Ellenor (Nell) CALNAN. Nursing Sister QFX19072 AANS attached to 2/10th Australian General Hospital.
Born 04 March 1912 to William Norman and Mary Ellen Calnan, of Temora, New South Wales, Australia.
Died in the Sinking of the evacuation ship, Vyner Brooke on the 14 February 1942 age 29.
Commemorated on the Singapore Memorial, Singapore.
Included in the Nurses’ War Memorial Chapel in Westminster Abbey, London
Some notes from her service record -
Enlisted 17 January 1941 at Brisbane New South Wales age 28 years and nine months and posted to No 10 Australian General Hospital.
02 February 1941 her unit embarked on HMT Queen Mary for Singapore, disembarking Singapore 18 February 1941.
31 February 1941 attached to (A.A.N.S.) Australian Army Nursing Service, Granted leave from 21.05.41 to 23.05.41. and 02.07.1941 to 06.07.1941. The following day 7th, detached to 2/9th Field Ambulance for duty.
22nd August 1941 re-joined her unit (2/10th AGH).
Leave from 10.09.1941 to 17.09.1941. Following day reported sick and was granted sick leave that day to 25.09.41, sick leave extended to 02.10.1941 She was again granted leave from 21.10.1941 to 26.10.41 where she returned to her unit.
05 January 1942 she was detached for duty with 13 Australian General Hospital. Her detachment was cancelled and she remained with her unit.
On the evening of the 12 February 1942 she and 65 Australian nurses plus crew and 181 passengers most of them women and children embarked Singapore for Australia. The ship was sunk by Japanese air bombardment 14 February 1942.
Out of the 65 nurses 12 were killed during the air attack or drowned following the sinking. Ellenor was aged 29. For the survivors their ordeal was going to get worse in the hands of the Japanese.
Link to record -
https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ViewImage.aspx?B=4495165
https://www.awm.gov.au/collection/E84734
