The narration(backgound fort siloso)

Elizabeth was born in Kudat in British North Borneo (today Sabah). Her great-grandparents had been assisting German missionaries in Hongkong and their work had brought them to North Borneo.

There, the Yong family set up a coconut plantation. Her father had been the eldest in a family of 11 children and after completing his early education in China with some English education in North Borneo, he gained employment as a civil servant.

He was transferred to Jesselton and later promoted to District Officer and moved on to Borneo's interiors in Kalimantan. Elizabeth was looked after by a Kadazan nanny and acquired Kadazan as her first language.

She worked as a canteen operator with her husband at the Mental Hospital which was renamed Miyako Hospital (the predecessor of Woodbridge Hospital) where patients from General Hospital had been moved to.

They secretly brought food, medicine, money, messages and even radios to British internees. Unfortunately, they were caught by the Japanese and Elizabeth was arrested on 15 November 1943, following her husband's arrest on 29 October a few weeks earlier.

Believing their activities were related to the Double Tenth incident, she was interrogated by the Kempeitai but she never admitted to being a British sympathiser. She was released only after 200 days of starvation diet and repeated torture. Her husband was released much later.

After the war, she was one of the privileged few who were invited to Britain to recuperate from the war and was invited to meet Queen Elizabeth II. She was a celebrated war heroine then and stood out as the only female to have been incarcerated for such an extended period.

She was decorated the Girl Guide Bronze Cross by the World Chief Guide, Lady Baden-Powell, in 1946. The Bronze Cross, the highest award of the Girl Guide Movement, is an award for gallantry. She was also conferred the Order of the British Empire.

Elizabeth Choy was a symbol of courage and truly a living testimony of the Guide Promise and Law to the final moments of her life, particularly, Guide Law #7-- “A Guide has courage and is cheerful in all difficulties”.

A remarkable, inspiring role model and a pioneer in Singapore Girl Guiding, her passing is a great loss to all of us. But let us, with thanksgiving, remember Mrs Elizabeth Choy; her life, living in commitment to the Promise and Law, shall be a legacy to us all. (rebecca will do the girl guide sign)