Sam hoped he’d hidden his pleasure that Ruth had agreed to meet him again. ‘You’ve got my name and number and I’ve got yours so writing to each other will be easy. You won’t get any leave whilst you’re training but you should get at least a week before your permanent posting. If we’re lucky, my leave will coincide with yours and we could meet up in the Smoke.’
‘I’m going on the corporal cadre as soon as I’m qualified to do whatever I’m going to be doing in the future. I don’t think there’s any restriction to NCOs going out with each other.’
‘There certainly isn’t, so unless you become an officer, which I think’s quite likely…’
She shook her head. ‘I’ve absolutely no intention of doing that. My friend Grace is going to become an officer but I decided a long time ago I didn’t want to be one.’
‘I’ll say goodbye now as I don’t have to come into the train with you,’ he said, not sure if he would risk a small kiss before he left. He handed her bag to the waiting porter and she showed him her ticket.
‘This way, madam, I’ll take you to your designated seat.’
‘Thank you, I’m just going to say goodbye to my friend.’
She closed the few inches between them and hugged him. He held her close for a few seconds and stepped away.
‘Today is the best day of my life, Ruth, I think this might be the start of something really special, don’t you?’
Her eyes shone and she smiled. ‘I keep talking about my best friend, Grace, but it’s quite extraordinary, really. She met her future husband, Squadron Leader Christopher Holloway, and within hours they were inextricably linked. She’s only known him a few weeks and already they’re planning to get married.’
He clapped his hand to his forehead and made a pretence of staggering back in shock. ‘Married? I only asked you to write to me.’
She giggled and he grinned. ‘You never know your luck, Bombardier Johnson. Maybe in a decade I might have decided I do want to get married and possibly to you.’
The porter had appeared at the door and was looking impatient. ‘You’d better go, Ruth, and so had I. Thank you for an exciting and possibly life-changing few hours.’
She squeezed his hand, smiled and jumped into the train. He wasn’t going to hang about and wave, that wasn’t his style, so he slung his bag over his shoulder and marched out of the station.
Sam made his way into the forecourt, where he was fortunate to find a bus just pulling up. He climbed on board and settled back, not sure exactly how far King’s Cross was from Paddington. He didn’t notice the landmarks, nor was he aware of the time, he was lost in thought. Why had he fallen so hard and so fast for a girl he scarcely knew?
‘King’s Cross, next stop,’ the conductor yelled from the front of the bus, disturbing his musing. Sam grabbed his bag and was ready to jump out as it rattled to a halt.
On entering the noisy station, he immediately spotted four men who were directly under his command. Surely there’d been a train earlier than this? He recognised them as men he’d had to caution, cajole, and bawl out on many occasions. He strode across to confront them.
‘What the hell are you shower doing here? Why aren’t you halfway to Lincolnshire by now?’
The leader of the group, a slimy bastard with an unsavoury reputation, smirked and Sam almost lost his temper.
‘Well, I’m waiting? Benson, you seem to find the situation amusing. Do you want to share the joke?’
Benson took a final drag on his fag, pinched it out and pushed the stub into his top pocket before answering. Sam clenched his fists – punching another private wouldn’t be a good idea.
‘It’s like this, Corp, we had to go to the bog, got caught short we did. When we got to the platform, the bleeding train had gone. Ain’t another one until four o’clock.’
Sam glanced at the large station clock. It was two thirty and he knew for a fact there was a train that left in five minutes. ‘I don’t believe a word, but I’ll deal with you when we get to the base. We’ll travel together. Fall in. Shun.’
He barked the last command and obedience was so ingrained into the four of them that they jumped to attention. ‘Pick up bags.’ He waited a few seconds for them to comply. ‘Quick march, left, right, left, right.’
They had no option but to obey and he marched them in reasonable order to the train and they clambered into the carriage he indicated and shuffled along the narrow corridor, looking into the doors in the hope there might be a free seat. For once it wasn’t standing room only.
The guard slammed the door behind him, the whistle shrilled, and the train lurched forward. The four men stopped at a door further down and vanished. There were a couple of empty seats in the compartment nearest to Sam and he edged his way in. There was an ATS corporal, a couple of privates, a harassed-looking young woman with two small grizzling children and a Brylcreem boy. He thought that RAF aircrew travelled by plane, not in a train.
‘Excuse me, folks, I’ll put my kitbag on the rack and sit down.’ Only the pilot responded.
‘Teddy Atkinson, are you heading my way?’
‘Sam Johnson, I think I probably am.’
Neither of them mentioned the name of the base as there were civilians present. The mother became exasperated with the older child and slapped him hard on the back of his legs, which just made him howl even louder.
‘Do you want me to have him over here for a bit?’ Sam smiled at the woman and held his hand out to the boy. The still-crying child didn’t hesitate and rushed across and clambered into the space in the seat between Sam and the airman.
‘Here, son, use my hanky. I don’t want you to wipe your nose on my jacket.’
Teddy, who was sitting next to him, dipped into his pocket and pulled out a bag of humbugs. God knows where he’d got those. ‘If you stop making that racket, you can have one of these. What’s your name?’
The boy gulped and sniffed and blew his nose before answering. ‘I’m Alfie Smith, mister, and that’s me sister Mary. That ain’t me ma – that’s me auntie. Me ma’s dead, me pa’s in the army and we’ve got to go and live with me auntie and me grandma in the country.’
Sam and Teddy changed an astonished glance. The little boy couldn’t be more than four or five years old and yet spoke like a child twice his age. He emphasised the word country as if he was being sent to a prisoner of war camp. He then held out a grubby hand for his promised treat.
‘Here you are, Alfie. Is your sister old enough to have one of these without choking?’ Teddy asked.
The auntie nodded vigorously. ‘Yes, please, sir. Might I have one too?’
Again, Sam was surprised that the young woman spoke so well – no sign of the East End in her diction.
‘Of course, there’s plenty here, I was fortunate enough to go to the PX – the American equivalent of the NAAFI, in case you’re wondering – and was given these.’
The other three in khaki were now looking hopeful and everybody in the carriage was soon sucking away happily, the atmosphere changed and there was a pleasant aroma of mint. By the time they arrived at Lincoln, they were all the best of friends and Flying Officer Teddy Atkinson had already got the name and address of the harassed young woman escorting her niece and nephew from London to their new home.
Sam was smiling as he rounded up his errant men and herded them to the exit. He wasn’t going to hang about and if there wasn’t transport waiting then they’d have to march to the base, which would serve them right for trying to waste time in London.
* * *
Ruth decided that travelling first class for so short a journey wasn’t really worth the expense. Scarcely an hour after leaving Paddington, she was told discreetly that the next stop was Reading. There was no need for her to struggle with her belongings as, being a first-class passenger, this was taken care of for her.
A porter was waiting to assist her from the train and he shouldered her large bag and her haversack and she followed him through the quiet rural station to the exit.
‘There aren’t any taxis any more, miss, so I hope someone from Arborfield is coming to collect you.’ The porter dropped her kitbag beside her feet and waited expectantly for his tip. She had a silver sixpence ready and he seemed satisfied with that.
She’d no idea where the barracks were but assumed there must be a regular bus service which would run from somewhere close to the station. As she couldn’t carry her kitbag, she was stumped as to how to proceed.
‘You must be going to Arborfield too,’ a tall, slim, bespectacled girl said as she dumped her bag next to Ruth’s.
‘I am, were there any more of us on the train, do you know?’
‘I didn’t see anybody, but I expect they caught the earlier train as we were supposed to be there an hour ago. I can see that you’ve got a really good excuse for being late, I wish that I had.’
Ruth didn’t hesitate. ‘I’m Ruth Cox, I’ll say that you stayed behind to help me. That should be sufficient.’
The girl flushed and seemed unsure whether to accept this offer. ‘I’m Jill Fisher, thank you ever so, but I don’t think that will work as we didn’t travel together.’
‘Well, there was nobody there to confirm or deny this and I’m sure nobody will bother to investigate. We just need to get our story straight. I came from Liverpool Street – where did you come from?’
Jill shook her head. ‘Good grief, so did I. You must be the heroine who saved the day and moved the cows from the line. I suppose I’d better explain why I am actually late. My fiancé managed to wangle a few hours off – he’s something at the War Office and we spent a few precious hours together.’
‘Good for you, I ate a leisurely lunch at the restaurant at Paddington with a friend, so we can help each other out.’ Ruth smiled encouragingly. ‘Sam’s assistance can be replaced by yours and nobody will be any the wiser.’
The girl nodded. ‘All right then, thanks! I heard the porter say there aren’t any taxis. How on earth are we going to get to the barracks as they’re hardly going to send transport for two tardy arrivals?’
Ruth had been watching the road that ran past the station and saw a camouflaged staff car turning in. ‘You’re wrong – I think this car’s for us.’
She was right and the ATS driver greeted them cheerfully. ‘Good show, I was wondering how you managed to get here with only one arm in use. I’ll put your bags in, you hop in.’
The bags were stowed in the front passenger seat and the chatty girl driving them gave them some invaluable information.
‘The others went to Wokingham station and arrived ages ago. Your sergeant said you must have come here instead and sent me to find you. Did the cows hurt you?’
‘No, I was attacked by a private on the train who didn’t want me to sit in the same compartment as him.’
‘Crikey, how shocking! It’s not far so don’t get comfortable. I’m to drop you at the medical centre, Lance Corporal Cox, the doctor wants to check you out himself.’
‘What about me? Do you know where I’m to report?’ Jill asked anxiously.
‘I expect there’ll be someone there you can ask. The new intake of trainees are all in the same hut, so you might as well go straight there.’
The car was comfortable but Ruth was glad to get out, even if it did mean being prodded and poked by another medic.
‘Jill, would you please take my bag and find me a bed?’
‘I’d be happy to. I’ll unpack for you as well if you’d like me to.’
‘That would be so kind. I hope I won’t be long.’
Ruth had expected to be examined by a junior doctor but was ushered into a room where a grey-haired man was waiting to examine her. He was obviously somebody senior – from his insignia, she could see he had the rank of major.
‘Where the devil have you been? I’ve been hanging about here for an hour and I’ve got better things to do than look after an ATS girl,’ he snapped.
She couldn’t salute so didn’t try. ‘I apologise, sir. Travelling with a recently dislocated shoulder isn’t pleasant and it wasn’t possible to get here any sooner. Without the help of Private Fisher, I’d still be at Liverpool Street station now.’
He raised a bushy eyebrow and for a second she thought she was in big trouble. It wasn’t a wise move to contradict an officer.
‘Hmm, fair enough. Now, let me have a look.’
Despite being grumpy, he was gentle and hardly hurt her at all. ‘Right, there’s inflammation and bruising which is only to be expected. You can attend the lectures and observe the practical stuff but you can’t participate until I’ve given you the all-clear.’
This was the best possible news as Ruth had expected to be sidelined for the next few days. ‘Thank you, I don’t want to miss a thing. How long will it be, sir, before my shoulder’s fully functioning?’
‘Not as soon as you were hoping. If you use it before it’s fully recovered, you’ll have problems with it for the rest of your life. Don’t look so dispirited, young lady, you’re an intelligent girl and will learn everything you need to whilst you’re here.’
He moved the screen back in front of her so she could dress and then handed her a slip of paper. She glanced down and saw that it excused her from any physical activities for the next two weeks.
‘Off you go. No rush – your course doesn’t start until tomorrow morning.’
Ruth didn’t like to ask him where her billet was but she found a helpful male private who gave her excellent directions. As she arrived, a dozen girls came out and they seemed a friendly enough bunch.
Her home for the next few weeks was a large wooden hut, spacious, but the sleeping arrangements were alarming. Rickety metal bunk beds that swayed when anyone got on or off weren’t ideal for her injured shoulder.
Jill was apologetic about the sleeping arrangements. ‘This was the only one left, all the others were occupied. I’ve taken the top as obviously you can’t scramble onto that at the moment.’ She pointed to the hooks and the locker on the adjacent wall. ‘I’ve put everything away for you – at least I knew how to do that properly as everybody has to do it exactly the same way.’
‘It’s a relief to be on the bottom bed. Thank you for unpacking, I really do appreciate your help.’
Jill glanced over her shoulder nervously and didn’t answer until she was sure nobody could overhear them. There were only half a dozen girls in the large room and they were at the far end.
‘I should be thanking you. I was terrified I was going to be put on a charge and have to clean the lavatories for a week or march around the parade ground in full kit every evening for being AWOL.’
‘Good heavens, Jill, you were hardly absent without leave. You’d only been missing a couple of hours. I think we’re more than even.’
Ruth quickly explained what the medic had said and they both agreed this was the most practical solution. ‘We’ve missed tea, but you must have seen the slightly squashed selection of sandwiches and pastries I had in my bag. If we can scrounge a mug of tea, there’s more than enough for the two of us.’
‘I’ve put the food in your locker – it looks and smells very appetising. Mind you, I’ve not eaten since I left Clacton this morning and am absolutely ravenous.’
Ruth looked around her temporary home and was satisfied that she’d be comfortable here. She was used to sleeping on uncomfortable beds and at least these beds had an actual mattress, so they didn’t have to assemble the three biscuits into a lumpy bed.
‘If you go in search of the tea then I’ll put things out on the table at the far end of the room. It’s nice that we’ve got somewhere to sit and that we don’t have to stack the beds every morning as we usually do.’
‘I won’t be long. I’ve just got to post a letter to my Arthur letting him know that I’ve arrived safely and won’t be put on a charge.’ Jill smiled as she spoke, her eyes alight with love, and she changed from plain to beautiful.
Ruth really liked Jill and hoped they were going to be good friends.
Over the impromptu shared tea, Ruth learnt all about her new friend and her fiancé. Arthur sounded as if he was some sort of intelligence officer, but she didn’t like to press for further information. They planned to get married as soon as they could after Jill finished this training.
Ruth didn’t contradict Jill, who just assumed that she and Sam had already been going out together before the incidents on the railway track and in the train. She didn’t want to shock her new friend by revealing the true circumstances.
‘I’m going to enjoy working in a mixed section, aren’t you?’
‘Actually, I rather liked being just with women. I find men rather intimidating – apart from my Arthur. He’s a lamb in wolf’s clothing if you get what I mean.’ Her happy smile slipped a little. ‘At least he is with me.’
Ruth wondered what Jill meant but smiled anyway. ‘I certainly do. I have friend who is also engaged but to a squadron leader and she hopes to get married fairly soon too. Imagine that – I might be invited to two weddings, and I’ve never even been to one.’
‘Perhaps the third wedding will be your own.’
‘Good heavens, I shouldn’t think so. We’re not at that point yet.’