‘Aye, they can be tyrants. I’ve had a few like that. But I suppose it’s being in this wonderful place – I mean, how can you not feel in a constant good mood? Everyone’s so happy.’

‘They’re a good lot that we’re with an’ all. That Phoebe, I thought she’d be stuck up as she speaks in such a posh voice, but she’s a real giggle.’

‘That’s where you have the advantage on me, Florrie. Me being a sister, I have to keep meself a bit aloof or I’ll never command any respect during working hours. But Bett, the other sister on this trip with us, is a nice girl. As you knaw, we’re friends already. Oh, there she is. I’ll leave you now, lass, as we’ll be taken to different quarters. But we’ll have a lovely afternoon together.’

They visited Raffles Place in the afternoon, a bustling, exciting area of white buildings of a similar style to the hospital, some with domed roofs and others with pointed ones, all different in a subtle way. The thing Daisy remembered, and that made the most impression, were the large number of windows, which glinted as if they were made of a thousand diamonds.

The streets were lined with shops and cafes and the traffic was heavy, with cars and military vehicles. The air smelt of fried food, as delicious-looking delicacies were being cooked in the open. They were told that Sir Stamford Raffles had taken the island of Singapore from the Dutch many years ago, and that many of the important places were named after him.

After a cooling iced tea in a pavement cafe, they’d been taken to the pool – a wonderful place that seemed to lie at the heart of British social life. Daisy and Florrie decided they could spend the rest of their lives enjoying the respite from the heat given by the huge ceiling fans, and watching the comings and goings in the square. Soft music played, and drinking and socializing seemed to be the main occupation, when the full dance band came into its own.

The pool had been a wonderful cooling experience, and Daisy and Florrie had both impressed others with their ability in the water and their diving skills – something they had learned off the jetty at the end of the old boathouse, which was now their ma’s and Aunt Susan’s shop. They now joined the swimming club for a fee of two dollars fifty a month, and would spend most of their days off and many exciting, glamorous evenings here.

It had been here that they had met Alex, a senior medic with whom they had only had brief dealings at the hospital, and Giles, an officer based at the military depot.