The Forgotten Pearl (12 page)

‘But you're only sixteen,' Cecilia objected. ‘Sydney is thousands of miles away. And you can't stay with Phoebe – she's living in the nurses' quarters.'

Bryony swallowed hard and stood firm. ‘I've talked to Mrs Tibbets and she said I can stay with them until I get organised. Phoebe says there are lots of girls even younger than me, training to be mechanics, telegraph operators, drivers or munition factory workers.'

Poppy thought of her glamorous sister in filthy, oil-stained overalls, her head inside the bonnet of a car, wielding a wrench. ‘A mechanic?' asked Poppy with a chuckle. ‘You might break a fingernail!'

Bryony flushed. Cecilia frowned at Poppy.

‘I'd like to try to join the Australian Women's Army Service,' Bryony said.

‘You have to be eighteen to join the AWAS,' objected Cecilia. ‘Why don't you stay here and help at the hospital? That would be assisting the war effort, and you could stay at home with us?'

‘I don't want to be a nurse,' Bryony insisted. ‘I know I come from a long line of Cornish healers, but I can't stomach the blood and gore and seeing people in pain. No, I've made up my mind. I could use Phoebe's birth date
and say I'm eighteen. People always say I look older than I am.'

Cecilia searched Bryony's face carefully. Mark glanced between his wife and daughter, noting the tension thick in the air.

‘What about George?' asked Poppy. ‘I thought you were madly in love?'

‘George is great fun, but I'm too young to get married just yet,' replied Bryony. ‘I want to do some things for myself before I spend the rest of my life married and having children.'

Poppy felt surprised. She thought she knew her sister but Bryony seemed to have changed.

‘Bryony, I think you're too young to go to –' Mark began.

‘No.' Cecilia interrupted him. ‘She's not too young. Wars mean everyone has to grow up sooner than in peacetime. We know that from the last war.'

Cecilia smiled at her husband, her eyes brimming with tears. She blinked rapidly.

‘Bryony, if you really want to do this, then I think you should go,' decided Cecilia. ‘I'll talk to Mrs Tibbets tonight and work out the details. You'll need to get packing if you're going on that ship tomorrow. It'll be quick – you can't take very much. Poppy, perhaps you'd like to help your sister?'

Poppy stared down at her half-eaten plate of shepherd's pie. She suddenly felt sick in her stomach. Images of disaster tumbled through her head.

Bryony is leaving too. Bryony . . . Maude . . . Shinju . . . Mrs Murata . . . Mrs Tibbets. All these neighbours and friends
on board the
Zealandia
. What if the Japanese bomb it? What if it is torpedoed by the Germans like HMAS
Sydney
just a few weeks ago? What if I never see any of them again?

The next day the Darwin wharf was a chaotic scene as hundreds of women and children of many different nationalities were farewelled by husbands and fathers. Soldiers patrolled, supervising the embarkation. There were wails of grief, tears, hugs, lost children and scolding officials.

Poppy searched the crowd frantically. She waved and nodded to many neighbours and school friends. Beside her, Cecilia was giving Bryony last-minute instructions and advice in a brave, bright voice. Mark checked once more that her bags were properly secured.

At last, Poppy spied Maude and her parents. Mrs Tibbets was struggling along, carrying what appeared to be a heavy suitcase that could hardly be described as small. Mr Tibbets carried Maude's bag, while Maude carried the pile of blankets and calico bags.

‘Hurry up, Harold,' urged Mrs Tibbets. ‘We want to make sure we secure a good cabin.'

‘You seem to be having trouble with that bag, dear,' replied Mr Tibbets. ‘Would you like me to take it for you?'

‘No, no,' insisted Mrs Tibbets, hefting the bag higher. ‘It's not heavy at all.' She jammed her oversized hat down on her head to stop it blowing away.

‘Maude! Maude!' shouted Poppy. ‘I've come to wave you all off.'

Maude rushed forward, dropping all of her parcels on the wharf.

‘Maude, pick those up,' scolded Mrs Tibbets. ‘The blankets will get dirty.'

Maude ignored her mother and flung her arms around Poppy's neck. ‘I wish you were coming with us,' Maude cried. ‘Are you sure you won't come?'

Poppy shook her head, her voice choked with tears. The crowd ebbed and flowed around them. Mark shook hands with Mr Tibbets and traded news about the war.

‘Come on, we need to get on board,' Mrs Tibbets said, hefting her bag. ‘Hurry
up
, Harold.'

‘Keep moving, ladies,' instructed a nearby soldier.

‘Make sure you write
lots
,' begged Maude.

‘Make sure you don't cause any trouble for the Tibbets,' Cecilia reminded Bryony for the tenth time. ‘Give Phoebe a big kiss from me.'

‘Let me know if you need any more money, Bryony,' said Mark. ‘Don't rush into anything. Make sure it's what you really want to do before you sign up.'

Bryony nodded, fighting back tears as she hugged her mother. ‘I love you,' she said, breaking into a sob. ‘I'll miss you.'

‘Be careful of strangers in the city,' warned Cecilia, brushing the hair back from her daughter's forehead. ‘It's not like Darwin. Did you remember to pack your toothbrush?'

‘I love you, too, sugar pea,' croaked Mark, hugging Bryony in turn. ‘Thank you, Mrs Tibbets, for looking after our Bryony. I hope she's not any trouble.'

‘Goodbye. Goodbye,' said Bryony.

Bryony hugged Poppy, and then she was swept away with the Tibbets up the gangplank.

‘Love you, darling,' called Cecilia, waving frantically. ‘Write as soon as you can.'

Poppy stood bereft in the surging river of humanity. Belatedly, she waved up at the ship.

‘Bye. Take care. I'll miss you . . .' she whispered.

11

Letters

8 April 2012

Nanna paused, a tear trickling down her wrinkled cheek as she remembered that long-ago parting.

Chloe sat forward, hands clasped together, mesmerised by Nanna's story.

Nanna pulled a tissue from her pocket and blew her nose. She smiled wanly at Chloe. ‘Sorry, darling,' she apologised. ‘I can see it all as though it were right in front of me. I felt like a little part of me shrivelled up when Bryony and Maude sailed away on that ship.'

‘Oh, Nanna,' sighed Chloe. ‘I had no idea. I've never heard you talk about any of this. It must have been terrifying.'

Nanna shook herself and rose to her feet, pushing on the arms of the chair. ‘I'm getting stiff and cold sitting here. Why don't we go out into the autumn sunshine and
get some fresh air?'

Chloe obediently stood up and stretched. She hadn't realised how tense she had been, sitting while Nanna told her story.

Nanna picked up the photos and yellowed letters and packed them away in the biscuit tin. Chloe was itching to read them.

‘Would you mind bringing down some cushions for us, please, Chloe?'

‘Sure, Nanna. Would you like a rug or anything?'

‘No, no. I'll be fine.' Nanna led the way down the stairs and into the garden to a love seat under a large gum tree. Chloe placed down the cushions she had brought, tucking one behind Nanna's back.

‘Are you feeling better, Nanna?' asked Chloe.

Nanna smiled and squeezed Chloe's hand. ‘I'm absolutely fine, thanks darling. Let's take a look at those letters now, shall we, Chloe?'

Nanna set the opened tin on the bench between them. She picked up the letters, flicked through them and pulled out a few.

‘Can you read the handwriting, Chloe? That looks like my messy handwriting, speckled with ink splotches and written in a hurry, as always! It has faded somewhat and my eyes aren't quite what they used to be.'

Chloe took the letter that Nanna handed her and started to read it out loud.

Sydney

January 1, 1942

Dear Mum, Dad and Poppy,

Happy New Year! How are you all? As you can see, we made it safely to Sydney this morning. The journey so far has been terrible. The ship was crowded and filthy, with not enough food or lifeboats – or even water. There were eleven people in our cabin that was only designed for four. At least we had a cabin – the Chinese women and children were crowded on the open deck, while the Japanese internees were kept locked in the hold. So many people were seasick, and we were constantly terrified that we'd run into Japanese submarines. It has been a total nightmare.

Maude and I managed to see the Muratas down in the hold. They are all right and sent their best wishes to you all. I felt so sorry for Shinju and all the other Japanese children locked in that stinking hold with nowhere to play or run.

Mrs Tibbets was devastated because one of the soldiers threw her silverware overboard. We were only supposed to have clothing in it up to a maximum of thirty-five pounds, and they checked each bag. Mrs Tibbets tried to argue that the notice had said we could take eating utensils and hers just happened to be silver, but the soldier threw it all over the side anyway. She has been very seasick and miserable but is much happier now that we are on dry land once more.

We were shocked to hear that Hong Kong fell to the Japanese on Christmas Day. Who would have imagined that a British colony would be taken so easily, but apparently they were vastly outnumbered.
Did you hear that the first American troops arrived in Brisbane on Christmas Eve? I laughed because we were told that the first question some of the soldiers asked was, ‘Do you speak English here?'

It was a beautiful sight sailing into Sydney Harbour this morning – and a great relief to feel that we are finally safe. I had my first glimpse of the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge. It certainly is impressive! We cruised the harbour twice today. Once coming in on the Zealandia, then again on the ferry to Manly.

Tomorrow Maude has promised to take me into the city to explore, which will be fun. Anyway, I'll post this now and write again soon.

Much love to you all,

Bryony xxx

Myilly Point, Darwin

January 2, 1942

Dear Bryony,

Merry Christmas. I hope your Christmas was more cheerful than ours.

There were no presents. The dining room table seemed lonely with just Mum and Dad and me. Mum and I tried to cheer the place up with frangipani flowers and the best china and silverware. But it didn't work. Mum
roasted a chook with a few vegies and everyone tried to be cheery. Dad has been mooching around, looking worried. I think he really misses you and Edward and Phoebe.

Mum has thrown herself into nursing at the hospital. She's working long days – I think she's trying to forget things by keeping busy. I've been helping at the hospital, too – making beds, emptying bedpans (yick), feeding patients and running errands for the nurses. Poor Daisy has had to work harder without us to help around the house.

Dad is thrilled because the new hospital is nearly finished at Myilly Point. He says the operating theatres and obstetrics wards will be the best in Australia. It will certainly be a change from the ramshackle old hospital at Doctors Gully. He can't wait for the move.

You wouldn't recognise the view from the verandah now. I don't like it. All the trees have been bulldozed along Fannie Bay, and hundreds of soldiers spent Christmas and New Year's laying down rolls of barbed wire entanglements along the beachfront. They've built machine-gun emplacements everywhere and dug lots of funk-holes, super-funk-holes and super-duper-funk-holes! The place is full of American troops – they seem friendly but there has been some antagonism between the American and Aussie soldiers.

There have been shortages of both beer and petrol which, as you can imagine, has made the locals very cranky. Food is getting scarce, so soldiers have been banned from the cafes and restaurants, which led to a fight where nearly all the windows in the main street
were smashed again. There've been more problems at the wharves with strikes, and on top of that all the air-raid wardens have resigned after fighting with the Administrator. Darwin's a mess!

We had another air-raid warning on New Year's Eve and spent two hours squelching in the mud of our own super-funk-hole. Apparently, a Japanese sub was detected in Darwin Harbour on New Year's Day – scary to think they came so close! Dad says he's going to build another shelter under the house with sandbags so at least we can stay dry. There's no doubt everyone is getting jumpy about whether or not we might be invaded.

Hope you enjoy your stay with the Tibbets. Give Phoebe and Maude a big hug from me.

Much love, your sister,

Poppy xxx

January 9, 1942

Malaya

Dear Mum, Dad, Bryony and Poppy,

Thanks for all your letters filled with wonderful, ordinary news from home. Thanks, too, for the care package. The Christmas cake and biscuits were very welcome. Poppy, did you really knit those socks??

We received a Christmas present from the Red Cross, too, with chocolate, biscuits, barley sugar, chewing gum and cards – amazing
how small things can make such a difference over here.

Well, it's happened – we have finally partaken in face-to-face combat with the enemy. They are like wraiths – eating nothing, disappearing in the jungle, then attacking us from nowhere. They are riding thousands of bicycles, if you can imagine it, so they cover vast distances quite quickly and silently. The cheeky chaps captured the radio station in Penang and have been broadcasting messages urging us not to fight. The monsoon is in full swing now, so it's muddy, swampy, hot and damp. The mosquitoes are vicious but morale is still high.

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