Courage in the Shadows

A Eurasian Woman’s Life of Bravery and Endurance on China’s Southern Fringe
The true life story of a Eurasian woman who served as a spy mistress in WW2 for the British Army Aid Group, a little-known but highly successful British Military intelligence operation in what’s often referred to as The Forgotten War.

Drawing on letters, records and memories, Courage in the Shadows tells the remarkable true story of a brave and resourceful woman, Phyllis Nolasco Da Silva, who lived at the crossroads of cultures and conflicts.

Born in Shanghai into a family with a fascinating history, she learnt much about determination and championing the disenfranchised from her father, who was key to establishing equal rights for Eurasians in Hong Kong. 

After marrying, she lived in Macau, where, following the fall of Hong Kong in WWII, she was recruited into a highly successful resistance network linked to British Military Intelligence. Working covertly, managing agents and safe houses, she often faced great danger as Japanese forces advanced. In recognition of her bravery, she received the King’s Medal for Courage in the Cause of Freedom – a prestigious civilian award.

Phyllis later fought a longer and more challenging battle with similar fortitude as she coped with her husband’s mental illness and its heartbreaking consequences.

Told with intimacy, insight and reverence by her son, this story illuminates a forgotten chapter in the history of the Far East.

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