Calling on all the strength she had, Marjie held him close. ‘Our future is on hold, Wills, but I know our bond will get stronger, even when we are apart. Over Christmas we will make memories to sustain us, and then one day we will be together again. We must hang on to that.’

They clung together. Marjie never wanted Wills to let her go. But these days life was full of bittersweet partings, and their life was to be no different.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Singapore

Daisy and Florrie

With Christmas just two days away, the hospital matron summoned Daisy to her office. When she arrived, she found that all the ward sisters were in attendance. The mood was sombre.

‘There is danger in the air, Sisters. Some nurses, particularly our younger ones, are feeling very nervous. The Japanese are closing in; they are advancing down the Malaysia peninsula and it is likely they will soon attack us here. I want us to be ready if that happens. Evacuation procedures will be practised from now on, but with good humour, so as not to further dismay the lower ranks.’

Daisy understood the fears everyone had and the importance of the senior staff keeping everyone’s spirits up. Every day news came in of atrocities, and fears surrounding the Japanese advancement grew as the wounded, who had been trying to hold them back, flooded the wards. She and Florrie had the added worry of Billy, too. Both dreaded him being brought in badly hurt. They’d hoped to visit him in Malaya, but now that was impossible and, as far as they knew, Billy had no idea they were even stationed so near him. But they reassured themselves with the knowledge that between Malaya and Singapore there were so many British forces stationed, and ready to defend them, that they felt confident they would beat the Japanese back and keep Singapore British.

When they had arrived in Singapore on 15 November there had been little talk of war. It all seemed to have been left behind. They’d been in awe of the beautiful island, and Daisy was glad they had explored as much as they could during that time.

She remembered feeling a strange sensation of belonging as she and Florrie, and the other fifteen nurses and one other nursing sister, were helped off the boat by laughing, very friendly coolies. They had then been transported up a shady, tree-lined road.

A snippet of conversation came back to her: ‘Eeh, Florrie, I never knew such places existed. It’s grand.’

‘If our ma could see us now, she’d be astonished.’