The food is good. The local population has been evacuated to Singapore, so we’ve been eating roast poultry every night. Certainly beats boring army rations! I’d be happy if I never saw bully beef again.
One of our men made good use of the Indian shops. The captain received a huge account from the principal storekeeper – it had been signed off by Ned Kelly!! Of course, the captain was furious and made all the men sign their names to see if he could recognise the handwriting, but it seems as though the wily ‘Ned’ signed with his left hand to disguise himself.
We have to be careful of our stuff. The jungle is full of mischievous monkeys that will steal anything, as quick as lightning, especially food. My mate Joe Callahan had his camera pinched, and the thieving monkey sat up on the branch of a tree pointing it at Joey as though he was taking his portrait. Joey coaxed and cajoled, swore and hollered, chased and climbed, but couldn’t get his camera back. Soon there were a dozen monkeys fighting over it. Eventually, the wretched animal threw the camera at Joey and it smashed on the ground, absolutely ruined. Joey was furious but the rest of us couldn’t help but laugh at the antics. It was like watching a circus.
Hope everyone is well. Sounds like Darwin has been overrun with Yanks. Please send my love to Phoebe and Iris and everyone else. Look forward to hearing more news from home.
Cheerio for now, and much love to you all.
Edward
January 15, 1942
Manly
Dear Poppy,
I miss you and I miss Darwin! Though it is lovely to be home again. Sydney has changed so much in just a few months. Food is much scarcer than it is in Darwin, and it is almost impossible to get some grocery items, like Vegemite and Blue, which Mother thinks is very annoying. We have to queue for meat and ice, and there are soldiers everywhere. The streets of Manly seem to have gone back to the olden days with deliveries by horse and cart and bicycle instead of cars and trucks. Mother is even talking about putting in a vegetable garden like the one you have in Darwin. I can’t imagine Mother out there hoeing the vegies!
I will start back at school in a couple of weeks, which will be hard after such a lovely long holiday. It will be nice to see some of my old friends – although none of them are as special as you. I doubt they will believe my stories of life up in the far, wild Never-Never.
Give my love to Honey and Christabel and Daisy and Charlie and your parents. Watch out for crocs and handsome American soldiers.
Take care, all my love,
Maude xxxxx
Singapore
February 2, 1942
Dear Mum, Dad and Poppy,
Thanks for your letters filled with all your news and the package. I read them over and over again, imagining you all in good ol’ Darwin. We’ve had two weeks right in the thick of the action, being bombed and gunned. It’s been tough, but on the whole I think we’re coming out on top.
I am very sad to write that my mate Joey Callahan copped it last week in a run-in with the Japanese while we were out on patrol. It was his nineteenth birthday. I have written to his mother to let her know what a true and brave friend he was.
No doubt you’ve read in the papers that we have withdrawn to Singapore Island. We were one of the last units to cross the causeway from the mainland, as we were covering the withdrawal of other troops. There were quite a few anxious moments, but we’ve all arrived safely now. As they say, Singapore is the Gibraltar of the East, so we should be sitting here safely for a while.
There’s no doubt we will have a hard fight ahead of us, but I’m sure we will prevail. Our men and artillery are better in every respect. All of us are confident that we will beat the Japanese, and we have the thoughts of our loved ones at home to keep us strong.
Please don’t worry about me.
Thinking of you all with much love, your son,
Edward
12
Singapore
14 February 1942
Poppy was in bed, tossing and turning, the mosquito net draped around her stopping the cooling breeze blowing through the louvres. She could hear the muffled sound of her parents talking in the sitting room. She felt lonely.
Finally, she decided to get up and fetch a glass of water, slipping her feet into the cotton slippers by her bed. She tiptoed out into the hall. Something in her mother’s tone alerted her that her parents were discussing serious issues. On impulse, Poppy crept down the hall towards the front of the house. She paused in the hallway near the open doorway.
‘The Japanese advance has been incredible,’ Mark said grimly. ‘The Allies have seriously underestimated their ability as fighters, and that every Japanese soldier is prepared to commit suicide missions for the glory of their country. Their push south to take over the oilfields has been relentless. In only five weeks they have captured a huge part of the Pacific. ’
‘But do you think they plan to invade Australia?’ asked Cecilia.
‘I don’t know,’ Mark confessed. ‘From a strategic perspective, Australia provides the Allies with the ideal base to attack the Japanese in the Pacific. In just a few weeks, Darwin has really become the front-line of defence. So the Japanese will either want to invade and control Australia, or completely cut it off from the United States.’
‘So there is a good chance the Japanese will attack,’ Cecilia surmised.
‘Australia is a vast continent,’ Mark replied. ‘It would take a massive Japanese army to invade and hold the country.’
‘The nurses were talking today about carrying cyanide pills with them in case the Japanese invade . . .’ Cecilia said quietly. ‘They have been told it would be better to take poison than to be captured by the enemy . . .’
There was the sound of a muffled sob.
Poppy had to strain to hear Mark’s response. ‘The rumours of Japanese atrocities have been horrific. Wounded men in hospitals, women, nurses – even children – have been massacred. If they invade Australia, we can expect nothing else.’
Poppy could hear Cecilia collapse on the couch. ‘But we have defences, guns, submarines, warships . . .’ Cecilia said hopefully.
‘From everything I’ve heard, our defences in Darwin are woeful,’ Mark said. ‘We don’t have enough fighter aircraft or guns – or even ammunition. One of the gunners told me that most of their ammunition is left over from the last war twenty years ago!’
Cecilia began to cry.
‘What do we do?’ Mark asked, his voice gaining in urgency. ‘We have a choice: we either stay and fight for our homes and our families, or we run and let the Japanese have them. We have no choice. We have to fight. But if things get really bad, you and Poppy could disappear into the bush. You could take the car, or Angel and the buggy, and just head south-west as far as you can go.’
‘What if we get no warning? What if they just overrun us like they have everywhere else?’
‘If worst comes to the worst, Cecilia . . . I have my old rifle. I will protect you all with my life.’
Poppy imagined her parents hugging and whispering as their voices dropped to a murmur. She felt totally despondent. She forgot all about her thirst, or anything else. She just crawled into bed and lay there, staring through the dark towards the ceiling. Hours seemed to pass until she eventually fell into a deep sleep.
Poppy was awoken suddenly by a scream – a scream of indescribable terror. A scream of grief.
She lay still for a moment, trying to get her bearings, before hearing a muffled sound. Her heart pounded and she froze. The room felt very empty without Bryony in the bed opposite.
She slipped from beneath her sheet, through the netting and padded to her parents’ room. She nearly bumped into her mother, who was pacing up and down the hallway, ghostly in her pale nightgown.
‘Oh, Poppy, did I wake you?’ Cecilia’s voice sounded thick.
‘Mama,’ Poppy whispered, ‘are you all right? I thought I heard a scream?’
Cecilia hugged Poppy tightly. ‘Sorry, darling. I had a nightmare. I thought something had happened to . . . It was just a nightmare. It means nothing. I’m sure Edward is fine . . .’
Cecilia shuddered, her voice constricting with unshed tears.
Mark came in with a glass of water for Cecilia. ‘It’s all right, Poppy. Go back to bed. Everything is all right.’
Poppy went back to bed, but she couldn’t go back to sleep. She kept remembering the sound of her mother’s scream. She could feel her own terror bubbling just below the surface, threatening to erupt.
‘Cecilia?’ Mark called from the kitchen doorway. Cecilia stood at the bench pouring out tea, ready for work in her white nurse’s uniform, black hair tucked beneath a starched veil. She looked pale, except for around her puffy eyes, dark from lack of sleep. Poppy was sitting at the kitchen table eating a piece of toast, while Daisy washed up in the sink.
‘You’d better sit down,’ Mark suggested, taking Cecilia by the elbow.
Cecilia began to tremble. ‘Edward?’
‘Singapore has fallen,’ he said gently. ‘General Percival surrendered to the Japanese last night. One hundred thousand Allied troops have been taken as prisoners-of-war, including fifteen thousand Australians.’
‘No . . . No,’ Cecilia stammered, bunching her fists together and grinding them into her eyes. ‘My boy. My Edward!’ she cried, rocking back and forth.
Mark stood behind Cecilia, rubbing her shoulders, trying to provide some comfort.
‘They’ve managed to evacuate the nurses, civilians and some of the wounded soldiers,’ he continued. ‘I was warned that we’ll soon be inundated with the wounded. Thank goodness we’re now settled in the new hospital.’
Cecilia nodded shakily, pulling herself together.
‘But they said Singapore was impregnable,’ insisted Poppy, her jaw clenched tightly. ‘They said Singapore would never fall!’
‘They were wrong,’ replied Mark grimly. ‘The Japanese forces seem unbeatable. Who could have imagined that they would sweep through most of Asia in just a few short weeks?’
Mark paused.
Poppy shuddered with horror, her thoughts churning. They said Singapore would never fall and they were wrong . . . They said Singapore would protect Australia . . . If the Japanese have invaded most of Asia in a few short weeks, how long before they target us? How long before they invade Darwin?
‘The Administrator is urging the last of the women and children to leave Darwin,’ Mark continued, as though reading her thoughts. ‘The Koolinda left yesterday with more evacuees, and he wants the remainder to be flown out by plane over the next few days, leaving just the single nurses at the hospitals. There has been some talk that the Allies could have evacuated more wounded soldiers from Singapore if there hadn’t been so many civilians who had refused to leave earlier because they thought they were safe. I think the time has come for you both to be evacuated down south with Daisy and Charlie. It’s not safe for you to be here anymore.’
Cecilia looked around, bereft, taking in the details of her home. ‘You’re right – I’d never forgive myself if something happened to Poppy, or Daisy, or Charlie. We’ll go to Sydney so we can be close to Phoebe and Bryony.’
Poppy buried her head in Honey’s silky fur, her eyes brimming with tears.
Mark glanced at Daisy, still standing beside the sink. ‘Daisy, do you and Charlie want to go and stay in Sydney with Mrs Trehearne?’ he asked. ‘Or would you prefer to go back to your family at Never-Never Downs? Or you could go to Adelaide and look for work there?’
Daisy wiped her wet hands on a tea towel. She glanced through to her own room, where Charlie was playing on the floor with some mixing bowls, then nodded.
‘Charlie and I will go to Sydney, too,’ decided Daisy. ‘Missus Trehearne needs me, and someone has to keep Miss Poppy out of trouble.’
‘Thanks, Daisy,’ Cecilia said. ‘You are a gem.’
Cecilia picked up a sheet of paper and a pen from the dresser and jotted down a couple of notes.
‘I’d just like a couple of days to get organised,’ she suggested. ‘We can’t take much, so I’d like to pack away some of my silver and china and bury it in the garden. Plus, I’m needed at the hospital today. We’ll need to get organised if there’s going to be a big influx of wounded men.’
‘I’ll book seats on a plane for you all as soon as we can,’ Mark promised. ‘You’ll probably fly to Adelaide, then catch a train to Sydney. We’ll also need to get permission to evacuate Daisy and Charlie.’
Cecilia smiled at Poppy reassuringly. ‘We’ll be okay. Edward’s not dead – I’d know if he was dead. He’s hurt, but he’s not dead.’
‘I pray you’re right, Cecilia,’ Mark said. ‘I pray you’re right.’
Poppy glanced at her mother, sitting composed, her face weary but set with determination.
Poppy remembered her mother’s scream in the night. Did Mum somehow know? Did she sense something terrible happening to Edward?
‘Well, we’d better get to work then,’ announced Cecilia. ‘Come on, Poppy – we’ve got a lot to do.’
13
The Hospital
19 February 1942
Four days later, Poppy, Cecilia and Mark sat out on the verandah on the white cane chairs, having breakfast. The table was set with a big pot of tea, boiled eggs, a bowl of sliced paw-paw, marmalade and toast.
For the first time in days, the rain and grey clouds had been replaced by mostly blue sky and sunshine – a rare sight at this time of year. It was already hot and humid. Poppy sat trying to memorise her favourite view: the garden below with its lush greenery, hot-pink bougainvillea and fragrant frangipani, the vast turquoise-blue sea stretching north towards Asia.
The scene was tranquil and picturesque. Cecilia and Mark chatted about the plans for the evacuation. Mark had finally managed to book Cecilia, Poppy, Daisy and Charlie on a small plane flying to Adelaide the next day. He would stay behind to continue his work at the hospital.
Poppy had carefully avoided asking what would happen to all her animals. She couldn’t bear to know.
Just before nine o’clock, Mark and Cecilia left on their short walk to the hospital. Poppy stayed behind to help Daisy with some household chores – hanging out the washing to make the most of the sunshine, clearing the table, washing up the dishes and feeding the chickens. At 9.45 she followed her parents to the hospital.
Sister Minnie Scott, a friend of Cecilia’s, was standing out front, enjoying the change in weather and chatting to one of the doctors. Her white uniform was already wilting in the heat.
‘Hello, Poppy,’ Sister Scott called out. ‘I heard you and your mum are flying south tomorrow?’
‘Yes,’ Poppy replied. ‘Has it been a busy morning?’
‘No, love,’ Sister Scott said with a smile. ‘We have an appendix operation booked for ten o’clock, otherwise it’s been as quiet as the grave.’
Poppy felt a shiver of apprehension run up her spine. ‘Well, I’ll just head inside and start making some beds,’ she replied, nodding to the doctor.
At two minutes to ten, Poppy was propping the pillows up behind a young sailor and chatting to him. Cecilia had always told her that the best medicine for wounded servicemen was a cheery smile on a pretty face, and some friendly chatter.
‘There – is that better, sir?’ she asked, straightening his sheets.
‘Bless you, love.’
Poppy heard a distant thunderclap, followed by the sound of an explosion. The eerie sound of the air-raid siren blared out over Darwin.
‘It’s a bombing raid!’ yelled Sister Scott, running past her. ‘It’s the Japanese!’
Pop
py froze, unsure what to do. She could hear yelling and shouting from all parts of the hospital, and then the sound of explosions coming closer. Her mouth was dry with fear, her stomach in knots.
‘Poppy! Poppy, where are you?’ her mother yelled from the corridor.
‘Mum, I’m here!’ Poppy replied, running out of the ward breathless with relief to hear that familiar voice.
‘Poppy, I want you to stay with me at all times, understand? We need to get these men evacuated down to the beach if they can walk. If they can’t walk, we need to get them under their beds with mattresses on top for protection.’
Poppy nodded. Cecilia ran into the ward where Poppy had been working. Summoning up courage, she smiled brightly at the patients. ‘Okay, boys, here’s what we’re going to do . . .’
If the men could walk themselves, they were directed to head to the beach and the cliffs of Kahlin Bay, about one hundred metres away. One of the patients, an officer who had just been evacuated from Koepang in Timor and survived numerous Japanese air raids there, was shouting orders. ‘Lads, hide in the bushes along the shore. Get under cover. Don’t stand out in the open on the beach or the Japs will strafe you. Go on, get out of here!’
Nurses ran hither and thither, helping patients out of bed.
Cecilia and Poppy visited each bed in turn. The patients who couldn’t walk lay there helpless, faces drawn tight with fear. With the help of a male orderly, Cecilia and Poppy lifted them, one by one, out of bed and carefully placed them on the floor under the bed. Poppy then dragged mattresses off the surrounding empty beds to provide some protection.
Suddenly, a bomb hit the hospital complex, making the walls rock. Windows shattered, showering the ward with shards of dagger-sharp glass. Clouds of dust and plaster wafted through the air. The sound was deafening.
The Forgotten Pearl Page 11
