The ship was strafed by yellow face
Nurses with patients swam for shore
Radji Beach - Banka Island; safe place
Twenty-one nurses and wounded galore.

Joined by one-hundred brave British men
All decided to surrender to Japanese
Japanese found the motley fen
Wounded, dying; Vivian spoke with ease.

Bowing low she found her voice
"We surrender, help us please."
Bandy-legged, gibbering by choice
Japanese marched the men to the seas.

Machine guns spat deadly fire
Allied troops - blood-red foam
Bullwinkle screamed "Japanese liar"
Nurses watched their men go home.

Smoking guns coughed and spat
All the dead men floated still
Japanese kicked nurses where they sat
The women rose with steadfast will.

Twenty-two nurses waded into sea
They knew they would join the men
The guns opened fire - Japanese glee
Silence reigned over them.

Bullwinkle was hit - not dead
She played 'doggo' - hour or more
The waves washed her dose of lead
She made her way to the shore.

Found a soldier she could nurse
They clung together watching still
Bullwinkle let out a wailing curse
"Bastard brutes - I would kill!"

Twelve days they spent waiting for relief
Bullwinkle needed to reach the boat crew
They surrendered to the yellow thief
POW camp became their stew.