From Kelly,

Hello.  My great aunt is Sister Eustella Bush. 
A few years ago I was able to get an email to Mary Previte who posted it to your topica list.  From that I found there is some confusion.  Sister Eustella was born Gertrude Bush and worked at St Joseph’s school In Tsingtao both before and after the war.  She left China in 1949 when the Communists came into power.  I have seen her listed as being evacuated in 1943 with most of the other priests and nuns, but my information is that she stayed behind.  Can anyone confirm any of this?

I know the listing says she was onboard but I know that information is NOT correct.  I have the info from her motherhouse and actual newspaper clippings from her return which was in 1949.  She was in the camp until the end.  And at that time she returned to Tsingtao.  Sr Servatia's book confirms what I am saying as they were together on that day when the 7 rescuers jumped into the field.


Kelly

From Leopold,

and yes ! I forgot to add:
... if you have a look at Ron Bidge’s listings (very precious for us) ... and that you make a search on “(Sister) Eustella” you can find out that: “Yes” ... she was on board of the Gripsholm en route for New York!
 
Leopold

From Leopold,

 

Park

Myrtle Welcome

Mrs

British

17.07.13

F

RC Nun

54/2

 

 

 

 

 

Park

David Charles

 

British

04.02.41

M

RC Nun - Sr Lumilla OSF

54/2

 

 

 

 

 

Parker

John

Rev

British

21.08.60

M

RC Nun- Music Teacher

 

04.06.44

 

 

 

Parkin

William George

 

SouthAfrican

03.09.89

M

RC Nun Teacher - Mary Dulcissa

41/3

29.08.44

 

 

 

Parkin

Phyllis  Christine L

Mrs

Canadian

13.02.06

F

RC Nun Teacher Sr Reginald

41/3

 

 

 

 

 

Parkin

Daphne Elphreda

Miss

British

27.03.36

F

RC Nun-French Teacher

41/4

 

 

 

 

 

Parkin

Elizabeth Diane

Miss

British

23.07.39

F

RC Nun-Holy ghost Convent

41/4

 

 

 

 

 

Parkin

Phyllis Roseanne

Miss

British

05.01.42

F

RC Nun-Nurse- Sr Bernadette

41/4

 

 

 

 

 

Parry

Godfrey Herbert

 

British

18.04.94

M

RC Nun-Nurse-Sr Mary Flora

10/12

 

 

 

 

Parry

Zoya

Mrs

British

11.02.04

F

RC Nun-St Josephs School Tientsin

10/12

 

 

 

 

 
 
Father Hanquet wrote:
... that after the “Gripholm” departure and the massive departure of the priests & nuns for Peking ... stayed in camp:
- 2 american Franciscans,
- 6 priests of the SAM (Société Auxiliaire des Missions)
- 1 Belgian Benedictin
- 1 Belgian Jesuite
- ... and 6 American nuns ... Who were they?
 
If you have a look at Ron Bridge’s listings and make a search for the RC nuns, you find them in  the listing printed here above.
Take out the names “F” in the “sex” column .... = 6 names left. Six sisters that stayed with us till the end! (I guess so !!!!)
No “Eustella”
 
What do you think of it?
 
 
all the best,
 
Leopold

From Estelle Cliff,

Hello Kelly
 
I remember Sr Eustella simply because she was the only nun who played games with the kids. I remember her in her black robes and white wimple, her round smiling face, rolling up her sleeves and playing baseball. I can see her swinging that baseball bat with glee, picking up her skirts, and running to first base.
 
That's all. Just a cameo I saw in passing. I also remember how sad everyone was when she left after all the other Catholic priests and nuns.
 
Folks, I wrote this as soon as I saw the question, and then I thought I should just check on the camp list to make sure I had the right name, and there I saw that she had left Weihsien on 16th August 1943, so I must be mistaken! Thank you Annie for confirming that Sr Eustella and a few other nuns and priests left three months later.
 
We the Chefoo party arrived 8th or 9th September, having left Chefoo on 7th September, the birthday of my aunt Marjory Broomall, the headmistress of the Girls School. Did we spend one or two nights on the ship to Qingdao?
 
I remember you, Annie, with your two blond "pigtails", standing in the your little "garden" churning your washing machine for all your little siblings. Happy memories in spite of the circumstances.
 
Estelle (Cliff) Horne

From Anne,

Dear Kelly,
 
Of course I remember Sister Eustella, I have a vivid memory of her. I
believe she was the Sister Superior of the 7 or 8 nuns who remained in
Weihsien after the departure of
the Catholic priests and nuns, who were with us for the first 3 months.
Her voice had something special and after 70 years I can still recall it.
She gave us catechism lessons
and was in charge of the children for the 1st Holy Communion. She was a
great organizer, with lots of energy and she was very active in our
community of internees.
She liked discipline and was quite a severe person- I know that some
children were afraid of her!!
 
It was amazing how speckless these sisters looked in their black habits
with the large white starched collars and white headcrown under their
veils. How they managed to
keep this up, is a mystery. As a child I also noticed that they wore shoes
with a slight heel- and they walked most elegantly. Of the other sisters I
remember Sister Donatilla
(who was a real beauty), sister Bede and sister Blanda.
 
How wonderful that her great niece is showing an interest in her aunt,
whom I knew as a teenager during my stay in Weihsien. I hope you’ll
receive more information
about her.
 
With best wishes,   Anne Knüppe (née de Jongh) from Dordrecht, the
Netherlands.
 
P.S. There is an old foto taken by one of our liberators, showing a truck
filled with internees, ready to leave Weihsien in Oct. 1945. You can
clearly see several sisters with
their veils and white collars sitting in that truck, and one of them must
have been Sister Eustella!

click here: http://weihsien-paintings.org/KimSmith/PhotosSketches/Weihsien_Camp/p_WeihsienCamp.htm and then click on pictute n° w004

From Ron,

> Kelly,
Herewith the detail on Sr Eustella off my data  base

DATA ON A Prisoner of War
SURNAME Bush
Initial Gertrude J
Rank Sr
Nationality American
DoB 1899
Sex F
Profession Teacher-Sr Eustella- St Josephs School
Initial Camp Weihsien
Block/Room 0
Died 0
NoK/Address School Sister of St Francis Tsingtao Vicariate
Born 0
Other Camps Peking
From Tsingtao
Interned 15.03.43
Freed 05.09.45
Remarks 1 Transf'd PKG 16.08.43
Remarks 2 Superior
Remarks 3 0 held Jan 1942
Buried 0
Most of the RC Priests, Nuns and religious were transferred to Peking (
Beijing) locations in two tranches in mid august 1943. The Chefoo School
was transferred from Temple Hill Yantai the end of August and the US and
Canadians shipped out via Shanghai mid September on Swedish Ship Gripsholm
to arrive NY late November. Her date of birth computed from age given in
Weihsien Camp list mid June 1943 if you have it precisely would appreciate
it along with hometown
Rgds
Ron Bridge

 

From Albert,

I found an internet site that showed the graves of a number of Sisters of
> St. Francis of the Milwaukee, Wisconsin (USA) group. Sister Eustella
> (Gertrude Bush) is buried in Campbellsport, Wisconsin. Her headstone shows
> her birth and death dates as March 23, 1899, and April 15, 1979
> respectively.
> I left a message with the archivist at the home base of the Sisters in
> Milwaukee, and may be able to provide more information when (or if) I get
> a response.
> Coincidentally, there is another School Sister of St. Francis whose
> religious name is Eustella and whose original name is Gertrude Bush. I
> have no idea if she is a relative or not. She was born in 1925 and died in
> 1975.
> Albert de Zutter

(à suivre)