Gypsy doll given to Muriel Knox Doherty
Object numberM2025/005:001
TitleGypsy doll given to Muriel Knox Doherty
DescriptionDoll made by a survivor of Bergen-Belsen and gifted to Muriel Knox Doherty (1896-1988). This ‘gypsy’ doll was skillfully made from scrap materials in a displaced persons camp, was most likely made for occupational therapy. But the person who made it, whose name is unknown.
Muriel Knox Doherty served with distinction in the Royal Australian Air Force Nursing Service during World War II. In 1945 she applied for a post with UNRRA (United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration), arriving at Bergen-Belsen on 11 July 1945, three months after liberation. Here she was appointed Chief Nurse and Principal Matron to the camp.
The 81st British General Hospital Staff managed the hospital in Bergen-Belsen, but as Principle Matron, Muriel oversaw all administrative duties; estimating requirements for nursing staff, liaising with welfare staff, managing inventory of linen and the requisition of medical equipment. She also faced the enormous task of nursing the thousands of survivors back to health. The ‘gypsy’ doll is one of the gifts she received from survivors grateful to now have a future.
Doherty was an avid and meticulous recorder of all that she saw and did. During her time at Bergen-Belsen she kept a detailed diary and wrote weekly letters to her mother and friends, often by candlelight, providing invaluable insight into the conditions at the camp, and offering a woman’s perspective on war. She was awarded the Royal Red Cross Medal (1st Class) for her wartime nursing work. In 1960 she donated copies of her wartime letters to the Mitchell Library, with instructions that they not be opened until 2000.
Muriel Knox Doherty served with distinction in the Royal Australian Air Force Nursing Service during World War II. In 1945 she applied for a post with UNRRA (United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration), arriving at Bergen-Belsen on 11 July 1945, three months after liberation. Here she was appointed Chief Nurse and Principal Matron to the camp.
The 81st British General Hospital Staff managed the hospital in Bergen-Belsen, but as Principle Matron, Muriel oversaw all administrative duties; estimating requirements for nursing staff, liaising with welfare staff, managing inventory of linen and the requisition of medical equipment. She also faced the enormous task of nursing the thousands of survivors back to health. The ‘gypsy’ doll is one of the gifts she received from survivors grateful to now have a future.
Doherty was an avid and meticulous recorder of all that she saw and did. During her time at Bergen-Belsen she kept a detailed diary and wrote weekly letters to her mother and friends, often by candlelight, providing invaluable insight into the conditions at the camp, and offering a woman’s perspective on war. She was awarded the Royal Red Cross Medal (1st Class) for her wartime nursing work. In 1960 she donated copies of her wartime letters to the Mitchell Library, with instructions that they not be opened until 2000.
Production placeBergen-Belsen concentration camp
Production date 1945 - 1945
Production periodpost World War II
Subjecttoys, rehabilitation centres, post-liberation recovery, Australian link to Holocaust, art, education
Object namedolls
Materialfibres (fabrics)
Dimensions
- height: 220.00 mm
width: 180.00 mm
Credit lineSydney Jewish Museum collection, transferred from the Great Synagogue. Object originally donated by Muriel Knox Doherty.
In appreciation to the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany (Claims Conference) for supporting this archival project.