The year was 1941. World War II was raging. I was a 23-year-old mother from Australia, but here my five-month-old baby and I were in prison in Gwelo, Southern Rhodesia (now Gweru, Zimbabwe). My husband was in prison in Salisbury (now Harare). Our other children—aged two and three—were being cared for by my two teenage stepchildren. Let me explain how I came to be in this situation.

Bertie and I Both Imprisoned

Once a month we traveled to the city of Bulawayo, about 50 miles [80 km] away, to sell our gold at the bank. We also went to Gwanda, a small town nearer to Filabusi, to get food supplies and to share in the ministry. In 1940, the year after World War II began, our preaching work was banned in Southern Rhodesia.

Not long afterward, I was arrested while preaching in Gwanda. I was then pregnant with my third child, Estrella. While my appeal was being considered, Bertie was arrested for preaching and imprisoned in Salisbury, over 200 miles [300 km] from where we were living.

This was our situation at the time: Peter was in the hospital in Bulawayo with diphtheria, and it was doubtful whether he would survive. I had just given birth to Estrella, and a friend had taken me from the hospital to the prison to show Bertie his new daughter. Later, when my appeal was rejected, a wealthy Indian storekeeper kindly paid my bail. In time, three police officers came to the mine to take me into custody. They gave me a choice. I could either take my five-month-old baby to prison or leave her in the care of our teenagers, Lyall and Donovan. I decided to take her.

I was assigned to work at mending clothes and cleaning. Also, a nursemaid was provided to help care for Estrella. She was a young inmate named Matossi, who was serving a life sentence for murdering her husband. Matossi cried when I was released, for she could no longer care for Estrella. The prison wardress took me to her home for lunch and then put me on the train to visit Bertie in the Salisbury prison.

While Bertie and I were in prison, little Peter and Pauline were cared for by Lyall and Donovan. Although Donovan was only 16, he continued our mining operations.