Star-Phoenix from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada • 116

May 2 to May 8, 2003 canada.comtvtimes 27 by Alison Cunningham TV Preview History lesson Rescue at Sumatra traces the heroic feats of one female war veteran the many things that may have been pre-: dieted about the war in Iraa. no one could have guessed it would ignite a debate bought into the anti-military rhetoric," she says. "It's been really transformational for me to work on this and to meet the veterans and the people involved. It totally changed my perspective in a positive way. "We've heard the traditional stories of women in war on the homefront and as nurses.

We came about this story by happenstance. There's a fellow at the military museum in Regina who had an article about Joan Bamford-Fletcher. I think people will find it compelling, given the parallels with what's happening now." Fletcher served in Scotland before being sent to the Far East at the end of the Second World War. She went to Sumatra to oversee the evacuation of Dutch citizens with the help of just 70 Japanese soldiers, who were formerly the internees' captors and guards. The task was a perilous one, due in part to the mountainous terrain that had to be traversed to get to the nearest port.

It was all the more dangerous because of the volatile Dolitical climate after the war, with about women warriors. But soon after photos of American prisoners of war Jessica Lynch and Shoshana Johnson appeared in newspapers, diatribes for and against women in combat filled opinion pages everywhere. Whether or not one believes women should be on the frontline, it's worth remembering they've played important roles in all the major wars of the 20th century. The heroic endeavours of one female Canadian veteran are detailed in Rescue at Sumatra: The Joan Bamford-Fletcher Story. The timely film is the final instalment of History Television's five-part Canadian Women of Courage series, and offers a respectful tribute to the Saskatchewan-bom woman who evacuated 2,000 people from an internment camp in the Dutch East Indies after the Second World War.

Provocative and interesting, the vs. S5fe -mm- vf mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmKKmmmiir the nationals declaring their independence from Holland. In a particularly prescient moment in the film, historian Oliver says that "in the aftermath of war, don't just assume that peace breaks out. It takes a long time." Fletcher eventually made 20 trips by convoy to evacuate all the internees with the guards and their former prisoners suddenly relying on each other for safety. She managed to complete the mission over several weeks, earning the respect of the Japanese soldiers by continuing even after she'd been injured.

In recognition of her courage, the leader of the Japanese soldiers presented her with a samurai sword, which is on display at the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. Rescue at Sumatra ends with a bit of a mystery, however. After the war's end, Fletcher served with the FANYs in Poland. She eventually fled that country, fearing arrest by Communist leaders. Details of what duties Fletcher performed while in Poland are still protected by the Official Secrets Act.

Fletcher: reservoir of courage Tibbenham; old friends from the FANY; Beryl Escott, a former squadron leader and respected author; former internee Lou Lanzing; and Canadian War Museum historian Dr. Dean Oliver. Tibbenham, who kept a thick scrapbook of newspaper articles detailing her younger sister's escapades, describes Fletcher as fearless. "She had to see beyond the horizon," Tibbenham recalls. "She was always wandering off and doing her own thing." The film also includes an interesting mix of war-era photographs and archival footage of the internment camp and the Dutch East Indies.

Along with its incredible black-and-white images, Rescue at Sumatra is filled with thought-provoking observations about humankind's inclination to go to war. While some of these comments reflect the darker side of human nature, others are inspiring. "I think that, strangely enough, there's a reservoir of courage in everyone," Escott says in the film. "But it's only in certain situations that people suddenly find themselves face-to-face with a decision and rise to it. In a second, they can be heroines or heroes." So powerful is much of the material that Campbell was deeply affected by it all.

"I came through the Vietnam era and sort of one-hour documentary offers several eyewitness accounts of Fletcher's all-but-forgotten heroism, which earned her honours as a Member of the Order of the British Empire. "Her story wasn't unknown at the time," says filmmaker Barbara Campbell, who co-wrote and directed Rescue at Sumatra with Daryl K. Davis. "There were lots of newspaper articles about her. People around the globe knew about her.

Yet, the story was forgotten. It's a real privilege to collect these stories and to bring them back so that people know about them." Fletcher headed to England during the Second World War, where she became an officer with the British First Aid Nursing Yeomanry. The FANYs comprise the oldest uniformed women's organization in the United Kingdom. It was formed during the First World War to transport (on horseback) injured soldiers from the frontlines to care stations. During the Second World War, its members served as everything from ambulance drivers to spies.

Today, their primary duty is communications. Rescue at Sumatra paints a vivid picture of Fletcher's character and life. It offers a more intimate look than many films of this kind, thanks to insights offered by those who knew Fletcher best. Some of those interviewed include her sister, Madge RESCUE AT SUMATRA: THE JOAN BAMFORD-FLETCHER STORY Wednesday; History Television.