Caroline Mary Ennis (1913 - 1942)

Ancestors

Australian Nurses of the Vyner Brooke

Biography

Sister Caroline Ennis

Caroline Mary Ennis was born in 13th August 1913 in Swan Hill, Victoria, Australia. She was the older daughter of Hugh Ennis and Mary Carter.^[1] The family moved shortly afterwards to Charters Towers, North Queensland. Her father died in Charters Towers in 1922 after which, it would appear, the family returned to Victoria.

Caroline completed nursing training and was registered as a nurse at Wangaratta District Hospital.

On 20th August 1940 Caroline was commissioned as a Sister (equivalent rank to Captain) into the Australian Army Nursing Service and attached to the 2/13th Australian General Hospital, then being deployed to Johor, Malaya. ^[2] After strategic withdrawal to Singapore in the face of the seemingly all-conquering Imperial Japanese Army in December 1941-January 1942, the hospital set up in Singapore. As the inevitable defeat loomed, along with 64 other Australian nurses and many civilians, including women and children, Caroline was evacuated from Singapore on 12th February aboard the ill-fated Vyner Brooke. As with some 90% of escaping ships at that time, the Vyner Brooke was discovered by the Japanese as it was entering the Bangka Strait two days later, bombed and strafed repeatedly, and sank within twenty minutes.

Whilst many of the nurses escaped the sinking to become prisoners-of-war or be murdered, Caroline died at this time. It would appear that she was killed in the bombing. ^[3]

A plaque has been mounted at Wangaratta District Hospital, Victoria in Caroline's, as well as Dorothy Elmes', honour. ^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ Victoria Birth Index #26603/1913
2. ↑ Department of Veterans' Affairs nominal roll: VFX38751 Sister Caroline Mary Ennis; accessed 29 Feb 2020
3. ↑ 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
4. ↑ Monument Australia; accessed 9 Apr 2020