in 1941 and was with the Eighth Division in Malaya. She was posted missing for two years and her parents then received one letter from her. Nothing further was heard of her until the news of her death." 

Public Contributions:

There are no public contributions written for this casualty

Personal Tributes:

Casualty

Service Number: 
VX61331
Name:
Gladys Laura Hughes
Rank: 
Sister
Date of Birth:
19 September 1908
Place of Birth: 
Waikino, South Auckland, New Zealand
Next of Kin: 
Hughes, James
Date of Enlistment:
01 January 1941
Locality on Enlistment: 
AAMC Drill Hall, Victoria
Occupation on Enlistment:
Nurse
Unit:
AIF, Australian Army Nursing Service, 13 General Hospital

Casualty Details

Cause of Death:
Died of illness whilst a prisoner of war
Date of Death:
31 May 1945
Day of Death:
Thursday
Age at Death: 
36
Conflict: 
WW2

Embarkation Details

Embarkation Place:
Australia
Embarkment Date:
02 September 1941
Vessel:
Wanganella
Destination:
Singapore

Text in italics supplied by Cenotaph Online, Auckland War Memorial Museum

Cemetery

Cemetery Reference: 
3. D. 4.
Cemetery Location: 
Indonesia
Gladys Laura Hughes
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