Dorothy Clark

Today we remember Dorothy Clark, whose unit of nurses was caring for repatriated prisoners of war (POWs) at war’s end. The work was rewarding but sometimes Dorothy had to fight back the tears.

Dorothy Clark audio file (MP4 23.90 MB)

Dorothy Clark audio script

75th Anniversary of the End of the Second World War

Audio actuality

“Fellow Citizens, the War is over” — (The Hon J B Chifley, Prime Minister of Australia)

On the 75th Anniversary of the End of the Second World War, Australia remembers Dorothy Clark, whose unit of nurses was caring for repatriated POWs at war’s end.

Rewarding as the work was, sometimes Dorothy Clark had to fight back the tears.

Dorothy Clark

When the war ended, our unit was sent down to Darley outside Melbourne to take the overflow of the prisoners of war. Naturally it didn’t take us long to see the condition that those young fellows were in. What stands out in my mind was the day I was in the day-room where we had all the food brought down from the kitchens that we had to distribute around the wards. And this old-looking young man came in and said: “Nurse, could I please have a piece of bread and jam”? Well I managed to hold the tears back until he’d gone out, because I thought it was dreadful that our young men had been reduced to that. I still get tears when I think of it.

Saturday, August 15 marks the 75th Anniversary of the End of the Second World War. Let’s pay our respects to that amazing generation of Australians.