Doctor Behind the Wire

Book excerpt: The first complete account of the Jack and Elizabeth Ennis story—a WWII tale of love, danger, and internment in Japanese-occupied Singapore. From meeting in upcountry Malaya amid the rain forest and the orchids to their marriage in Singapore just days before it fell to the Japanese—and then through the long separation of internment—this is the story of Jack and Elizabeth Ennis’s World War II experience, told primarily through Jack’s diaries. Published here for the first time, the diaries record the daily struggles against disease, injuries, and malnutrition and also the support and camaraderie of friends and enjoyment of concerts, lectures, and sports, Ever observant, he also records details of wildlife. The inspiration for the ‘Changi Quilts,’ the story of the Girl Guide quilt (now in the Imperial War Museum) is told in Elizabeth’s words, written after the war. Elizabeth’s former employer, Robert Heatlie Scott, distinguished Far East diplomat, was also a POW in Changi, much of the time spent in solitary confinement or under interrogation by the Japanese. The individual experiences of these three are dramatic enough. Together they combine in an amazing story of courage, love, and lifelong friendship. Includes photographs