Irene Melville Drummond (1905 - 1942)

Ancestors

Biography

Australian Nurses of the Vyner Brooke

The following biographical article was published in Australian Dictionary of Biography, 1996 and is here included in full with minimal but necessary editorial: "Irene Melville Drummond (1905-1942), army matron, was born on 26 July 1905 at Ashfield, Sydney, daughter of Cedric Drummond, a marine engineer, and Katherine née Melville, both Queensland born. ^[1] Educated at Catholic schools in Adelaide and at Broken Hill, New South Wales, Irene returned to Adelaide, trained as a nurse at Miss Laurence's Private Hospital, qualified in obstetrics at the Queen's Home and worked at Angaston Hospital. In 1933 she moved to the Broken Hill and District Hospital where she proved to be a compassionate and extremely competent nurse, well liked and respected by her superiors and colleagues. She served as a surgical sister, assistant-matron and acting-matron. ^[2]

"Appointed sister in the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS), Australian Imperial Force (AIF), on 8 November 1940, Drummond was called up for full-time duty with the 2nd/4th Casualty Clearing Station (CCS) in January 1941. Next month she sailed for Singapore to join the 2nd/9th Field Ambulance. Briefly back with the 2nd/4th CCS, she was promoted matron on 5 August and posted to the 2nd/13th Australian General Hospital (AGH) in September. When the Japanese invaded Malaya on 8 December, the hospital was situated near Johore Bahru. In January 1942 it was hurriedly moved to St Patrick's School, Singapore. Despite chaotic conditions—brought on by the hasty retreat, enemy air-raids and increasing admissions of battle casualties—Drummond's quiet efficiency helped to ensure that the wards were operational within 48 hours. ^[2]

"By early February 1942 surrender to the Japanese appeared likely. Throughout January, Major General Gordon Bennett had repeatedly refused to allow the evacuation of AANS personnel. It was not until 10 February that they began leaving, five days before the capitulation. On the 12th only Drummond, Matron Olive Paschke of the 2/10th AGH and sixty-three members of their staffs remained in Singapore. Although the nurses had begged to be allowed to stay with their patients, they were put on board the steamer, Vyner Brooke, that day for the perilous voyage to Australia. On the 14th in Banka Strait the vessel was hit by bombs. The nurses helped other passengers to abandon ship. Scooping up a small Chinese boy as the Vyner Brooke sank, Drummond escaped in a lifeboat. ^[2]

"A group of survivors, including Drummond and twenty-one fellow nurses, came ashore at Radji Beach, Banka Island. They were joined by some twenty British servicemen from another sunken ship. Having discovered that the island was already in the hands of the Japanese and that no help could be expected from the local population, on 16 February the party resolved to surrender. One of the Vyner Brooke's officers was sent to Muntok to negotiate with the Japanese. While he was away Drummond suggested that the civilian women and children should leave for Muntok. Shortly after the civilians departed, a Japanese officer and twenty soldiers arrived at the beach. Ignoring pleas that the remaining group was surrendering, the Japanese separated the men from the women. The men were marched around a small bluff to another cove; there they were shot and bayoneted.

The Japanese returned to the nurses who had been left sitting on the beach and ordered them to walk into the sea. All knew their fate as they entered the water in silence. The Japanese soldiers opened fire with a machine-gun. ^[3] Irene Drummond was one of the first to die. ^[2]

"She was Mentioned in Despatches (equivalent to today's Commendation for Gallantry) in 1946. ^[4] The Sister Drummond Memorial Park, opened at Broken Hill Hospital in 1949, commemorates her." ^[2]

For her war service Irene was also awarded the 1939-1945 Star, Pacific Star, War Medal 1939-1945 and Australia Service Medal 1939-1945; the medals being issued to her family following the war.

• Obituary 12 Oct 1945 ^[5]

• Obituary 10 Aug 1946

LATE MAJOR DRUMMOND - ADELAIDE. - Major Irene Drummond, who was matron o the A.I.F. Hospital at Singapore and was later killed in the Banka Island massacre, will be honored by old schoolmates and members of the Dominican Convent, Semaphore,- Old Scholars' Association, tomorrow afternoon. A memorial bookcase will be presented to the sisters at the convent with a photograph and inscription given by her mother, Mrs. Cedric Drummond, of Millswood. Broken Hill will also honor Major. Drummond, ho was attached to the staff of the local Hospital when she enlisted; At its next meeting the Hospital Board will confer with the Drummond Memorial Committee on the form of the proposed memorial money for-which was raised by public subscription. Suggestions for the memorial are memorial gates, drinking fountain;- wishing'well and tennis courts. Parents of Major Drummond, Mr. and Mrs. C. Drummond, formerly resided in Broken Hill. ^[6]

• False coming home message to parents ^[7]

• Honor For War Heroine ^[8]

• SEVEN S.A NURSES IN CASUALTY LIST ^[9]

Sources

1. ↑ New South Wales Birth Index
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4} Gorrell, Julie. 'Drummond, Irene Melville (1905–1942)', Australian Dictionary of Biography, National Centre of Biography, Australian National University, published first in hardcopy 1996; accessed online 27 Feb 2020
3. ↑ Wikipedia: Bangka Island Massacre
4. ↑ Australian War Memorial honours and awards; accessed 2 Mar 2020
5. ↑ Trove Obituary
6. ↑ Trove Obituary
7. ↑ Trove article
8. ↑ Trove article
9. ↑ Trove article

See also

• Shaw, Ian W. On Radji Beach: The Story of the Australian Nurses after the Fall of Singapore. MacMillan, Sydney, 2010. ISBN 978-1-4050-4024-2.
• Wikivisually: Irene Melville Drummond.
• Wikipedia: Irene Melville Drummond.