Florence and Teresa Craig

This biography is based on secondary material, which is listed in the bibliography. Prof Dawn Elder sourced the 1931 university photo, and Prof Cindy Farquhar visited the Kranji War Cemetery and obtained a photo of Florence’s grave. The biography was collated by Rennae Taylor.

Class of 1932

Early Background

Florence Aileen and her twin Agnes Beatrice were born in 1905 to George and Teresa Imelda Aloysia (nee Moran) Craig. They had an older sister born in 1904 who died shortly after birth, and a younger sister, Teresa Imelda Mary, was born in 1908. (1)

George and Teresa were married in 1901 at St Joseph’s Church, Buckle Street, Wellington (1) and were planning a honeymoon tour in Australia. (5) George, the son of a farmer, was born in Dunedin, attended Otago Boys High School and Victoria College, (2) joined the public services as a cadet in 1891 and worked his way up, becoming Comptroller of Customs prior to his retirement in 1935. This position took him abroad on missions with the New Zealand government. At the time of his death in 1947, he had gained his LL.D. and been awarded a C.M.G in 1928 (Companion of St Michael and St George) and the I.S.O. (International Organization for Standardization) in 1935. (3, 4) Teresa’s late father, James Moran, had been a surveyor and her mother Mary Ann was illiterate but birthed thirteen children. Only Teresa and her brother Patrick had children (there were some early deaths and two nuns among the thirteen children).

The Craig girls attended St Mary’s Convent School, and the yearly prizegivings indicate all three sisters were the recipients of various prizes, including reading and recitation, English, composition, and geography. (6) They attended Wellington Girls College, and at the end of 1920, Florence and her twin sister Agnes were successful in the national exams, which entitled them to a senior free place at a secondary school. (7) At the end of 1921, they qualified for matriculation in the University Scholarship Examinations (8) and, at the end of 1922, received University National Scholarships. (9) In December 1923, Teresa (called Tessie) received the progress prize for form V. (10)

University and Early Medical Career

The reason two of the Craig sisters went into medicine is unknown. Education was almost certainly important, as their father had attended Victoria University (2) and became a solicitor with a Doctor of Law. (3) Florence’s twin, Agnes, followed in his footsteps and graduated from Victoria University, Wellington, with her B.A. and LLB. (11)

In 1923, Florence was successful in passing her medical intermediate examinations in biology, organic and inorganic chemistry, and physics, probably at Victoria University in Wellington. (12)

Papers Past reports on the dresses Florence and Agnes wore at a Government House Ball in August 1925, (13) and in September 1926, Florence was successful in passing the Trinity College of Music, London diploma exams in the Art of Teaching and Rudiments. (14) It is unclear when Florence and Teresa commenced their studies at Otago Medical School. However, at the end of 1928, Florence had been successful in passing her first professional examination, and Teresa had passed her physiology. (15) In June 1932, they were both successful in completing their examinations and receiving their M.B Ch. B. degree. (16)

In June 1932, there was a report of a strong disagreement within the Otago Hospital Board with accusations that some board members had said, “There are to be no women doctors.” The motion that Florence be appointed as house surgeon for the first six months was unsuccessful, but it was agreed that an application from the honorary medical staff be accepted and that Dr Florence Craig be appointed to one of the house surgeon positions for the second six months. (17) It is not known whether she ever accepted this appointment. Florence spent at least some of her house surgeon training at Christchurch Hospital, and Teresa was based at Palmerston North Hospital. (18, 19)

Both sisters then spent some time in 1934 at Greymouth Hospital (20, 21) before going to the United Kingdom. The NZ Medical Gazettes register their postal addresses with the High Commissioner for N.Z. London from 1935 to 1937; thereafter, Florence remained registered with this UK address until 1941 and obtained her Diploma in both Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Teresa obtained her Diploma in Public Health. (22)

It is somewhat unclear about Teresa’s movements from 1937 until 1942. In the 1938 and 1939 NZ Medical Gazette registers, she is listed as a School Medical Officer in Wellington, but by 1940, she was registered at North Hummock Estate, Klang Selangor, Federated Malay States (FMS), Malaya (now a suburb of Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia).

Malaya and World War II

During the late-nineteenth to mid-twentieth century, the Malay Peninsula was a British colony and, by the turn of the century, was a source of cheap raw materials, particularly rubber and tin, for export to Western countries for industrial products. Western medicine and health practices were established to service the needs of the growing population. Great effort was put into eradicating infectious diseases, especially malaria, during the colonial period, as it affected the largely Malay, Chinese and Indian labour force and the colonial expatriates. (23) New Zealanders from the start of the twentieth century, but particularly in the 1920s and the depression years of the 1930s, were a key part of the expatriate community in the Malayan Peninsula referred to as the FMS (now Malaysia and Singapore). They brought their skills in mining, surveying, medicine, accounting, and even horse racing. (11)

It is not known what prompted Teresa to go to the FMS, but it was likely her engagement to Francis Scott Thompson, barrister-at-law in London. (24) In conflict with the NZ Medical Gazettes, she is reported as returning from London to Wellington for a brief visit with her parents (25) prior to leaving for the FMS in January 1938. (26) Pether’s history indicates she was a Lady Medical Officer with the Malayan Medical Service, Ipoh (north of KL) and was married the following year to Frances Scott Thompson, who was employed with the North Hummock Rubber Company, Klang. (11)

The NZ war graves website indicates that Florence was a Lady Medical Officer at Taiping (north-west of Ipoh) in 1942. (27) Their sister, Agnes, was also working in the FMS for the Malayan Education Office, (11) and the Otago Daily Times indicates their parents had moved to Sydney to be closer to their daughters who were all in Malaya. (28)

During World War II, the Japanese invaded Northern Malaya on 8 December 1941, and their advance down the peninsula was swift. Thousands of civilians crowded south to Singapore, but by the second week of February, the Japanese were advancing across Singapore Island. Government propaganda had been assuring the people (mainly Europeans, Eurasians, Indians, and a few influential Chinese) that the Fortress Singapore would never fall. Therefore, the evacuation was “belated and chaotic”.  Sea-going vessels, about fifty in number in all shapes and sizes, were finally enlisted by the authorities to leave as a convoy during the forty-eight hour period of 11-13 February 1942 with the plan to evacuate to Sumatra. This chaotic period of history was poorly documented, with no passenger lists. At least one hundred assorted vessels left Singapore to try to make the east coast rivers of Sumatra or to Java (islands which form part of modern-day Indonesia).

Florence and Teresa had evacuated to Singapore from their locations further north and were put in charge of medical first aid hospitals and worked day and night under constant bombing while their sister Agnes did voluntary nursing in the soldier’s hospital. (28) They were put in charge of several hundred women and children who were being evacuated, and all three sisters were on the SS Kuala ship, which was bombed on 14 February 1942. Survivors had to swim to nearby islands. Florence sustained “tummy blast”, which left her paralysed, bleeding, and with her internal organs smashed. She was evacuated by launch to the large island of Senejang, an island of Indonesia, but died on 17 February 1942. After the war, whilst the British and its Allies were disinterring the grave of an RAF serviceman, they also took Florence’s civilian remains (the suggestion was because she was a doctor), and today, her remains lie in the Kranji War Cemetery (plot 27, row B, grave 14) twenty-two kilometres north of the city of Singapore. (11)

According to Perther’s history of this time, Teresa and her sister Agnes survived the bombing of the SS Kuala, made it to Pom Pong Island, part of the Indonesian islands and then boarded the rescue vessel SS Tandjong Pinang with several hundred other women and children, but both sisters died during the shelling and sinking of that vessel on 17 February 1942. (11) In contrast, newspaper reports in New Zealand at that time indicated the two sisters were made prisoners of war by the Japanese. (28) However, the NZ war casualty records indicate Teresa and Agnes died on 17 February 1942. All three women are listed as civilian war dead. (29-31)

A tragic ending for these three talented women. Their father, who was reported to have never recovered from the loss of his three daughters, died of a heart attack in 1947 (11) and their mother in 1951. (32)

Bibliography

1. Births, Deaths and Marriages Online Wellington New Zealand Government, Internal Affairs; [cited 2024 29.06.2024]. Available from: https://www.bdmhistoricalrecords.dia.govt.nz/
2. Obituary Dr George Craig. Otago Daily Times. 1947 12.06.1947. Available from: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT19470612.2.102
3. Dr G. Craig. The Catholic Weekly. 1947 24.07.1947. Available from: https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/146604237?searchTerm=dr%20george%20craig
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5. Personal Items. New Zealand Herald. 1901 14.06.1901. Available from: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/NZH19010614.2.59
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21. Personal. Grey River Argus. 1942 30.06.1942:4. Available from: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/GRA19420630.2.35
22. New Zealand War Graves Auckland: Auckland Museum; 2022 [06.07.2024]. Available from: http://www.nzwargraves.org.nz/casualties/
23. Leng CH. Health Status and the Development of Health Services in a Colonial State: The Case of British Malaya. Int J Health Serv. 1982;12(3):397-417.
24. Engagement. Evening Post. 1938 17.01.1938. Available from: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/EP19380117.2.173
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26. Going Abroad. Dominion. 1938 10.01.1938. Available from: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/DOM19380110.2.33.6
27. Civilian: Florence Aileen Craig Auckland: New Zealand War Graves Project; 2022 [03.07.2024]. Available from: http://www.nzwargraves.org.nz/casualties/florence-aileen-craig
28. Story of Heroism, New Zealand Sisters at Singapore. Otago Daily Times. 1942 06.06.1942. Available from: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/ODT19420606.2.107.7
29. Civilian Teresa Imelda Thompson United Kingdom: Commonwealth War Graves Commission; [06.07.2024]. Available from: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/3168688/teresa-imelda-thompson/
30. Civilian Agnes Beatrice Craig United Kingdom: Commonwealth Wealth Graves Commission; [06.07.2024]. Available from: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/3168641/agnes-beatrice-craig/
31. Civilian Florence Aileen Craig United Kingdom: Commonwealth Wealth Graves Commission; [06.07.2024]. Available from: https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/find-war-dead/casualty-details/3171088/florence-aileen-craig/
32. Mrs G. Craig. Press. 1951 01.08.1951. Available from: https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19510801.2.4.5