The Secret Years

by Barbara Hannay

  There’s a Chinatown with exotic shops and the Chin Hing Hotel on Yara Avenue. And of course I would take you to The Bung, a colourful market with rows of stalls piled high with pineapples, coconuts, pawpaws and shellfish, not to mention the chance to see cheerfully bare-chested local men in their colourful sarongs.

  I know none of this sounds exciting compared with London and Buckingham Palace and debutante balls at the Savoy, but Teddy and I have a comfortable home, a good network of friends and, until now, a wonderfully peaceful lifestyle.

  For all these reasons and so many more, Teddy refuses to leave our plantation. He believes the enemy will be stopped and I’m sure you’ll understand that I couldn’t possibly abandon him. Don’t worry about us. We’ll have each other, my dear, so we’ll be fine. We’ll see this through, inspired by the way you in London have so bravely endured the Blitz.

  Sending much love to you always and forever,

  Aunt Cora

  After Georgina had closed the letter and tucked it back into its envelope, she went to the drawing room, which was normally closed up, and began to anxiously pace behind the drawn curtains. Wending her way between pieces of furniture covered in dust sheets, she sank deep into thought.

  Ever since the afternoon’s conversation with her boss, she’d had so very much to think about. Right now, she felt overwhelmed by the disturbing undertone of heartbreak in her aunt’s letter, by the uncharacteristic, almost nervous detail, and the very real peril that her aunt and uncle faced. In many ways, this worry was even more overpowering than her longing to see Harry again.

  The timing of the letter’s arrival was uncanny. Coming so soon after her boss’s news, it almost felt as if fate or the hand of God had intervened. Georgina had the strangest presentiment that she’d been sent a message – and one that was almost impossible to ignore.

  Should I go to Australia? Am I meant to?

  There were good reasons to go. Her desire to see Harry again, even if the possibility was slim, combined with worry about her aunt and uncle, was strong, frighteningly so. Added to that, she’d always been the adventurous one in her family and here was a chance to visit an exotic location instead of remaining stuck in the office in Dulwich for the rest of the war. She’d heard her Aunt Cora speak glowingly of Sydney with its beautiful beaches, blue ocean and sunshine, and apparently, the social life was quite sophisticated as well. If she went there she should probably pack an evening dress.

  But, of course, this decision was far too important to jump into rashly. She had to think it through carefully, had to ask herself why seeing Harry was so important.

  Georgina was worldly enough to know that a girl shouldn’t be hung up on her very first lover and yet, deep down, she was certain that her feelings for Harry were profound and powerful – an emotional connection that couldn’t be explained logically.

  Of course, she didn’t really expect that a job in Australia with Major Duffy would result in her being able to see Harry. He could be anywhere in the South Pacific. And she probably couldn’t assist Cora and Teddy in any practical way, but her chances of doing either of these things had to be greater than if she stayed in London.

  Pausing to look about her, she found herself remembering the drawing room without the dust covers. Here in this very room, at the height of the season in 1939, she’d thrown a party, and the drawing room had looked so fresh and summery with upholstered sofas and armchairs of cream and gold brocade, set against the pale green carpet.

  She and her mother had arranged flowers in enormous vases and the room had been filled with the scent of lilies and with the laughter of young people who were enjoying smoked salmon sandwiches and champagne. Lights from the chandeliers had reflected in mirrors and on the sparkling glasses.

  What a success that night had been!

  Georgina could remember Bunny Featherstone, so sophisticated in an almost sheer black evening dress, perched on the arm of the sofa near the piano, with at least three smitten young swains practically kneeling at her feet. And over there, by the window, Primrose Cavendish had fallen in love with Stephen Wade.

  Georgina’s dress that night had been divine, a Parisian halter-neck, made of a gorgeous silvery-green lamé with a net skirt covered in four-leaf clovers.

  ‘Just breathtaking!’ Michael St George had told her.

  Sadly, Michael and Stephen had both been killed in France six months later. And now, Bunny had joined the Women’s Royal Naval Service and was based in Portsmouth and Primrose was practically running her family’s farm in Cornwall single-handedly. The whole world had been consumed by this dreadful, devastating war, which now covered both hemispheres of the globe.

  Georgina thought again about Cora and Teddy and shivered. She remembered what Harry had said in his letter.

  But that’s what you get in a war, isn’t it? No one’s having it easy.

  With a sigh that could have been caused by either anger or despair, she began to pace again, but she had only taken a few steps when any lurking doubts were overtaken by the growing weight of her new certainty.

  Abruptly, she stopped, turned, and went straight to the telephone in the hallway, where she asked to be put through to Captain McNicoll’s home number.

  ‘Ah, Lenton, so you’ve made up your mind?’

  ‘Yes, sir. I’d like to apply for that position.’

  14

  Colonel Ralph Pinter, the British military attaché in Canberra, had a bright shock of ginger hair and a surprisingly ruddy face, which sat at odds with the gravity of his expression as Georgina and her new boss, Major Gerald Duffy, were ushered into a small, mustard-walled meeting room for a special briefing.

  Unfortunately, they were not shown to a seat near a window and Georgina couldn’t see a fan in the room, so she prepared to suffer. January in Australia was blisteringly hot.

  It was hard to believe she was actually here. Everything had happened so quickly after her successful interview with the major. Her first ordeal had been giving the news to her parents and then hand­ling their reactions, which amounted to quiet concern overlaid by a hint of pride from her father, and near hysteria from her mother. Then had followed the whirlwind of finishing up in the office in Dulwich and farewelling her friends. Dodie and Enid, in particular, had wept buckets.

  ‘We’ll never see you again,’ Dodie had cried, only to receive a sharp dig in the ribs from Enid.

  ‘Don’t tell her that,’ Enid had admonished and she’d pressed a rather flea-bitten rabbit’s foot into Georgina’s hand. ‘Here,’ she said. ‘I got it from a stall in Covent Garden. My Dad had one just like it. It was his lucky charm in the last war and he came through it safe as houses. Carry it for good luck.’

  Then there had been the packing, and the rather terrifying ordeal of the long flight to Australia via Singapore.

  And now here she was, a mere week later, still quite exhausted, in a roomful of military and political officers in Canberra, and in a uniform totally unsuited to the Australian heat.

  ‘Gentlemen,’ Colonel Pinter began rather pompously. ‘For the benefit of the new staff,’ – he nodded to Major Duffy and Georgina, who had earlier been introduced – ‘I’ll start by recapping the current situation in this region.’ He paused and eyed his audience grimly. ‘To put it bluntly, the Australians, the Americans and we British, including, or should I say especially, our own Prime Minster, have all underestimated the capacity of the Japanese Imperial Forces.’

  There was a significant pause before he went on. ‘Churchill was shocked when the Prince of Wales and the Repulse were sunk last month off Malaya. The Japanese were well equipped, using both land-based bombers and torpedo bombers, and now, as the rest of you here already know, there is a growing fear that Singapore will fall.’

  Georgina had been sitting with her pen poised to take notes, but now she looked up in shock. Surely this was impossible? Everyone – the British Prime Minister, the journalists, the military spokesmen – absolutely everyone had stated with complete
certainty that Singapore could never be captured.

  Now the colonel pointed to a large wall map of Australia and South East Asia. Until this moment, she’d never really noticed how close to the north of Australia those Asian countries and islands were. Not as close as Europe was to Britain, but still . . .

  The colonel turned back to his captive audience. ‘This information remains strictly within these walls, of course. Publicly, the war office is still expressing every confidence in Fortress Singapore, but I’m afraid the Japanese air superiority is obvious. Their shipping and logistics are almost impossible to stop and they have a very strong and mobile force on the ground pushing our units back down the Malay Peninsula.’

  Georgina’s pen was flying across her notebook when Colonel Pinter made a rather noisy and deliberate throat-clearing sound, and Major Duffy nudged her with his elbow.

  Looking up, she found the colonel watching her coldly. ‘No note-taking during this conference, thank you, Lenton.’

  ‘Yes, sir.’ Her cheeks felt a bit pink as she closed her notebook and she was aware that every single man in the room, except her boss, was frowning at her. But she refused to be intimidated and instead of looking apologetic, she remained at her most dignified.

  Her mother would have been proud of her, she thought, swallowing an urge to smile, and she kept her hands folded demurely in her lap as Colonel Pinter went on with his briefing, informing them that Australia’s military capabilities were totally inadequate. Until now, Australia’s focus had been on the defence of Britain with the result that they’d given insufficient strategic thought to the defence of their homeland.

  As it stood, Australia’s only forward lines of defence were in various strategic islands to the north and west.

  ‘But these defences are nowhere near adequate,’ the colonel said dourly. ‘And last month Prime Minister Curtin appealed to Roosevelt to come to Australia’s aid in the Pacific Islands without success.’

  ‘What about Rabaul and New Guinea?’ Major Duffy asked. ‘What’s the situation there? As far as I can see, they’re vital. Their capture would give the Japanese a tactical stranglehold on South East Asia.’

  An icy shiver ran down Georgina’s spine. Cora and Teddy practically lived on Rabaul’s doorstep.

  ‘The island of New Britain is crucial,’ agreed the colonel. ‘Rabaul has a big, deep, natural harbour. In fact, we believe the Japanese plan to turn it into one of their greatest air and sea bases in the South Seas.’

  As he said this, the colonel turned back to the map, his expression doleful. ‘Unfortunately, we also understand that Rabaul is poorly protected. From the intelligence we’ve received, there’s a small unit called Lark Force, with about twelve hundred men, a local expat unit of New Guinea Volunteer Rifles, a small anti-aircraft battery and a few coast watchers.’

  ‘But that’s ridiculous,’ Major Duffy spluttered. ‘It’s untenable.’

  ‘It is indeed,’ the colonel agreed. ‘Especially as the Japanese already have a huge force on Truk, only two hundred miles away.’

  ‘Surely more forces will be sent?’

  ‘Word is that Curtin doesn’t have the intention or the capacity to send extra troops.’

  Georgina’s heart began to thump madly. Her aunt had written so calmly, claiming that she and Teddy would be fine, but clearly they were in very grave danger indeed.

  Major Duffy was staring at the map, his forehead creased by a worried frown. ‘New Britain is a simple stepping stone to Australia.’

  ‘Exactly. We suspect the Australian government is either downplaying the risk, or simply underestimating it.’ Colonel Pinter squared his shoulders as if to impress on them what he had to say next. ‘Either way, we in the British Army need better intelligence about this situation.’

  It was an hour or two later before Georgina discovered exactly how this ‘better intelligence’ was to be acquired. She was trying to set up some kind of filing system in the shoebox-sized office she’d been allocated, when Major Duffy came back from a private meeting with Colonel Pinter.

  ‘I’m off to Rabaul in the morning,’ he told her.

  ‘You, sir?’ She knew it was insubordinate of her to question her boss, but she was so surprised it had jumped out. Fortunately, the major didn’t seem to mind.

  ‘Just a quick flight up and back. I’ll be travelling via Townsville and a flying boat from Port Moresby and I’m to liaise with Colonel Scanlan of the Lark Force. I want to evaluate the true situation in New Britain.’

  ‘I see, sir.’

  ‘As you must have gathered this morning, we’re not entirely happy with the way the Australian government is handling the Rabaul situation. They want to make a stand, but to us it looks rather hopeless. Unless they have something up their sleeves.’

  ‘Yes.’ Grabbing a quick breath, Georgina said, ‘May I come too, sir?’

  A shocked, scoffing sound broke from her boss. ‘Certainly not. Great Scot, Lenton.’

  ‘But, sir, it’s my job, isn’t it? If I were a man, you’d be taking me.’

  ‘But you’re not a man and we’ve had reports that Japanese Zeroes have already started bombing New Britain’s two airports.’

  ‘Then it’s even more important that I go.’

  ‘Don’t talk nonsense.’ Major Duffy frowned at her. ‘You’re not making sense.’

  ‘Sir, I have an aunt and uncle living on New Britain. Last time my aunt wrote, they had no plans to leave. I don’t think they realise how vulnerable they are.’

  ‘Well, I’m sorry to hear that, but I can’t wait while you try to find out where they are now.’

  ‘I know exactly where they are,’ Georgina said bravely. ‘So, let me come with you.’ The last thing Georgina wanted was to get on another aeroplane, but what choice did she have? She couldn’t bear to think of her beautiful Aunt Cora and gentle-natured Teddy falling into the hands of the Japanese. After she’d come all the way from England, she had to grab this chance. ‘I’m sure if I were able to speak to them, they’d listen.’

  Major Duffy gave an annoyed shake of his head and was in the process of turning away when he stopped and his eyes narrowed, as if he were remembering something. ‘What are your aunt and uncle’s names?’

  ‘Lord and Lady Harlow.’

  Now he stared at Georgina, his eyes blazing with disbelief. A mus­cle flexed in his jaw and she could see the fact that her family was titled was making an impact. It was some time before he spoke. ‘The plantation owners have all been evacuated.’

  ‘I don’t think so, sir. The letter from my aunt only came a few days before we left England and she said that she and Uncle Teddy planned to stay on New Britain. They’ve lived on the island for so long, you see, and they love the place and they feel loyal to the locals who work for them. Aunt Cora sounded quite determined.’

  ‘Good God.’

  The poor man looked both disturbed and shaken; Georgina could see that he believed her.

  ‘Please let me go with you, sir. I know they’ll get a terrible shock to see me, but I think I could use that to my advantage.’ Crossing her fingers behind her back, she said, ‘I’m confident I could persuade them to leave. Although, of course, that would be secondary to any other duties I might have to support your inquiry.’

  Major Duffy let out a heavy sigh.

  But at least he didn’t say no.

  Georgina had no idea what to expect when she reached Rabaul. Despite her aunt’s eloquent descriptions, she hadn’t really been prepared for the stunning natural beauty of New Guinea. Seen from the air, the colours of the rugged, dark emerald mountains and the glowing peacock-blue seas were more intense than she could have dreamed, so different from the muted, misty tones of the English countryside.

  But as the Catalina seaplane made its low swooping descent over the crescent-shaped island of New Britain, chilling signs of destruction became apparent, marring the pristine beauty.

  Smoke was rising, not only from the volcanoes that ringed Rabaul, but
from blackened buildings along the waterfront and a large ship moored at the wharf. There was no sign of the outriggers laden with fruit coming to greet them on the water. And on land, instead of the colourful market stalls that her aunt had described in her letter, Georgina saw soldiers in trucks, or stripped to the waist and digging trenches, while anxious-faced citizens rushed about, carrying boxes and cartons of food like frenzied ants.

  She could almost smell their urgency and fear. Word was out, she and the major were told by the Australian sergeant who greeted them at their moorings. Coast watchers had sent the latest warnings. A large Japanese invasion fleet was looming closer by the hour.

  All the military trucks were in use, so the sergeant drove them to the army HQ in a commandeered civilian car. Looking about her at the buzz of frantic activity, Georgina was hit by chilling reality. This was it. She was on the ground in a foreign war zone, no longer just hearing about it in a meeting room or reading about it in the newspapers.

  Now, for the first time, panic gripped her, bringing a flood of doubts. Had she been mad to come here? Was she risking her life foolishly? Was there even time to find her aunt and uncle? There might barely be time for Major Duffy to make his necessary reconnaissance with the Lark Force commander and get clear away again before the Japanese arrived.

  Unfortunately, she had to be patient while the major went into the large wooden hall that served as headquarters to organise an audience with Colonel Scanlan. Her need for a vehicle and a driver to take her to Kokopo was not their top priority.

  Meanwhile, the heat in New Britain was stifling – not the dry, burning heat of Canberra but humid and sweltering, the air thick and damp, making it hard to breathe. Sweat ran in rivulets down her back and between her breasts.

  She found a seat out of the blazing sun, in the shade of a large spreading tree, a tree heavy with fruit that might have been mangoes, she wasn’t sure. The faintest breeze blew up from the harbour and she undid the top button of her shirt and the buttons on the cuffs of her sleeves and rolled the sleeves back. At least no one here would reprimand her for not being properly in uniform.