Victorians at War - Oral History Project

Personal Stories
Beryl Hogarth (Army Nurse - Korea & Vietnam)
Beryl grew up in Melbourne and went to business college before travelling to Queensland and undertaking several different jobs including that of a jillaroo. She decided to join the army and train as a nurse in March 1951. Beryl trained at Puckapunyal and then Portsea in Victoria before being posted to a hospital in Kure, Japan, in May 1952 until March 1954 in support of the Korean War effort. After returning to Australia she was discharged in March 1955 but decided to continue studies as a nurse. She enrolled at the Melbourne School of Nursing in 1956 and then rejoined the army in November 1958. Beryl was sent to serve at 1 Military Hospital in Queensland as a general nurse before being posted to Malaysia for two years in 1965. She returned to Australia in 1967 and worked in Melbourne, Victoria, before being called on again to serve overseas. In 1970 she was posted to Vietnam and went to serve in a hospital at Vung Tau. After returning home from Vietnam she was sent to officer training school in Healesville, Victoria. In 1973 Beryl was posted to Singapore to work at a naval base hospital as matron and came home a year later. Beryl was the founding secretary of the Royal Australian Army Nursing Association and retired from the army in May 1984 with the rank of Colonel.	Listen to interview (approx. 1 hour) Read Transcript