Sisters Under Fire

The extraordinary courage of two Australian nurses at war

By Colin Burgess

Published by Simon & Schuster

RRP $36.99 in paperback | ISBN 9781761638626

This book had its origins in Colin Burgess’s earlier work, Sisters in Captivity in which he touched briefly on the heroic deeds of Australian Army Nursing Sisters Margaret Anderson and Vera Torney who had survived the perilous evacuation of Singapore in 1942. They evacuated Singapore on the converted cargo ship Empire Star in 1942.

After Japanese occupation, every nurse without exception had requested to stay and tend to their wounded patients but instead were ordered to evacuate as part of a hastily contrived and ultimately perilous escape plan.

The nurses were split among three ships: Wah Sui, Empire Star and the ill-fated Vyner Brooke.

On the Empire Star, the courageous and selfless actions of Sisters Anderson and Torney while under fire would deservedly earn them the highest civilian awards for bravery.

On the Vyner Brooke, 21 Australian nurses survived the ship sinking only to be shot down in cold blood on Banka Island. Against the odds, there was a solitary survivor of that massacre, Sister Vivian Bullwinkel.

Through telling the personal stories of Margaret Anderson and Vera Torney, Burgess has paid tribute to the Australian nurses who lost their lives during the tumultuous evacuation of Singapore; those who suffered terribly as prisoners of the Japanese; and those who survived to offer their services to the wounded, time and time again.

Under extreme circumstances, the Australian nurses demonstrated their bravery and courage not to mention their determination to provide help and support to the wounded.

It is a contribution easily overlooked in the maelstrom that is war.

This thoroughly researched book offers readers an insight into the price the nurses paid and the ultimate tragedy that is war.