by Annie Seaton
As he walked towards the hotel, the sky was heavy with rain clouds and a low mist hung over Gloucester Island to the south. The beautiful weather of the past few days had broken and some of the men from New South Wales had asked if a cyclone was coming. The few old locals in the pub last night had shaken their heads and laughed.
‘When a cyclone is on the way, don’t worry, you’ll know about it,’ an old fellow with missing teeth had cackled. ‘This is nothing but a bit of a rain shower.’
There was a division between the men who had stayed back in Bowen and not gone to war, and the newcomers. Jack could understand it. He knew how he would have felt if a lot of cocky young men had come to Cessnock and settled in as though it was their right.
Jack pushed open the door of the hotel and headed to the large room at the back that had been set up as the mission room. He took a seat in the middle, wishing his father and Richard could see him now.
Wing Commander Jim Butler entered and crossed to the table at the front. The four flight officers took the seats in the front row. Jack leaned forward as the commander turned and unrolled a map hanging at the front of the room. His demeanour, his crisp uniform—despite the heat—and his words showed him to be more formal than Smiley had ever been.
‘Good morning, gentlemen. Thank you for being so prompt.’ He looked to the group of men sitting behind the flight officers. ‘To those of you who are new to the base, and to the new NCOs, I must remind you of the sensitivity of any information that is discussed in this room. You may think that everyone in this small country town is part of the war effort—and at this point, I am sure there is no need to remind you that we have taken over an entire town—but it is critical that you keep tightlipped on everything disclosed here. Do not trust anyone enough to discuss anything with them. Anything at all. Is that clear?’
As the men sitting in the room nodded, the wing commander took an ironed white handkerchief from his top pocket and wiped his brow. ‘We know that the Japanese are moving into the south-west Pacific a lot faster than we expected. Indeed, there have been reports of Japanese coast watchers in the Whitsunday Passage over the past month.’
A couple of men in front of Jack put their hands up. ‘May we ask where, sir?’
‘Some of you are new and may not know the islands yet, but the Whitsunday Passage is a way for our naval ships to come north and is inside the reef.’ He picked up a wooden pointer and ran it down to the middle of the map from Townsville to Mackay. ‘The Great Barrier Reef itself provides a natural barrier, which will no doubt deter the Japanese from invasion on this point of the coast. But we cannot be complacent. The Royal Australian Navy is using the Passage and considering an anchorage at Cid Harbour on the leeward side of Whitsunday Island. It is a safe and deep anchorage, and will be used when they need protection from the weather on their way north.’
Jack craned forward as the commander’s voice deepened. ‘A couple of weeks ago, a suspicious person was spotted by some local fishermen climbing down Whitsunday Peak on the island which overlooks Cid Harbour. In fact, it looks over the whole Passage and I have no doubt that they could probably see our PBYs taking off from here if they were on the peak.’
Jack had to bite his tongue. He knew you could see Bowen if you were up there.
Bloody hell. That was where they’d climbed after Christmas with Liliana and Tat Ellis. No, you couldn’t actually see the Cats on the ground from up there, but as soon as they took to the air, they’d be easily visible from the peak on a clear day.
He had to warn Liliana. God, she and her sisters and the young twins scampered all over that island.
‘Will it be addressed, sir?’ an airman from the other squadron asked.
‘That is correct,’ was the commander’s short reply before he continued with the briefing. ‘The threat of danger to the Australian mainland is creeping ever closer with the southward expansion of the Japanese. We know they’re attempting to cut the supply line with America by establishing bases in the south-west Pacific islands. So, from next week, the responsibility of 11 and 20 Squadrons is tracking the Japanese fleet.’
A shiver of trepidation ran through Jack. The bloody Japanese were getting closer every day. The move to Bowen was to base and service the eight remaining Catalinas in 11 and 20 Squadrons here until the situation in the north became more secure. Roger and Charlie had been seconded to the work crew building the timber slipway for the aircraft maintenance hard stand on the harbour shore.
‘Bloody hard work,’ Charlie had said last night over dinner.
‘We have to have somewhere to slip the boats close to the harbour.’ Jack’s knowledge had grown in the time he’d been in New Guinea. He waited for the wing commander to continue.
‘The crew lists have been posted on the noticeboard at the back of the room. From tomorrow, you will each have three days’ leave. You may go off base, but on your return, you’ll be on call for missions out at any time of the day or night. Make good use of it, it may be a while before you have leave again. Rest up and prepare, men. We have a long road—and a long fight—ahead.’ He nodded and put down the wooden pointer. ‘Flight Lieutenant Jarvis will now take you through some protocols.’
Jack’s excited anticipation soon dissipated as the officer handed a small booklet first to him and then to the three other non-commissioned officers from the two squadrons.
‘We are at war, men, and the enemy is getting closer. As you are going into enemy territory, there are some protocols you must be aware of. Our country’s future is in your hands.’
Jack turned over the small book. It had a dark grey cover and on the front was a heading in block letters: THIS PUBLICATION MUST NOT BE TAKEN INTO THE AIR OR INTO THE COMBAT ZONE.
‘Over the next three days while you are on leave, I expect you to memorise every word.’ His smile was tight and held no warmth. ‘You will be examined on Saturday morning. Anyone who does not get a perfect score will no longer be a part of the crew. There is a need for as much labour to build the hard stand as we can get so there will be a ground-based job for any of you who do not memorise that booklet. Every word. Is that clear?’
Jack opened the book and quickly flicked through it as he nodded along with the other three NCOs. His stomach roiled as he read some of the phrases.
Be Silent!
Don’t Weaken!
Keep Calm!
Rights of Prisoners of War: your most important rights are: you are not to be compelled by force or threat of force to give any information other than your NAME, RANK and SERIAL NUMBER.
‘Has anyone told this to the Nips?’ Megsy’s voice came from behind Jack and he was surprised when he wasn’t reprimanded.
‘We can only hope so,’ said the lieutenant. ‘Officers, please join me for breakfast in the Officer’s Mess. NCOs, you are dismissed.’
Megsy nudged him as they followed the officers from the room. ‘I think I need a drink. What about you?’
Jack nodded. ‘I’m with you, mate.’
* * *
Jack stopped drinking late afternoon because he wanted to read the booklet that was burning a hole in his pocket. In the end, the other two new blokes had joined them at the pub, and Jack had drunk way more than he was used to. Megsy’s stories had kept them all entertained. It was only when the publican’s wife asked if they wanted dinner that Jack realised he’d been there all day. On the way back home, he climbed to the top of Flagstaff Hill Lookout to try and sober up a bit. He looked south to the islands and thought about Liliana again; if he could get down there again, he’d spend his three days’ leave on the island. It would be a quiet place to focus on learning the contents of the book before the test. He had no worry about his ability to memorise it; that was the easy part. He belched and the sour taste of too much beer touched his throat. He had to tell her to be careful.
By the time he got back to the boarding house and copped a disapproving eye from Mrs Atkins, Charlie and Roger were sitting on the enclosed back porch, shirtle
ss and each holding a large bottle of beer. A rattan fan whirled lazily above but the air it moved was hot and humid.
‘All right for some.’ Charlie gave him the stink-eye too.
‘I have some news,’ Jack replied. He pulled out another chair and straddled it. ‘I’m sure you blokes are allowed to know, because you’ll be doing the servicing.’ He looked curiously at Roger. ‘You must be nearly finished building the hard stand?’
Roger tipped his beer and took a swig. ‘It is. We’ve started work on the slipway, thank God. It’s much cooler working in the water than on that fucking hot sand.’
‘Well, I can tell you it’ll be finished by Saturday of next week.’
‘Yep, we’re working for the next seven days straight we’ve been told.’
‘Shame.’ Jack grinned. A rare surge of happiness—maybe from the beer, or more likely from the prospect of seeing Liliana again— rose in him.
‘Why’s that?’ Charlie stretched his arms up and pulled a face. ‘Shit.’
Jack grimaced at the top of Charlie’s shoulders, blistered from sunburn just like Megsy’s.
‘I’m going back to the islands for a couple of days. But don’t worry. I’ll be working as hard as you blokes when I get back. We’re on notice that we’ll be called out day and night.’
‘I think I’d rather be working here than up in the air with you blokes. We worried about you up north. Wondered what was happening up in Moresby. Not a lot of information gets through down here. But good for you that you get to go back to the island,’ Roger said quietly as he stood and pulled his shirt from the back of the chair. ‘Come on, let’s go and see what the old bat’s cooked up for dinner.’
‘Smells different,’ Jack said as he waited for the other two men to put their shirts on. Roger’s words had dispelled his brief contentment. ‘And yes, it was pretty nasty up there.’
‘It’s good to have you back, mate.’ Charlie followed Jack down the hall to the small dining room.
Mrs Atkins waited by the kitchen door until they all sat at the table, her mouth pursed in a disapproving line. The three of them smiled politely as she put a bowl of meat floating in grey liquid in the centre of the table.
‘So back to the islands, hey, Jack? Lucky you. Think of us working up here.’ Charlie pulled a face when Mrs Atkins went back into the kitchen and he dug his fork into the stew and sniffed at it. ‘Jesus, that stuff smells worse than it looks.’
‘When are you going?’ Roger asked.
‘On the dawn steamer in the morning.’
CHAPTER
18
15 May, 1942
South Molle Island was a more established resort than the Ellis bungalows at Sawmill Bay and, being closer to the mainland, it had more guests. Lily had started work in the kitchen early in the new year—Dad had secured the position for her to help the Bauers now that some of the local workers had joined the war effort, and to earn herself some money. Much to her surprise, she had settled in and was enjoying the work. Here she was treated like an adult, and the pay packet meant she could save for new books, although being at the sink for a couple of hours at a time did test her patience when it was her turn for scullery duty.
To Lily’s disappointment, four months had passed since Jack’s visit and she wondered if he’d ever come back. Maybe he’d moved away to another base. More likely, he’d found her a bit childish. All she hoped was that he was safe. The occasional newspaper that made its way to the island frightened her more each time she read the headlines. They’d made no plans to write to each other, and the weight of regret seemed to get heavier as each day passed.
‘Lil, where are you?’ Her sister’s voice came from inside the house. Lily rolled over and shoved her book under the bed. For some reason, her reading tastes had taken a different turn lately, and she’d taken to raiding the bookcase in Mama’s sewing room. Her dorm mates had seen Gone with the Wind at the Rialto theatre in West End one winter when Lily had been late going back to school. It was all she’d heard for weeks once she’d gone back to All Hallows’.
Amelia had stood on her bed with her hands clasped to her chest. ‘And he said, “No, I don’t think I will kiss you, although you need kissing, badly. That’s what’s wrong with you. You should be kissed and often, by someone who knows what he’s doing.”’
Peggy’s shoulders had dropped along with her dramatic sigh. ‘If Rhett Butler or Clark Gable said that to me, I’d be much more sensible than Scarlett O’Hara. She made me so angry, the silly woman!’
Now Lily understood what all the fuss had been about. She adored the book, and had read by torchlight until the early hours this morning. As soon as she’d woken up, she’d picked it up again.
‘Lil, are you still in bed!’ Tat’s voice was full of indignation.
‘Yes, I am. What’s wrong?’
‘Mama and Daddy are catching the early launch to the mainland so they can take the fish to the train. You’ve got to come with me, we have to bring some boxes of veggies back to the house. Hurry up, Lil. I’m not doing it by myself.’
‘Okay, okay, I’m on my way.’ Lily climbed out of bed and pulled on a pair of shorts and a cotton top that she tied in a knot above her waist. Her hair was loose and tangled, and she gritted her teeth as the hairbrush caught in the knots. Finally, she gave up and pulled it up into a messy ponytail and slipped on a pair of canvas shoes.
‘They’re already out in the shed getting the fish from the ice box. They said to let you sleep in because you’re working hard. But I know you were reading, I saw the light last night when I got up for a drink of water.’
Lily wandered out, yawning and put her hands up to protect her eyes from the bright sunlight. Tatiana was sitting on the front porch waiting and she pointed to the bay. ‘Look, the steamer is rounding the point already. Mama and Daddy are down on the jetty. Hurry up!’
‘All right, all right, Miss Bossy Pants.’
Tatiana flashed her a grin, jumped down the steps in one leap, and then ran ahead down the grassy hill to Sawmill Bay below the house. Lily followed slowly. The clouds and misty rain of yesterday had cleared and the mountains on the mainland were clear and vivid green, promising a fine hot day. Once she’d done her chores and checked on the boys and kept Tatiana happy, she’d get her book and wander down the hill to her special place, the place they’d named Butterfly Glade when they were small children. She had four whole free days stretching ahead. She didn’t have to go back to South Molle to work till Saturday and with Mama gone to the mainland, a whole wonderful day with Rhett and Scarlett beckoned.
Lily sighed. Of course she’d be expected to do chores today. She pulled a face as she walked along the path to the shore. Mama’s favourite proverb was the one about idle hands. Her fears were confirmed when she caught up to Tatiana on the jetty where Mama and Dad were stacking the fish boxes.
Lily looked past them to the launch approaching across the narrow channel. Her heart jumped into her throat and she put her hand up to the messy hair that she’d scraped back into a ponytail of sorts.
Jack was leaning over the side and waving to her.
Jack.
This time, he was wearing his uniform and he looked so … so grown-up. Her heart set up a funny beat and the shaky feeling ran down from her chest to her knees, but she jumped onto the jetty and waved madly to him as the smile spread across her face.
He’d come back to see her again, just like he’d promised.
‘Look, Dad. Jack’s come to visit again,’ Tat called out. She had spotted him at the same time. Lily caught the sharp look that Mama directed at her and then across to Jack, but Dad’s smile was wide and welcoming as he hoisted the last box to the pile and waved.
‘Jack, welcome back,’ he called across the channel.
The launch made its way carefully between the coral heads at the head of their bay and Mama walked over to Lily.
‘Liliana, today I want you to do some baking and fill the cake tins. Then you and Tatiana can clean
out the pantry. Keep your brothers and Kat inside all day. They’ve got some school lessons to do. You can supervise them while you bake.’
Lily straightened her shoulders. ‘Yes, Mama.’ Nothing was going to take the gloss off her day. She didn’t care what chores were thrown at her. Jack was here.
Jack. Lily relished the excitement that was running through her.
‘And Lil?’ Mama’s voice was soft. ‘Remember what I said to you and Tat about being ladies?’ Lily nodded and Mama pulled her in for a close hug. ‘You’re a good girl.’ Mama turned to Tat. ‘Tatiana, you do as your sister tells you today. She’s in charge and there are enough chores to keep you both busy.’
‘Yes, Mama.’ There was no enthusiasm in her sister’s voice as she shot a cranky look at Lily.
Jack jumped off the launch onto the jetty and put his bag down. Lily watched as he shook Dad’s hand and then helped him load the crates of fish onto the raised platform at the front of the boat, anticipation curling in her tummy.
Mama took the mail from the skipper and leafed through the envelopes.
‘Lil. Mail for you,’ she called, holding up a pink envelope.
Amelia!
Lily dragged her eyes from Jack and walked over to Mama.
‘Take the rest up with you and put them on your father’s desk, please.’ Mama held out a pile of envelopes and a Courier Mail. ‘Who’s yours from?’
Lily turned the pink envelope over with interest. ‘My friend, Amelia, from school. She stayed in Brisbane when school finished up for the holidays. She and Peggy volunteered to work at the Red Cross Café instead of going back out west to their parents’ properties.’
Mama’s eyebrows headed for her hairline. ‘Their parents let them stay in the city? Unsupervised?’
Lily nodded. ‘They did.’ She pushed the letter into the back pocket of her shorts, tempted to tell her mother that she was sixteen years old and some girls that age were living in the city without having their every move monitored, but she bit her tongue.
Mama greeted Jack with a polite smile and Lily bit her lip as her cheeks heated.