Janet Froome Collection

Army nurses outside tent in New Guinea
Army nurse Janet Froome and fellow servicewoman Ada Bridge stand outside their "home," a tent in New Guinea, in February 1943. Bridge holds two stuffed koala bear toys.
Army personnel on the road to Ruoua Falls, New Guinea, 1943
Janet Froome (left), Derry, and Ada Bridge (right) pose on the road to Ruoua Falls, New Guinea, in 1943. The three appear to have just finished a meal.
Janet Froome
Portrait of Janet Froome in Army Nurse Corps uniform, circa 1943.
Janet Froome in front of her tent
Janet Froome poses in front of her tent in New Guinea in 1943. On the back of the photo she has written,"'Angel of Mercy' New Guinea style."
Janet Froome on base in Australia
Janet Froome poses on base in Australia in October 1942, wearing the ANC blue service uniform and garrison cap. The long building in the background is the officers' and nurses' mess hall.
Janet Froome prepares to travel
Janet Froome stands with other service people preparing to travel, wearing her ANC uniform, circa 1943. Her overnight bag and helmet are on her right, while her gas mask is on her left.
Nurses quarters in New Guinea
Nurses quarters in New Guinea in January 1944.
Oral history interview with Janet Froome
Primarily documents Janet Hester Froome's experiences with the Army Nurse Corps in Australia and New Guinea from 1941 to 1945. Froome chiefly discusses her service during World War II. She details her decision to join the Army Nurse Corps; the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Hawaii; waiting for embarkation; unequal pay for women; hearing news of air raids on Tokyo, Japan; living quarters and hospital set-up in Brisbane; types of injuries treated in Brisbane; hospital assistants; Australian people, accents, and animals; sleeping outside in Rockhampton; her social life overseas, including music and dances; her lack of awareness about battles and other events; censorship of mail; and overseas uniforms Froome also describes the emotional toll of working with battlefield casualties; the difficulty of getting supplies, especially women's clothing; air raids; church services overseas; anxiety and fear in New Guinea; tropical diseases, including malaria and dengue fever; taking care of patients during air raids; her opinions of President Franklin Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt; visiting Sydney, Australia, on leave; food overseas; military inefficiency; advantages of her Army Nurse Corps service, including increased independence and experience; and her opinion of women in combat. " Froome also briefly describes her nursing education and career both before and after World War II.