In Penang too, there was internal bickering, a refusal to allocate sufficient funds to civic defence and a neglect of air defences, rendering the island vulnerable to attack. The authorities were guilty of bungling – trenches had been dug, only to be filled in again, and there was a general refusal to face the possibility of invasion.
Life for Evie had, until now, been completely focused on her two children. No thought of leaving Malaya had entered her head. Penang was their home. It was her husband’s final resting place and she and Jasmine tended his grave regularly. Besides, where would she go? To return to Britain was unthinkable. Not only was there danger there, the voyage itself was long and beset with risks. Her family’s livelihood depended on the income from the rubber estates and since Douglas had always intended his son to inherit and manage these eventually, Evie wanted to stay true to his intentions. That meant staying put.
But on the morning after the attack on Pearl Harbour, Evie was woken at seven, not by the crying of Hugh, but by the scream of sirens. Was the unthinkable happening? Penang under attack. Pulling on her dressing gown, she picked up her son, who miraculously had remained asleep throughout the air raid warning, but now began grizzling. Soothing him, she went across the landing to Jasmine’s bedroom. The little girl, already dressed, was standing at the window, looking up at the sky.
‘What’s happening, Mummy? What was that noise?’
Evie hated to frighten the child but if the war had come to them it would be impossible to shelter Jasmine from its realities. ‘It’s an air-raid warning. It’s to make sure we are ready to take shelter if the Japanese attack.’
‘Will they attack us, Mummy? Are we going to die like Daddy? Karen Morrison in my class said her granny got killed by a bomb in England. Will they drop bombs on us here?’
Evie’s throat constricted. ‘No!’ She tried to inject confidence into her voice but in truth she was absolutely terrified. She had been a child herself in the last war but that happened over the Channel in another country.
‘It’s probably just a test – to make sure everyone has time to take shelter if we need to.’ As she said the words, she realised how hollow they sounded. If George Town was attacked there were no civilian shelters. ‘Let’s go downstairs and have some breakfast.’
‘Am I going to school today?’
Evie hadn’t even thought of that question. But in an instant she decided. ‘No, darling, you can stay at home with Mummy and Hugh today.’ Until she knew exactly what was going on she wasn’t going to be separated from her children.
When they came downstairs, Aunty Mimi, Cookie and Benny were standing in the hallway, talking animatedly.
‘Do you know what’s happening?’ Evie asked.
‘I count eight planes in sky. Fly to south of island.’ Benny looked angry. ‘Japanese attack airfield at Bayan Lepas. Very bad.’
‘Aunty Mimi, can you give the children their breakfast. I’m going to use the telephone.’
Evie went into the study and sat down at the desk. She felt lost without Douglas. Who to call? She wished she hadn’t pushed Arthur Leighton away. She didn’t even know to reach him in Singapore. He must surely know what was happening. After all he worked for the governor. Maybe if she rang the exchange and asked for Sir Shenton Thomas’s office they’d put her through. She told herself not to be foolish – even if she were able to reach Arthur he would be far too preoccupied with the Japanese invasion attempts to tell her what a single precautionary sounding of the air raid siren meant. And Benny was probably right. They were headed to the airfield in the south of the island. They’d be safe here in George Town. Better to call Reggie Hyde-Underwood who was in the Volunteers and would surely know what was going on. As she about to pick it up, the telephone rang.
‘Evie, we’re closing the school today,’ Mary Helston said. ‘Don’t send Jasmine in.’
‘What’s happening, Mary? What were the sirens for?’
‘I don’t know. I can’t talk now. I have to call all the other parents. I’ll come over as soon as I’ve finished.’ Her voice was strained, anxious.
Little more than an hour later, Mary was at the door. The two women embraced.
‘God, Evie, I’m worried sick. They’ve attacked the airfield at Butterworth as well as Bayan Lepas. It took an absolute pummelling. I could see fires burning across the Strait as I drove over here. Frank…’
Evie held her friend tightly. ‘Frank’s there, not in Singapore?’
‘He’s in Butterworth. He got back from training in Singapore two days ago.’ Mary began to cry. Silent tears that ran down her cheeks. She didn’t attempt to brush them away. ‘He told me they’d be sitting ducks if the Japanese were to attack. Those Buffalo things they fly are out of the ark. They have no chance against the Japanese Mitsubishis.’ She gave a strangled sob and Evie led her to a seat and sat down beside her, putting an arm around her friend.
Mary was shaking. ‘The Japanese planes smashed the American fleet to bits, so what chance do Frank and the other chaps have in their bloody useless, clapped-out excuses for planes?’
‘Do you really think they’ve attacked the airfield?’
‘I know they have. Apart from my seeing the fires, Dad is plugged
