2017-02-23 Thu

The SS Vyner Brooke was sunk by the Japanese military aircraft on 14th February 1942 during World War II. A special collectable 20-cent coin remembering the sacrifice of 181 people who were on that ship, was released by the Royal Australian Mint.

Before the War, Vyner Brooke sailed between Singapore and Kuching, under Sarawak Steamship Company. It was then commissioned for Britain’s Royal Navy as an armed trader.Most of the people who drowned were women and children. It was supposed to carry only 12 passengers and 47 crewmembers. But since it was among the last ships to leave Singapore with evacuees, it carried last 65 Australian nurses in Singapore.

Some of them reached Radji Beach somehow but the servicemen were bayoneted and nurses were shot. Nurse Vivian Bullwinkel was the only Australian survivor. The coin features SS Vyner Brooke, Related images like a group photo of the Australian war nurses and Lt. Col. Vivian Statham are depicted on the packaging. The mint joined hands with Australian War Memorial to produce this commemorative coin as part of the official Anzac centenary coin program.

The reverse features latitude and longitude of the ship sinking in Timor sea. China, Sumatra, Australia and New Guinea are also depicted on the map. The scene is enclosed within a compass-like border. Other inscriptions include denomination 20, the date of sinking and THE SINKING OF THE S.S. VYNER BROOKE. The obverse features the common portrait of Queen Elizabeth II.

The mintage limit of the copper-nickel 11.3 gram-coin is 20,000 pieces and can be purchased for $10 Australian.