Born: 3 September 1899, Indonesia
Died: 12 June 1948
Country most active: United Kingdom
Also known as: Sybil Medan Daly
This bio, written by Julia McFarland, has been shared with permission. Follow Julia on Instagram: @historys_heroines.
Sybil Kathigasu (3.9.1899 – 12.6.1948) was a Malysian Eurasian nurse and midwife during WWII. She was Catholic and her husband converted from Hinduism in order that they could marry in a Catholic church. They had four children, one of whom was adopted, after her first baby died. She assisted resistance to the Japanese occupation of Malaya. She and her husband secretly treated freedom fighters at their clinic, taking tremendous risks. In 1943 she was arrested and tortured for 2 years but refused to give any information. Liberated in 1945 she was flown to Britain for treatment. She was awarded the George Medal for bravery shortly before her death in 1948.