Ellen Savage (1912-1985)
Ellen Savage was born in Quirindi, New South Wales, in 1912. She trained as a nurse at the Newcastle Hospital in New South Wales from 1929 to 1934 and then did midwifery training at the Crown Street Women’s Hospital in Sydney. A month after her 29th birthday, she joined the Australian Army on 18 November 1941 in Gordon, New South Wales.
As a member of the Australian Army Nursing Service (AANS) she served on the hospital ship the Centaur during the Second World War. On 14 May 1943, the ship was torpedoed at dawn by a Japanese submarine off the Queensland Coast. The Centaur was sailing from Sydney to Port Moresby.
In total, 268 men and women lost their lives on the Centaur. Sister Savage was badly hurt in the attack, sustaining broken ribs, a broken nose and palate, perforated ear drums and bruising. She was propelled to the surface in the middle of an oil slick and was pulled out of the water. She was the only nurse to survive out of 11.
Despite her injuries, Sister Savage sprung into action on a makeshift raft that included part of the Centaur’s wheel house. She gave whatever medical care she could and boosted morale among the other 63 survivors until they were rescued by the destroyer USS Mugford some 36 hours later. For her bravery and courage she was awarded the George Medal and became the second Australian woman to receive this honour.
Sister Savage was honourably discharged from the AANS on 8 March 1946, having risen to the rank of lieutenant as well as sister. After the war she studied nursing administration at the Royal College of Nursing in London and in 1951 was appointed matron of the Rankin Park Hospital, New South Wales, where she stayed until she retired in 1967. She was elected President of the (later Royal) College of Nursing of Australia in 1957.
Ellen Savage died at the age of 73, on Anzac day in 1985 after a reunion with her colleagues from the Australian Army Services.
Shown here are the stamp issued by Australia as their second series of World War Two heroes and heroines, designed by Sue Passmore (an image of Sister Savage and her George medal) and a postcard and stamp showing the Centaur, issued on 7 April 1993.
References
Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Sister Ellen Savage GM AANS, in The sinking of the Centaur, 2003.
Department of Veterans’ Affairs, Savage, Ellen, in World War Two Nominal Roll, 2002.