Gwendolene COLTHORPE [1910-1977]

Gwendolene Colthorpe was born 9th Feb 1910. She served as an Army Nurse (QAIMNS). She entered Stanley Camp in Aug 1942 after BRMH had closed. Her Camp No. was 2144. She was billeted in Block 10 Room 4. Block 10 is the Class Room Block (which still remains).  There is a reference in Captive Surgeon:

"It is, however, one of my treasured memories to recall the reaction of Miss G. Colthorpe, one of the Reserve Q.A. sisters, to the surrender of the Colony. She would have hanged the Governor and the General Officer Commanding on the spot". (Bowie in Captive Surgeon).

There is an annotation in the Stanley Log held at Imperial War Museum saying "Left for CBS Hospital 26 Aug 1945".  There is a photo of her in Daily Mirror dated March 11th 1942 under the heading "Hundreds of our girls are in Japanese hands - this was following Anthony Eden's description of atrocities committed in HK to Parliament.

Philip Cracknell

Gwendolene Colthorpe
b 1910 Paddington, London (Ref Q1 1910 Paddington Vol;1a p33)
d 1997 Exeter, Devon  (Ref Nov 1997 Exeter Regr A57F Dist 4081A 87y gives dob 9 Feb 1910 )
daughter of Abraham George Colthorpe master printer and Alice Louisa Manning
1911 census: 160 Kilburn Lane Paddington with parents and aunt Emma Agnes Colthorpe
Notes:
1. Abraham served with the RAF during WWI (AIR 79 Royal Air Force Airmen Records)
2. She appears to have a younger brother George Eric Colthorpe 1913-1993

There's four entries for her in the UK & Ireland, Nursing Registers, 1898-1968 (Ancestry)
1937: 4 The Avenue, Preston Road, Wembley; Regd: Mar 16 1934 London; Qualification: Westminster Hospital,
London 1931-1934 By Examination.
1940, 1943, 1946 entries give the same information

From the Electoral rolls post WWII:
1946-47 Wembley (address above, with parents)
1949-53 Royal Free Hospital, Holborn
1957-65 St Stephen's Hospital, Chelsea

Cheers, Jay