Daphne Margaret Shaw

Born 1 May 1943 - Died 2 Dec 2023

Service number: Vietnam 215491 AWMM
Also known as: Daphne Margaret Shaw AWMM
Armed force / branch: Army AWMM
Last rank: Post WW2 Major/Military AWMM
Lieutenant Colonel/Military AWMM Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps AWMM
War: Vietnam War, 1961-1975 AWMM

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Daphne Margaret Shaw — Portrait of Daphne Shaw. Sitting on bed at camp in 1970, Vietnam. Image provided by service person (2007). This image may be subject to copyright.

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Wars and conflicts

War: Vietnam War, 1961-1975 AWMM
Campaign: —
Armed force / branch: Army AWMM
Service number: Vietnam 215491 AWMM
Military service: —
Promotions/ Postings/ Transfers: —

Military decorations

Medals and Awards: Associate Royal Red Cross (ARRC) AWMM
1984 AWMM
Major Shaw joined the Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps as a Sister in 1969. Since that time she has served in hospitals in all three Services within New Zealand, and in NZ Force Hospital in Singapore and, notably, in 1971 for a year with No 1 Field Hospital, Vung Tau, South Vietnam, nursing Allied casualties requiring medical, surgical and intensive care. She assumed her present appointment as Matron of the Base Hospital, RNZAF Base Auckland in 1976. In this appointment she has an additional responsibility for the supervision of all nursing officers posted for flight sister duties and undertakes these duties herself. In her capacity as a flight sister, Major Shaw has attended many VIP passengers, including the Governor-General and Prime Minister, and has attended aero-medical patients on many tasks throughout the South Pacific. These have involved the aero-medical evacuation of critically ill civilian and service personnel at all times of the day and night with minimal notice and often without specialist equipment or assistance. Specific events which highlight the variety of tasks Major Shaw has undertaken include the first two RNZAF flights to Burma, the evacuation of NZ nationals from Teheran, and a period of two weeks in the then Gilbert and Ellice Islands assisting during a cholera epidemic. On all these occasions and on missions of a more routine nature, Major Shaw has shown a total dedication to the welfare of her patients and the well being of the passengers and crews with who she has flown. The sense of duty which she typically displays always places others before herself regardless of the circumstances. Throughout her service Major Shaw has demonstrated the highest professional standards in her care of Service and civilian patients. At all times she has been an inspiration to junior nursing officers and medical staff. AWMM
New Zealand Operational Service Medal AWMM
Vietnam Medal AWMM
Royal Red Cross (RRC), 1st Class AWMM
1994 AWMM
Royal Red Cross, First Class. Lieutenant Colonel Daphne Margaret Shaw, of Wellington. Commissioned in the Territorial Force in 1969 as a nursing sister, and transferred to the Regular Force in 1970. Now Director of Nursing Services. Her efforts have revitalised the Royal NZ, Nursing Corps and improved the professional skills of the Nursing Officers. (SERVICES AWARDS, Press, 31 December 1994, Page 17) AWMM

Training and Enlistment

Military training: —
Branch Trade Proficiency: —
Enlistment: Post WW2/Regular Military Service 14 May 1969 AWMM Nurse AWMM
Age on enlistment: —
Occupation before enlistment: —

Embarkations

Embarkation details: Post WW2/Regular Military Service Lieutenant/Military AWMM Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps AWMM
Vietnam Nurse/Civilian Ministry for Culture and Heritage 1st Australian Logistics Support Group AWMM Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps AWMM
2nd Embarkation AWMM

Last known rank

Last rank: Post WW2 Major/Military AWMM
1997 AWMM Lieutenant Colonel/Military AWMM
Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps AWMM
Lieutenant Colonel
Public - Stoney - Researcher - 7 December 2023 - Death notice, NZ Herald, 6 December 2023
Last rank: —

Biographical information

Lieutenant Colonel Daphne Margaret Shaw (215491) was a New Zealand military nurse whose service spanned the Vietnam War and a distinguished senior career in the Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps. Born on 1 May 1943, Shaw joined the Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps in 1969 as a Sister, commissioning in the Territorial Force before transferring to the Regular Force in 1970.

In 1971 Shaw served for a year with No. 1 Field Hospital at Vung Tau, South Vietnam, nursing Allied casualties requiring medical, surgical, and intensive care. Reflecting later on this service, she noted that it strengthened her personally and professionally, while also confronting her with the cost of war in young lives. During this period she witnessed significant advances in trauma care, including treatments for major bleeding and burns. For her outstanding service in Vietnam she was awarded the Associate of the Royal Red Cross.

Following Vietnam, Shaw served in hospitals across all three New Zealand Services and at New Zealand Force Hospital in Singapore. She was appointed Matron of the RNZAF Base Hospital at Whenuapai in 1976 and later Chief nursing office, Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps, a role she held from 1991 until her retirement in 1997. Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, she played a key role in strengthening professional nursing practice within the Defence Force.

After retirement, Shaw continued to support the veteran community through the Auckland Returned & Services Association and contributed to servicewomen’s research that underpins records now held in Online Cenotaph. She died on 2 December 2023 and was widely admired for her leadership, integrity, and lifelong dedication to nursing.

Lieutenant Colonel Daphne Margaret Shaw (215491) was a New Zealand military nurse whose service spanned the Vietnam War and a distinguished senior career in the Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps. Born on 1 May 1943, Shaw joined the Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps in 1969 as a Sister, commissioning in the Territorial Force before transferring to the Regular Force in 1970.

In 1971 Shaw served for a year with No. 1 Field Hospital at Vung Tau, South Vietnam, nursing Allied casualties requiring medical, surgical, and intensive care. Reflecting later on this service, she noted that it strengthened her personally and professionally, while also confronting her with the cost of war in young lives. During this period she witnessed significant advances in trauma care, including treatments for major bleeding and burns. For her outstanding service in Vietnam she was awarded the Associate of the Royal Red Cross and later the Royal Red Cross, 1st Class.

Following Vietnam, Shaw served in hospitals across all three New Zealand Services and at New Zealand Force Hospital in Singapore. She was appointed Matron of the Royal New Zealand Air Force Base Hospital at Whenuapai in 1976 and later Director of Nursing Services for the Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps, a role she held from 1991 until her retirement in 1997. Promoted to Lieutenant Colonel, she played a key role in strengthening professional nursing practice within the Defence Force.

After retirement, Shaw continued to support the veteran community through the Auckland Royal New Zealand Returned and Services' Association and contributed to servicewomen’s research that underpins records now held in Online Cenotaph. She died on 2 December 2023 and was widely admired for her leadership, integrity, and lifelong dedication to nursing (Profile written for “A Flight to Remember”, an Anzac Day 2026 initiative by Online Cenotaph and Air New Zealand). AWMM

Sources

External links: VietnamWar.govt.nz
http://www.vietnamwar.govt.nz/
Further Reference
Australia's Vietnam War
https://web.archive.org/web/20241003003021/https://vietnam.unsw.adfa.edu.au/
Further Reference
Obituary
https://notices.nzherald.co.nz/nz/obituaries/nzherald-nz/name/daphne-shaw-obituary?id=53739588
Further Reference
SERVICES AWARDS, Press, 31 December 1994, Page 17
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19941231.2.40.4
Further Reference
Produced by Manatu Taonga Ministry for Culture & Heritage in conjunction with the Home Fires Burning exhibitions held at Papakura Art Gallery and Papakura Museum in Auckland, April-June 2012
https://vietnamwar.govt.nz/video/home-fires-burning-film
Further Reference
McNabb, S. (2022, April). New Zealand Army Nursing Service – Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps. NZANS. Archived from the Wayback Machine on 26 January 2023.
https://web.archive.org/web/20230126100532/https://www.nzans.org/
Further Reference
References: Service Women Project: Sponsorship to research this record was kindly provided by the Auckland Returned Services Association, Returned Servicewomen's Branch; Marjorie Traill, Dorothy Grant, Daphne Shaw and Margaret Woollett.
New Zealand Military Nursing - A History of the R.N.Z.N.C. Boer War to Present Day
McNabb, S. (2015). 100 years New Zealand military nursing : New Zealand Army nursing service : Royal New Zealand Nursing Corps, 1915-2015. Hawke's Bay, N.Z.: Sherayl McNabb.
McGibbon, I.C. (2010). New Zealand's Vietnam War: a history of combat, commitment and controversy. Auckland, N.Z.: Exisle
Kai Tiaki : the journal of the nurses of New Zealand. Wellington, N.Z.: Watkins.
A nursing career ends. Kai tiaki (1995), Mar 1997; v.3 n.2:p.4
Hall, C. (2014). No front line : inside stories of New Zealand's Vietnam War. Auckland, New Zealand : Penguin Books.
This record was part of “A Flight to Remember”, an Anzac Day 2026 commemorative partnership between Online Cenotaph and Air New Zealand, where service stories were shared onboard a dawn flight from Auckland to Sydney.

The development of the Online Cenotaph is an ongoing process; updates, new images and records are added weekly. In some cases, records have yet to be confirmed by Museum staff, and there could be mistakes or omissions in the information provided.

Online Cenotaph Data by Auckland War Memorial Museum is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Daphne Margaret Shaw