Annie Merle Trenerry (1909 - 1942)

Annie Merle Trenerry was born on 30th May 1909 at Moonta, South Australia, Australia. She was the second daughter and fifth child of Edward Trenerry and English-born Annie Osborn.^[1]

Caroline completed nursing training at Adelaide, South Australia and was registered as a nurse about 1933.^[2]

Annie with parents and sister 1941

On 7th February 1941, Annie 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.^[3] 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, Annie 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.^[2]

Whilst many of the nurses escaped the sinking to become prisoners-of-war or be murdered, Annie linked with five other nurses as well as some civilians and children, however, their life-rafts failed to reach land, such were the strong and erradic currents in the Bangka Strait, Netherlands East Indies (Indonesia).^[2] Annie Merle Trenerry's name is located at panel 96 in the Commemorative Area at the Australian War Memorial, Canberra, at Kranji War Cemetery, Singapore and the War Memorial, Moonta, South Australia.^[4][5]

Sources

1. ↑ South Australia Birth Index #820/49 1909; registered at Daly
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} 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
3. ↑ Department of Veterans' Affairs nominal roll: SFX13419 Sister Annie Merle Trenerry; accessed 12 Mar 2020
4. ↑ Australian War Memorial roll of honour: SFX13419 Sister Annie Merle Trenerry; accessed 12 Mar 2020
5. ↑ Entered by Susanne Gillespie, Tuesday, October 1, 2013.