Community
24 April, 2025
War medals on show in foyer
THE Anzac display in the foyer of South West Healthcare was given an extra special touch earlier this week with the donation of some replica war medals belonging to a former nurse.
Christobel Comerford, the niece of former nurse Mona Wilton (who was killed in action in Singapore in 1942), made a special trip to Warrnambool earlier this week to present the military medals to South West Healthcare’s community partnerships manager, Suzan Morey.
“This really is a very special momento and we are honoured to be able to add it to our Wall of Poppies, which was installed in Mona’s name,” Ms Morey said.
The true set of medals, which have also been framed, will now be on permanent display in the Warrnambool RSL.
“Sister Mona trained at the Warrnambool Base Hospital before enlisting in the Australian Army Nursing Service in 1941 – she was killed in action just a year later.”
On hand to present the medals last Tuesday afternoon was Mona’s niece, Christobel Comerford, who had travelled from Castlemaine just for the occasion, along with nephew Richard Wilton (from Allansford) and other family members.
“I can remember standing at the wharf as a three year-old waving goodbye to my Aunt Mona in March 1941. Everyone was crying but I had no idea why; I thought it was exciting to see the big ship,” Christobel recalled.
“She gave my mum, who was pregnant at the time with my sister, a gold watch and said give this to the baby – my sister still wears that very watch today.
“My mum accepted these service medals in Aunt Mona’s honour and they have been sitting in my home ever since my mum died back in 2003.
“They deserve to be on display and I’m thrilled that they will now take pride of place in the Warrnambool RSL rooms and that these lovely replicas will join the Wall of Poppies in the hospital foyer.
“This is a wonderful tribute to Mona and to all the other nurses who served their country.”
Each Anzac Day, South West Healthcare’s Wall of Poppies stands pride of place in the hospital foyer to honour Mona Wilton (RN, RM Inf Welfare, AANS 8th Division) and all other past and current armed services personnel.
It is made from 1,000 poppies knitted and crocheted by people from all around the world.
These poppies are some of the 260,000 poppies Australian sisters-in-law Lynn Berry and Margaret Knight inspired the world to make when, in 2012, they decided to honour their dad’s Second World War service by knitting 120 poppies to ‘plant’ at Melbourne’s Shrine of Remembrance.”
The idea went viral and the ‘5,000 Poppies Project’ was initiated to inspire knitters (South West Healthcare’s Janet Punch included) to make 5,000 poppies for Remembrance Day installation at Melbourne’s Federation Square.
More than 62,000 poppies went to the battlefields of France where, in September 2018, they were ‘planted’ across 4,000 square metres to honour the 62,000 Australians who died during World War 1 and to commemorate the Armistice centenary.
Flown back to Australia in 2019, the poppies were offered to community groups.
“In 2017 myself and Janet Punch established march4mona to honor Sister Mona Wilton and we were fortunate two years later to secure 20 kilos of those poppies,” Suzan Morey recalled.
“Our colleague David Hill designed and built a frame and we created this Wall of Poppies which has been displayed in the foyer each Anzac Day ever since.”
Mona Wilton trained at the Warrnambool Base Hospital from 1934-1937.
She lost her life by enemy action on February 14, 1942 as nursing staff accompanied the wounded being evacuated from Singapore on the Vyner Brook.
Just two days later, on February 16 1942, Imperial Japanese soldiers machine-gunned 22 Australian nurses and 60 Australian and British soldiers and crew members who had survived the sinking of the Vyner Brooke.
A memorial window is dedicated to Mona in the Villiers building opposite the Warrnambool emergency department.
It was unveiled on March 28, 1953 by Wilma Young (nee Wilma Oram), representing the Warrnambool and District Base Hospital Past Trainees Association.
Wilma was on duty with Mona during the evacuation and subsequently taken prisoner of war for the remainder of the war.
In 2019, a plaque and a brick from Mona’s Naringal rose garden was unveiled in her memory on Bangka Island, east of Sumatra (organised by local RSL members and the Panmure Action Group).
The Wall of Poppies, which now includes a display of Mona Wilton’s replica war medals, gives visitors to South West Healthcare the opportunity to reflect, remember and honour not only Mona’s service (and sacrifice) for her country, but all those who have served and continue to serve.
