| Original caption: “A Contingent of fifteen nurses, the first Negro Nurses to arrive in the Southwest Pacific Area, received their first batch of home mail at their station at 268th Station Hospital. Handing a letter to Lieutenant Prudence L. Burns, Mounds, Illinois, is Lieutenant Inez Holmes, Norfolk, Virginia. Looking on is Chief Nurse First Lieutenant Birdie E. Brown, New York City, New York.” The Army Nurse Corps accepted only a small number of black nurses during World War II. When the war ended in September 1945, just 479 black nurses were serving in a corps of 50,000, because a quota system imposed by the segregated Army during the 1st 2 years of the war held down the number of black enrollments. In 1943, for example, the Army limited the number of black nurses in the Nurse Corps to a 160. Army authorities argued that assignments available to black nurses were limited because they were only allowed to care for black troops in black wards or hospitals. But unfavorable public reaction and political pressure forced the Army to drop its quota system in 1944. Subsequently, about 2,000 black students enrolled in the Cadet Nurse Corps program, and nursing schools for blacks benefited from increased federal funding. The 1st black medical unit to deploy overseas was the 25th Station Hospital Unit, which contained 30 nurses. The unit went to Liberia in 1943 to care for United States troops protecting strategic airfields and rubber plantations. Malaria was the most serious health problem the troops encountered. Although malaria patients required intensive care, much of this work was routine and could be performed by trained corpsmen. The nurses felt superfluous, and unit morale declined. The nurses in Liberia were recalled late in 1943 because of poor health and low morale. Some were sent to general and station hospitals in the United States; others went to the 383d and 335th Station Hospitals near Tagap, Burma, where they treated black troops working on the Ledo Road. Another group of 15 nurses deployed to the Southwest Pacific Area in the summer of 1943 with the all-black 268th Station Hospital under the overall command of United States Army Major Arthur H. Simmons (June 1, 1899 – May 5, 1983), formerly of Howard University. In June 1944, a unit of 63 nurses went to the 168th Station Hospital in England to care for German prisoners of war. By the end of the war, black nurses had served in Africa, England, Burma, and the Southwest Pacific. The African American Press extensively documented the Southwest Pacific Area unit’s progress. The detachment received basic United States Army nursing training at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, before shipping out to London, United Kingdom; Wacol, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; and then New Guinea. Most of the nurses were seasick on the sea voyages. Joseph M. “Scoop” Jones (December 8, 1916 – November 19, 1998) reported on the arrival of the nurses of the 268th Station Hospital in the Middle East, as they transited to Brisbane: “Bedlam broke loose among our troops…and the nurses received an ovation that befitted a procession of queens…soldiers rejoiced at the sight of them. Everywhere they went, they were cordially received by our men and allies…They seem anxious to get to New Guinea, where they believe they can give our troops morale support as well as medical aid.” The 15 African American women were quartered with 500 white nurses at the edge of the city, and African American newspapers reported that they were welcomed. When the nurses of the 268th Station Hospital arrived in Brisbane and toured the city, traffic came to a halt. The entire town turned out. With the arrival of the African American men of the unit, Australians openly worried that they would wish to settle there after the war. The 268th Station Hospital in New Guinea covered 5 acres (2 hectares), including 17 buildings: 10 wards, 2 mess halls, a dispensary, a headquarters, and sleeping quarters for all personnel. Movies were shown 5 times a week. The staff had to pitch in to complete building the facility. In May 1945, United States newspapers erroneously reported that 1st Lieutenant Birdie E. Brown, Lieutenant Louise Miller, Lieutenant Bessie P. Evans, Lieutenant Beulah L. Baldwin, and “Lydia Pinkett” were captured. The nurses laughed when reporters reached them for comment. “Lydia Pinkett” was never on staff, and Miller and Evans were back in the United States by then. The 268th Station Hospital moved to Manila, Philippines, in July 1945, after operating in New Guinea for 13 months. The voyage took 10 days with a layover in the Netherlands East Indies. The 15 1st nurses assigned to the 268th Station Hospital were: 2nd Lieutenant Beulah L. Baldwin (December 13, 1913 – November 26, 1998), of Cleveland, Ohio, was a surgical nurse at the 268th Station Hospital. Formerly head nurse of Harlem Hospital. Erroneously reported as captured in May 1945. 1st Lieutenant Birdie E. Brown (October 4, 1904 – April 1980), of New York City, New York, Commanding Officer of the detachment. Before the war, Brown graduated from Harlem Hospital’s nursing program in 1932 and served as personnel supervisor. Brown was a general nurse at the 268th Station Hospital. Erroneously reported as captured in May 1945. In 1976, she wrote an autobiography, Face It With a Smile, that included her time in the service. 2nd Lieutenant Dorothy O. Branker (September 2, 1914 – August 2, 1977), Nashville, was a general nurse at the 268th Station Hospital. Promoted to 1st Lieutenant in July 1945. In Brisbane, a white soldier was so startled to encounter a superior African American woman that he didn’t know what protocol to follow, so he both took his cap off and also saluted. Branker was reportedly amused. 2nd Lieutenant Prudence L. Burrell, neé Burns (March 23, 1916 – February 2012), of Mounds, Illinois, graduated from the municipal training school of General Hospital Number 2, Kansas City, as a public health nurse. Was the head nurse of the surgical ward and assistant to the chief nurse by July 1945 at the 268th Station Hospital. Promoted to 1st Lieutenant in July 1945. She married United States Army Lieutenant Lowell H. Burrell (September 17, 1921 – February 1, 1993) in Manila in December 1945. Another nurse made her dress from a silk parachute. Lieutenant Alberta L. Smith was the Matron of Honor. 2nd Lieutenant Geneva H. Culpepper (December 18, 1900 – August 15, 1994), of Wadley, Alabama, was promoted to 1st Lieutenant in April 1945. A former surgical nurse of Harlem Hospital, Culpepper graduated from the Tuskegee Institute and was a nurse at the John A. Andrew Memorial Hospital there. Culpepper was a surgical nurse at the 268th Station Hospital. She later served in Korea and was promoted to the rank of Major. 2nd Lieutenant Bessie P. Evans (October 13, 1904 – October 22, 1989), of Saint Louis, Missouri, was a dietician at the 268th Station Hospital. Graduated from the old City Hospital in 1926. Erroneously reported as captured in May 1945. Evacuated to the United States in July 1945. 2nd Lieutenant Thelma L. Fisher (August 9, 1907 – April 23, 1999), of Roxbury, Massachusetts, enlisted on October 8, 1941. She graduated from the Lincoln School of Nursing. She was a general nurse at the 268th Station Hospital. She was later promoted to Captain. She was honorably discharged on May 5, 1946. After the war, she moved to New York City and then Burbank, California, where she died. 2nd Lieutenant Joan L. Hamilton (February 17, 1917 – April 6, 1978), of Kansas City, Missouri, was promoted to 1st Lieutenant in April 1945. At the 268th Station Hospital, Hamilton was a dietician and the initial chief recreation officer; she supervised the men’s basketball team. Evacuated to the United States in July 1945. 2nd Lieutenant Inez E. Holmes (March 1, 1915 – June 22, 1995), Norfolk, Virginia; operating room nurse. Trained at Philip Hospital in Richmond, Virginia, and New York University. Enlisted in May 1941, the 1st to join the United States Army. Toured the Brisbane camp with Lieutenant Gleason by bicycle due to its size. Promoted to 1st Lieutenant in July 1945. Her career in the Armed Forces lasted 20 years. After separating from the service as a Lieutenant Colonel, she worked for the Staten Island Medical Center and the Camden Public Schools. 2nd Lieutenant Elnora P. Jones (February 22, 1907 – November 6, 1945), Rahway, New Jersey, was a dietician at the 268th Station Hospital. Evacuated to the United States. Died of illness at Bushnell Memorial Hospital, Brigham City, Utah. 2nd Lieutenant Claudia E. Matthews (January 18, 1912 – October 17, 1957), Dallas, Texas; general surgical nurse. Matthews was a nurse at Hubbard Hospital before the war. Enlisted July 27, 1942. Fell ill and was sent home in April 1945. 2nd Lieutenant Majorie Meyers was photographed attending to her at the 268th Station Hospital. Matthews was promoted to 1st Lieutenant in the United States and discharged on May 26, 1946. 2nd Lieutenant Marjorie S. Mayers (May 29, 1915 – April 28, 1990), New York City, New York; native of Trinidad and Tobago. Mayers graduated from New York University and the Lincoln School for Nurses in the Bronx. She was the head nurse of the medical ward and the replacement chief recreation officer at the 268th Station Hospital. Meyers was photographed attending to Lieutenant Claudia E. Matthews in the New Guinea hospital. She was promoted to 1st Lieutenant in April 1945. 2nd Lieutenant Louise Miller (1913 – ????), Atlanta, Georgia, trained at the University Hospital of Augusta, Georgia, and was a public health nurse at New York University and the Medical College of Virginia (today the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine) in Richmond while she completed her graduate work. She enlisted in 1942 and served for 3 years. Miller was the head nurse of the 268th’s operating room and the Executive Officer of the nursing detachment of the 268th Station Hospital. She was promoted to 1st Lieutenant in April 1944, but her father fell ill, and she was sent home in June 1945 and erroneously reported as captured in May 1945. On her return trip, she was saddened that, despite her United States Army uniform, she was told to eat in the back of restaurants’ kitchens and refused, and passengers refused to sit next to her on commercial airplanes. She was concerned she would be lynched, even though she was a woman, just for wearing the United States Army uniform. She worried about the return of African Americans after fighting racism abroad and complained to the African American press. She was posted at Camp San Luis Obispo, California, until the end of the war. 2nd Lieutenant Alberta I. Smith, neé Lewis (1909 – ????), Kansas City, Missouri; graduated from the General Hospital School of Nursing in 1934. Reported for duty at Fort Huachuca, Arizona, on October 6, 1942. In New Guinea, Smith served as the principal chief nurse at the 268th Station Hospital by July 1945. 2nd Lieutenant Elena A. Gleason, neé Townsend (February 8, 1917 – August 16, 1971), of Glen Cove, New York, was formerly of Harlem Hospital. Initially, she was the only married woman in the detachment. Gleason was an operating room nurse at the 268th Station Hospital. Toured the Brisbane camp with Lieutenant Holmes by bicycle due to its size. After the war, she was the head nurse at Cook County Hospital until 1949, when her family moved back to New York. | |
| Image Filename | wwii1619.jpg |
| Image Size | 722.10 KB |
| Image Dimensions | 2395 x 2904 |
| Photographer | |
| Photographer Title | United States Army Signal Corps |
| Caption Author | Written or Adapted by Jason McDonald |
| Date Photographed | November 29, 1943 |
| Location | Wacol |
| City | Brisbane |
| State or Province | Queensland |
| Country | Australia |
| Archive | National Archives and Records Administration |
| Record Number | NWDNS-111-SC-370740 |
| Status | Caption ©2026 MFA Productions LLC Please Do Not Duplicate or Distribute Without Permission; Image in the Public Domain |
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