Category Archives: New Guinea

Sister Minnie Goldstein

15 Tuesday May 2018

Posted by in Goldstein, medicine, New Guinea, Trove Tuesday, World War 2

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Looking at some paintings by Nora Heysen recently, I was delighted to discover that one was of a relative of mine, my second cousin twice removed, Minnie Sutherland Goldstein (1908-1984). She was my grandfather’s second cousin, one of the children of Selwyn Goldstein (1873-1917) and Minnie Waters Goldstein née Sutherland (1883-1952).

Minnie’s father Selwyn was a mining engineer, manager of the Mount Cattlin Copper Mining Company near Ravensthorpe, a couple of hundred kilometres west of Esperance in Western Australia. Minnie was born there on 13 August 1908.

On 13 October, with Minnie only two months old, the family moved to England, sailing on the Runic from Albany to Plymouth.

In 1909 the Goldsteins moved to Mexico where for two years Selwyn managed a large mine. They were forced to return to England, however, by the upheavals and danger of the Mexican Revolution.

On 9 November 1915 Selwyn Goldstein enlisted in the 173rd Company of the Royal Engineers. On 8 June 1917, during the Battle of Messines, where he had a part in blowing up the ridge the day before, he died of a gunshot wound, self-inflicted.

In 1922, Minnie’s mother and her four children – Minnie was then 13 – returned to Australia, where they settled in Perth.

Goldstein Minnie Western Mail 1927 03 17 pg 4

THE DAUGHTER OF MRS. M W. GOLDSTEIN, OF WEST PERTH, MISS MINNIE GOLDSTEIN. from 17 March 1927. Western Mail (Perth, WA : 1885 – 1954), p. 4  Retrieved from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article38002701

Digitised newspapers and other records held by the National Library give us glimpses of Minnie’s life. In November 1922 Minnie wrote to the Children’s Page of the Perth Daily News. In 1923 Minnie played lawn tennis for her school, but she lost the game. She was at school at St Mary’s Church of England Grammar in year V and won a prize for divinity; her sister Isobel was in the same year and won prizes for divinity and languages. In 1926 she was at many events including a party, a dance at the rowing club, the Children’s Hospital Ball.

By December 1926 Minnie was training as a nurse at the Perth Hospital. The social whirl seems to have continued, and Miss Minnie Goldstein was often mentioned in the society columns.

In 1930 Minnie became engaged to Jack Round-Turner. The marriage did not go ahead.

Minnie Goldstein enlisted in the Australian Army on 28 August 1942. In 1944 she was painted by the war artist Nora Heysen in Alexishafen, Papua New Guinea while working in the blood bank of 111 Australian Casualty Clearing Station.

Goldstein Minnie by Norah Heysen 1944

Sister Minnie Sutherland Goldstein, WX32605, of the Australian Army Nursing Service working in the blood bank of 111 Australian Casualty Clearing Station, Alexishafen, New Guinea. She is working on medical equipment relating to blood bank services such as blood transfusions. She was painted by Nora Heysen, official war artist in 1944. The painting is in the collection of the Australian War Memorial ART23921

Alexishafen map

Map showing Alexishafen, 23 kilometres north of Madang on the north coast of Papua New Guinea

AWM 3871745

South Alexishafen, New Guinea. 1944-08-08. Officers and members of the nursing service on the staff of the 111th Australian Casualty Clearing Station. Identified personnel include WFX32604 Sister M.S. Goldstein (8). From Australian War Memorial photograph 075085.

AWM 3987777

South Alexishafen, New Guinea. 1944-08-08. Walking patients find humour in another patients getting a blood transfusion at the 111th Casualty Clearing Station. Identified personnel include:- WFX32605 Sister M. Goldstein (1) Australian War Memorial photograph 075083

AWM 3871746

South Alexishafen, New Guinea. 1944-08-08. Sisters of the 111th Casualty Clearing Station enjoying a walk along the shores of the bay in the cool of the evening. Identified personnel include:- WFX32605 Sister M.S. GOLDSTEIN (7) Australian War memorial photograph 075087

AWM 3923873

South Alexishafen, New Guinea. 1944-08-08. Sisters of the 111th Casualty Clearing Station outside their quarters. Identified personnel include:- WFX32605 Sister M.S. GOLDSTEIN (7) Australian War Memorial photograph 075086

 

Sister Goldstein was discharged from the Australian Army on 17 February 1947 with the rank of Lieutenant. Her posting at discharge was 2/1 Australian General Hospital.

Minnie returned to work as a sister at the Princess Margaret Hospital for Children in Perth.

In 1956 Minnie married Maxwell Percival Rose (1915-1973). Minnie died in Perth on 5 April 1984.

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N is for New Guinea

25 Friday Aug 2017

Posted by in New Guinea, World War 2, Young

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Remembering Peter on the anniversary of the Battle of Milne Bay

Anne's Family History

In World War 2 both my father-in-law and my grandfather served in New Guinea .

On 17 April 1942 Ernest (Peter) Young (1920 – 1988) was living in East St Kilda when he enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force (AIF). He gave his age incorrectly  as 23 years and his date of birth, correctly, as July 8th 1920, but there is no correction or annotation on the Attestation form about the discrepancy. He gave his name as Peter, by which name he was always known. In January 1945 he signed a statutory declaration to correct his name to his baptismal name of Ernest.

Peter was first in camp at Caulfield then a few days later he was transferred to Watsonia.  He was assigned to the 37th Battalion.In October 1942 he was assigned to the 2/4 Dock Operating Company and then in April 1943 he transferred to the…

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N is for New Guinea

14 Tuesday Apr 2015

Posted by in A to Z 2015, New Guinea, World War 2, Young

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In World War 2 both my father-in-law and my grandfather served in New Guinea .

On 17 April 1942 Ernest (Peter) Young (1920 – 1988) was living in East St Kilda when he enlisted in the Second Australian Imperial Force (AIF). He gave his age incorrectly  as 23 years and his date of birth, correctly, as July 8th 1920, but there is no correction or annotation on the Attestation form about the discrepancy. He gave his name as Peter, by which name he was always known. In January 1945 he signed a statutory declaration to correct his name to his baptismal name of Ernest.

Peter was first in camp at Caulfield then a few days later he was transferred to Watsonia.  He was assigned to the 37th Battalion.In October 1942 he was assigned to the 2/4 Dock Operating Company and then in April 1943 he transferred to the 6th Dock Operating Company and embarked on SS Taroona. The Taroona was a requisitioned Bass Strait ferry which transported Australian troops to New Guinea during World War 2.

 
Photograph in the collection of Peter Young.  Peter is second from the top right with his hat on back to front.  This picture is the collection of the Australian War Memorial ID 014807 and is captioned “1943-05-07. New Guinea. Milne Bay. An Allied vessel was hit during the 1943-04-14, Japanese raid on Milne Bay. Barges with stores from the damaged ship being brought to land. (Negative by N. Brown).”

Peter served as a stevedore with the 6th Dock Operating Company in Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea.  After the Battle for Milne Bay during 1942, the allies established a base there in support of the counter-offensive along the northern coast of Papua and New Guinea.

Second World War propaganda poster issued by L H Q Cartographic Company, Australian Survey Corps featuring a topographical colour map of New Guinea and nearby islands. It shows the allied advances up to December 1943 from Milne Bay in the lower right corner to Madan in the top left corner. Red arrows indicate Australian advances on the ground while brown arrows indicate US advances. Positioned centre right to top right corner and to top left corner are a series of white arrows inscribed with details of significant stages in the allied advance. Australian War Memorial ARTV10223

My husband Greg recalls:

My father Peter seldom talked about the war. When he did he made a joke
of it: ‘The barrel of my rifle got so hot with shooting they had to run a hose on it’, and so on. I can remember him being serious only once. ‘We were unloading barges’, he said, ‘when the Japs came over and bombed the freighters out in the harbour. Some of our boys were killed.’ He didn’t say where, but this could easily have been at Milne Bay, an important transport forwarding base on the eastern tip of New Guinea. Dad was there for a while.

Dive bombers attacking, fire from an Oerlikon Object type  Painting; Maker  Adams, Dennis (Artist); Date made 1943. One of the three Oerlikon 20mm guns of HMAS Wagga in action against Japanese bombers at Milne Bay during daylight raids.
In a letter to Lieutenant Colonel John Treloar – Officer in Charge of the Military History Section and administrator of the official war art scheme – dated 2nd August 1943, Dennis Adams wrote about this painting: ‘It is painted in a staccato manner in an attempt to convey the feeling of vibration and heat and that sharp almost deafening repetition of fire. Australian War Memorial ART22824

Peter served until December 1945 and was discharged on 25 February 1946. In 1944 he married Marjorie Sullivan.  During the war he contracted malaria.

Sources: National Archives of Australia NAA: B883, VX147921 YOUNG PETER ERNEST : Service Number – VX147921 : Date of birth – 08 Jul 1920 : Place of birth – CARLTON VIC : Place of enlistment – FIELD : Next of Kin – YOUNG ELIZABETH (copy of file in the genealogical resources collection of Greg and Anne Young)

Note: Milne Bay is a large bay in Milne Bay Province, south-eastern Papua New Guinea, which is the independent state that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and its offshore islands in Melanesia.