STORY OF HEROISM

Otago Daily Times, Issue 24935, 6 June 1942, Page 7

STORY OF HEROISM

NEW ZEALAND SISTERS AT SINGAPORE Letters received by friends in Wellington from Dr and Mrs George Craig give the sad news of the death of their daughter Dr Florence Craig and the interment by the Japanese of their two other daughters, Dr (Tessie) Thompson, and Miss Nessie Craig. Dr George Craig was formerly Comptroller of Customs in New Zealand, and he and his wife lived in New Zealand for many years. It was in order to be nearer their daughters, all of whom were in Malaya, that Dr and Mrs Craig went to Sydney, where they are residing at 43 Hopetown avenue, Vaucluse. Dr Florence Craig and Dr Tessie Thompson both took their medical course at Otago University, and graduated M. 8., .Ch.B., in 1932. Dr Florence. Craig was lady medical officer at Taiping, and it was whilst she was there that she received an urgent summons to leave with a hospital convoy for Singapore, where she was joined by her two sisters, Tessie having arrived from Klanga. They were put in charge of medical first aid hospitals and worked day and night under constant bombing. Nessie was doing voluntary nursing in the soldiers' hospital. Two days before Singapore fell they were put in charge of several hundreds of women and children who were evacuated from the island. Their ship was bombed and sunk, aed the survivors had to swim to nearby islands as best they could. The three sisters were separated, landing on different islands, and Dr Florence Craig died four days later from bomb shock and was buried on the island. The other sisters were put on a Dutch boat bound for Sumatra, and it has since been learned that they were made prisoners of war by the Japanese. A little information has filtered through to Dr andiMrs Craig. A wounded colonel of the Indian Army told a friend that Dr Florence Craig never rested from morning till night. He said he had never seen anything like it. was at the service of anyone in pain—Chinese, Indian, British, or Malay. Her uniform was covered in blood.

From another source it is learnt that Dr Thompson received a shrapnel wound in the hip when their ship was bombed, but she insisted on helping with the wounded on the island. They endeavoured to get a doctor from another island, but it was not possible, and she had to carry on single-handed. New Zealanders may well feel proud of these three sisters, and Dr and Mrs George Craig's many friends will sympathise with them in the loss of- one daughter and their terrible anxiety regarding the other two. '