“I’ll be in Ellie’s cafe on the Kilburn High Road, join me when you’ve finished. I have to go back to Fovant”

He is back at Fovant for training and the first day he is there, the troops line up for their lesson. A soldier leans his head over to Tom and whispers “how’s yer father, Tom?”

Tom leans his head over and whispers back “not too bad, I think he’ll make it”

The sergeant barks “men, you’ve got new ‘ats, go and pick yours up at the stores”

The troops march off to the stores hut and each man is issued with a tin hat, then march back to the parade area.

The soldier next to Tom says “you look lovely in yours dear”

“Get out of it” he replies then jokes “do you really think so?”, and then he hits the man on his helmet with his knuckles. All laugh as the rest of the men put on their new helmets. The sergeant comes along and shouts “the army has issued you with new ‘ats. When you get to the Front you will wear them at all times, they will save your lives”.

What the soldiers haven’t noticed is a pile of equipment nearby on the grass.

“Now you ladies ‘ave finished admiring yourselves, we ‘ave gas training”

The sergeant picks up one of the pieces of equipment. It is a box into which he puts his hand; he pulls out a face mask with two glass eye holes. Joining the two is a hose.

“This gentlemen is your new gas mask, a box respirator. Better than the old one and more durable. The hun are using a new kind of gas that is more lethal than the previous one…”

The sergeant’s face becomes more serious than normal,

“So we are going to spend the day doing gas drill. Now pick yourself a mask”

Tom fears the gas even though he has never experienced it, seeing his father is enough to put him off. The soldiers go over to the pile and pick up a box each then gradually move back into formation. The sergeant straps his box to his chest, the soldiers follow suit. Another soldier is standing nearby next to a bell mounted on a branch of a tree.

“When you hear the alarm” says the sergeant as he turns to the soldier, who then starts to ring the bell briefly,

“You pull out your mask” which he does, “and slide the mask over your head”

He pulls the mask easily over his head, and with a heavily muffled voice he tells the troops to put their masks on. The sergeant takes his mask off and asks the soldiers to also take theirs off. He pulls out a stopwatch and says “now, I’m going to time you. I want you to get your masks on in seven seconds. Do you hear me?”

“YES SERGEANT”

“Seven seconds now” a pause as he holds up his watch “GAS! GAS! GAS!”

The men fumble with their masks, some dropping the mask on the floor but eventually getting on their protective headgear. As the last man finishes the sergeant stops his watch.

“That was pathetic. Take your masks off and we’ll try that again”

Bong, bong, bong goes the bell and the men go through the procedure again. And again. And again. They keep doing it until the sergeant is happy that the men can perform the operation flawlessly in the time required.

“That’s it. You lovely ladies are getting BETTER!”

The soldiers are relieved; they drop their masks on the floor.

“Who said we’ve finished?” bellows the sergeant

“We’ll keep going until you can do it in your sleep”

The platoon carry on with gas training for the rest of the afternoon.

With training ended for the day, Tom sits down under the trees with a view of the hill. He knows that tomorrow will be gas training again, and probably the next day too. He looks at the badges in the side of the hill and pulls out pen and paper from his bag then starts to write:

“Dearest Ellen”

He stops and puts his pen to his mouth.

“I hope this letter finds you well. We have been busy training today and I’m tired. We have been putting gas masks on and off all day. You know, the lads call the mask a goggle-eyed booger. Funny name, even so, I hate them. I can’t get the image of my father out of my head.

I have made some new friends here. There’s Frank Herbert from near us, somewhere in Willesden. I don’t know him but he knows me. Then there’s Joseph Newell, he’s from Kent. Frank and Joe get on like a house on fire; they are always ribbing each other.

There is still no news about whether we go to the Front yet but I don’t mind telling you, I am a little scared. Still, for King and country, I will do my duty.

Your loving husband, Tom”

Wednesday December the 13th, Liz is getting married to Bertie. Tom is there on leave, not in uniform though but he does wear his regimental badge on his breast pocket. Back at home where the reception takes place, Tom shakes Bertie by the hand,

“Congratulations Bertie” he says

“Thanks Tom”

“I hope she’s as kind to you as she was to me”

“What do you mean?” asks Liz

“Sis, you know I’m only joking. I hope you two will be happy together and well done”

He kisses his sister on the cheek

“Now!” he says “where’s the drink?”

He marches over to the beer barrel and pours himself a drink. His mother eyes him suspiciously. Tom turns and says “hello mother”

He walks over to his father who is now out of hospital, but still looks ill

“How are you father?”

“Better, much better”

“Are you out of the army now?”

“Yes, they found out my age. A bit late really”

“Yes” says Tom “they should have stopped you joining in the first place”

“Oh, you don’t mean that”

“We-ell, I’m just glad you’re back”

“You’re not off to the Front yet then?”

“No word”

The two men sup their beer

Tom doesn’t go back to Fovant and stays on leave for Christmas, after nearly a year of training, he is enjoying this time off. He decides he’ll pop into the sorting office to see his old colleagues.

“Hello Tom” says Vernon “you on leave?”

“Yes, for Christmas”

“So, you’re not at the Front yet?” asks Ralph

“No, I’m still waiting for my orders. I’ve heard the German army is about to collapse, I’ll probably help mop up the mess afterwards”

“Eh, you’ll kill a few Germans for us, won’t you?” cuts in Lionel

The postal workers put on their coats.

“Fancy a pint Tom? We’re going down to the pub” says Ralph

“No, not me. Not yet, I’m going home first, my wife’s cooking dinner…..and then down the pub”

The little party get to the first pub and it’s full of merry revellers right up to the front door.

“Oh, it’s full, next pub lads” shouts Vernon

They cross over the Kilburn High Road and head down Kilburn Park Road discussing the new Prime minister and their plans for Christmas. Just past the underground station to the next pub, the Prince of Wales, which is also full.

“Oh bad luck” says Tom

“Never mind, onward to the Carlton” says Vernon

Tom says “this is where I turn off. You chaps have a good time and have a good Christmas”

“Don’t you worry’ we will. You have a good one too Tom” says Lionel

Tom turns right down Carlton Vale while the small party turn left going down the opposite way. He turns round and sees the men walk through the door of the pub and he smiles to himself.

“I can see those boys getting themselves into trouble with their wives”

In the distance Tom can hear a droning. He’s heard a similar noise before with aeroplanes, but this sounds different. He turns round and sees either a plane in the distance or an extremely large plane that was closer. It has distinctive black crosses on the wings and there are explosions following it.

“German bomber planes”

He rushes to the nearest cover he can find. It is a Gotha plane, Germany’s newest weapon. He looks in horror as the bombs explode down Carlton Vale, and then blow up the pub then the plane continues north-west destroying houses in its path as it flies on.

“NO” shouts Tom. He runs towards the pile of rubble that was once ‘The Carlton’. He scrabbles at bricks and throws them behind him. People are now coming out of their houses and joining in with the rescue effort.

Fire engines are now appearing and Tom’s hands are getting cut from the rubble but he won’t give up, the firemen join in with the rescue. After two hours, several bodies have been recovered and laid on the ground, covered up and lifeless. Tom stands there with his hands in his pockets brooding. To think, only a few hours ago he was having a conversation with them.

He walks home wearily and relays the events to Ellen. He has trouble eating his food but after a while he manages it.

“And just before Christmas as well” he says “I’m going to give those Germans what for when I see them”