Tuesday, September 10, 1940
“Liverpool!”
Bess turned away from the window. She was in a compartment with Louis and Ken, the boy in the long overcoat.
“That means we’ll go through the middle of the Atlantic, almost straight across to Halifax, I’ll bet,” Ken said. “Maybe we’ll be on a destroyer!”
Bess watched as he took a notebook and maps out of his pocket. “We’ll go right past where the SS Volendam was sunk last week. Maybe we’ll see some action! We’ll blow some Germans outta the water!”
Louis’ eyes widened. “Do you think they’ll show us how to aim the torpedoes?” he asked.
Just then a little boy with thick blond hair came flying into their compartment.
“Alan, get back here!”
An older boy, about nine, bumped his way into the compartment, balancing two suitcases, his gas mask, and a full paper bag.
Little Alan dove under Bess’s seat and started squirming along the floor.
“Hey, Derek!” Alan shouted from under the seats. “You should come under here! The Germans won’t find us here. And there’s a whole bunch of chewing gum!”
“Don’t eat it!” said Derek plunking himself down into the seat beside Ken.
“Little brothers can be such a pain,” he said. He pushed back a lock of hair from his eyes. “How’m I supposed to look after him all the way to Canada?” He looked over at Louis. “Hey, what’s that? Is that a Hornby engine?! Can I see?”
Louis held out the engine for inspection.
“Wow, that’s a beaut!” said Derek. “Our mum told us there’d be lots of new toys for us in Canada, and we didn’t need to bring any with us.” He looked down, slyly. “But I couldn’t leave this behind.”
Derek dug into his pocket and pulled out a tiny Supermarine Spitfire.
“Ho-ly!” exclaimed Ken and Louis at the same time.
“De-rick! Mum said you had to leave that behind!” Little Alan squeezed beside Louis. “What am I gonna play with?”
“How about this?” Derek dug deep into his pocket again. He held out a tiny tank.
“My tank! You brought my tank!” Alan snatched up the dinky toy and began whizzing it around the floor of the compartment.
Bess watched as Ken pulled out his map to show Louis and Derek the route he thought they’d take. Louis is making new friends already, she thought. He’ll be all right on his own for a bit.
“Louis, I am just going up to the next compartment,” she said, picking up the book from her father, Freedom and Culture. It didn’t look very exciting, but she thought it would help to pass the time. Louis nodded vaguely as he listened to Ken explaining the convoy routes.
Bess walked into the corridor and down to the next compartment. She saw Gussie Grimmond with her brothers and sisters. The two little girls had cut out paper dolls from magazines. Their brothers were playing with cars on the floor. Gussie was re-packing their suitcases. Bess thought she’d check to see if the next compartment was a bit quieter. She walked further down the corridor and saw a small pale boy sitting all by himself, clutching a brown paper bag. He looked to be a couple of years younger than Louis. She sat down quietly beside him.
“Hello.” The boy stared down at his paper bag.
“My name’s Bess. What’s yours?”
“John. John Snoad.”
“Nice to meet you, John.”
John continued to keep his eyes on the bag in his lap.
“What have got in your bag, John?”
“A photo of me mum. An’ a piece of bread an’ butter,” John muttered softly.
Bess realized that she hadn’t brought a picture of her parents. She wondered if that was something she should have done. For Louis.
“Would you like to show me the photo, John?” she asked. John shook his head slowly.
“Have you ever gone on a boat before? It’ll be my first time. I’m pretty excited.”
“Don’t want to go on a boat. Want to go home.” John said quietly.
The train, which had been moving very slowly, stopped. John looked up at Bess. She stood and looked out the window. Suddenly, another train thundered past them, so close that Bess instinctively jumped back as it barrelled along. She saw a blur of soldiers’ uniforms as the passing train shot past the window.
When their train started up again, it moved at a snail’s pace. John seemed determined not to talk, so Bess tried to read. But her book was heavy going and she was distracted by the noise of the children in the other compartments. The train swayed from side to side. Little John’s head drooped down and rested on her arm as he fell asleep. Bess let the movement of the train lull her into a soft dream, a dream of boats and sailors …
Bess’s head jolted sideways and hit the window as the train jerked to a stop. “Ow!” John’s wide eyes stared at her.
“Everybody out. Quick now.” A conductor was striding quickly through the corridor. “Bring your gas masks, children.”
“Are we at Liverpool?” asked Bess as the conductor moved past her.
“No, this is Ellesmere Port. It’s an air raid. Got to get you lot into the shelter.”
John was still clutching his paper bag. He picked up his gas mask.
“You head out with the others, John. I’ve got to check on my brother,” said Bess.
She pushed past a line of children to get back to the compartment where she’d left Louis and her gas mask. She shouldn’t have left it behind. That was sloppy. Louis was waiting for her at the door. Ken was beside him, with a map open. “We’re really close to Liverpool,” he said. Derek and Alan were scrambling under the seats of the compartment. “I’m sure I left it around here somewhere,” whimpered Alan.
Children were streaming out the doors of the train toward the station. Bess saw the Grimmond children stumble out together.
“Stop pushin’, Vi!”
“Let go o’ me!”
“I’m tellin’ …”
“Gussie, Lenny pinched me!”
They made their way into the cellar of the train station. By the time they got settled, Bess felt rubbed raw. It wasn’t like going into the shelter at home—this was a terrifying chaos of unfamiliar voices and fear. There were about forty children, many quite young and rambunctious like Alan and Lenny. Bess sat in the dark of the shelter, sharing the last of her sardine sandwich with a little blonde girl named Joyce and her large teddy bear named Winchell. Together they listened for the distant whistle and whine of bombs. Louis sat on the floor beside her, tracing circles in the dirt with his Hornby engine. Ken had perched himself on a bench in the far corner. She saw John Snoad staring mournfully at his paper bag.
Bess fought down feelings of homesickness. She just wanted to be on the ship and headed safely out to sea.
After twenty minutes the all-clear sounded and they were herded back onto the train. By the time they arrived at the Liverpool Central Station it was late afternoon. Bess stood on the platform with all of the other evacuees, unsure and tentative. The ocean was nowhere to be seen.
A young woman with short-cropped hair, wearing a bright blue Women’s Royal Navy Service uniform, strode up, clapped her hands, and asked everyone for attention. She was only a couple of years older than Bess and she, too, wore large glasses.
“Righto, lovely to see you boys and girls. My name is Wren Wallis. If you’ll just follow me. You are to change trains here to go to Fazakerley for the night.”
The children looked at the woman, confused. Louis whispered to Bess, “Where’s the ocean, Bessie? Where’s the ship?”
“Excuse me, Miss—I mean Wren Wallis,” said Bess in a clear voice, “But what is Fazakerley? Is it the ship?”
“Oh, goodness, no. You won’t be going to the ship for two days,” said Wren Wallis cheerfully. There were groans from some of the children, and Bess heard at least one little girl start to cry.
“Now, now, there’s no problem. You are going to stay at the Children’s Homes in Fazakerley. It’s not too far really. Twenty minutes by train and then a bit of a walk at the other end. It’s an orphanage, and there’s a school right beside. They’ve made room for you and the others,” said the woman.
There was a lot of talk, and a bit of grumbling at this news. “Not to worry,” she added, above the chatter. “They’ve got a good tea on for you lot.” She turned to Bess. “Let’s gather up some of these little ones and get them there as soon as we can.”
The thought of tea cheered Bess. Little Joyce tugged at her sleeve. “Did she say tea? Do you think there’ll be a bicky?”
Bess smiled down at her. “There might be.” She took the girl’s small hand in hers as they started to walk through the station to the local trains.
“Do you think they might have choc’late? I haven’t had a choc’late bicky since they started dropping bombs,” said Joyce cheerfully. Bess tried to remember the last time she’d had a chocolate biscuit. She wondered if they had chocolate biscuits in Canada.
They settled themselves onto the small local train. Joyce continued to hold Bess’s hand for the whole ride to the Fazakerley station.
“Mum told Jack he had to look after me,” said Joyce, “But Winchell and I’d rather stay with you.” She hugged her teddy bear closer.
Bess saw Joyce’s brother Jack eying Louis’ train engine. She could hear him telling Louis all about his new boots. “My father bought them special, for our trip. He was a soldier in the Great War and he really wanted us to go to Canada for this war.”
In Fazakerley, they left the station and began a walk along tree-lined streets. The late afternoon light had lengthened into long shadows as the air began to get cool. Joyce started to sniffle. “I’m tired,” she sobbed. “I want to go home.”
“It’s only just a bit farther, Joyce. Then we’ll have tea. And maybe biscuits.” Bess was feeling pretty tired herself. It had been a long day. She could only imagine how exhausted this tiny girl felt. “Here, why don’t I give you and Winchell a piggyback?” Bess hoisted Joyce onto her back.
Louis came charging up with Jack and another boy in tow. “Bessie, this is Fred. He knows everything there is to know about sailing ships!”
Fred grinned at Bess. His blond hair was sticking up in clumps. “Well, my father and uncles are all seamen. Even my grandfather was in the navy, during the Boer War, so it’s all we ever talk about at home. I can’t wait to be on our own ship!”
By the time they got to Sherwoods Lane Girls’ School, Bess could barely remember starting out on the journey that morning. Had it really been only one day? But when she walked into the large assembly hall and saw the long tables set out with plates of potted meat sandwiches and bowls of jelly for dessert, her exhaustion evaporated.
“Choc’late bickies!” squealed Joyce as she scrambled down from Bess’s back and ran to her brother at one of the tables. The room was filled with the sound of laughter as everyone began to devour the food.
As they ate, more children arrived. Bess realized that their group from Euston station was only one of a number that would be staying in Fazakerley. The assembly hall was packed tight and the sound was almost deafening.
At the end of the meal a woman with a round friendly face stood up to get everyone’s attention.
“Hello, boys and girls. My name is Miss Abraham. I am headmistress here at Sherwoods Lane Girls’ School and I would like to welcome you all. We are very pleased to have you here with us before you head out on your voyage. I hope you enjoyed your tea?”
A loud cheer went up, and Miss Abraham beamed.
“I’m so glad. We all want you to enjoy your short stay with us. We’ve got lots of activities planned, and we’ve set up beds for you in the orphanage cottages. But first, we need to divide you into groups. To do that, I’d like to introduce your head escort, Miss Marjorie Day. She is in charge of getting you safely to Canada.”
A large, dark-haired woman with a broad smile strode to the front of the room and held up several sheets of foolscap paper. “Well, aren’t we all on a wonderful adventure! Here we are in Liverpool and in two days’ time we’ll be on a ship to take us all to Canada.” At this a huge cheer went up, but Bess saw John Snoad’s face crumple.
“As Miss Abraham said, we’re going to put you into groups. Each group will have its own escort who will look after you in the cottages,” continued Miss Day. “All of the boys are going to sleep in one cottage and all of the girls in another. That means that you may be separated from your brother or sister. But don’t worry—you will still see each other during the day. Now, listen closely for your name.”
Bess listened as Miss Day called the names out. Louis went with an escort named Michael Rennie. Alan and Derek, the boys they’d met on the train, were also in his group. Michael was easily one of the handsomest young men that Bess had ever seen. He had a big ball with him and immediately began a game of keep-away with the boys. Ken, the boy with the maps, and Joyce’s brother Jack went with a group led by a priest named Reverend King. John Snoad trailed behind them.
Joyce was called to go into a group with an escort named Mary Cornish. “But I want to stay with you,” Joyce cried, clutching Bess’s hand.
“It’s all right,” said Bess. “We’ll still be together in the cottage. Look, I’ve saved you one of my biscuits, to have at bedtime.”
Miss Cornish gently took Joyce’s hand from Bess. Beside her was another small girl, with eyes that flashed under a dark fringe of hair.
“Joyce, this is Marion. Her brother Rex is in your brother Jack’s group. We’re going to have a sing-along once we have our beds arranged, and I need both of you to help me think of some songs.”
Joyce looked shyly at Marion. “This is Winchell,” she said, introducing her teddy bear. She broke her biscuit and offered half to Marion. “Do you know ‘On the Good Ship Lollipop?’” Marion asked, as Miss Cornish led them away.
Bess, Gussie, and her sisters Connie and Violet were all put into escort Maud Hillman’s group. Miss Hillman had a soft face—what Bess’s mum called doughy. Her dark brown hair was coiled into a tight bun on the back of her head. She led them out to a long, low cottage with thin wooden walls. The floor was covered with rows of white rectangles, each about four feet long and two feet wide.
“What are those?” asked Gussie.
“Why, those are palliasses, Gussie,” said Miss Hillman. Gussie looked at her blankly. “Your beds.”
Bess eyed the thin pallets suspiciously. “I know they’re a bit flat,” said Miss Hillman. “They’re only filled with a bit of sawdust. We’ll have better ones on the ship, I dare say, but we’ll have to make do with these for a couple of nights.” Bess doubted she’d get a very good night’s sleep lying on the floor with all of these strangers.
“Well, it’ll be better than the floor of the tube station,” said Connie.
“Yeah,” said Violet. “We’ve been sleeping in the station for two days ’cause our ‘ouse got blown up.”
“And ’cause there’s ten of us, there was no place to put us so we get to go to Canada! Right, Gussie?”
Suddenly, a girl burst through the door and rushed up to Miss Hillman. “Excuse me. Are you Miss Hillman? My name is Beth. Beth Cummings. I think I am supposed to be in your group. I accidentally went off with Miss Day but she said I am to be here with you.”
“Oh yes, hello, Beth. Good. I wondered where you were.” Miss Hillman checked the name off on her list. “Don’t let anyone know I’ve started out on my first day by losing you! Let’s make sure we all stick together from here on in.”
Beth laughed and turned around to look at the rest of the group. Bess caught her eye. “Is Beth short for Elizabeth?” she asked.
“Yes,” said Beth. “What’s your name?”
“Well, my name’s Elizabeth, too, but everyone calls me Bess.”
“Elizabeth and Elizabeth. Good Queen Bess, and Princess Elizabeth. A queen and a princess!” Beth laughed.
Bess saw a book in Beth’s hand. Beth handed it to her. Anne of Ingleside. “It’s by a Canadian,” Beth said. “It’s the sequel to Anne of Green Gables. It just came out.”
“I know,” said Bess, “I loved it better than anything.”
When it was time to go to bed, Bess and Beth bunked down side by side on their thin palliasses. Beth told Bess that she lived in Liverpool. Her home had very nearly been blown up several times in the last few weeks. She had come to Fazakerley on a bus with a woman from CORB.
“I’m really glad to be leaving the bombs, but I’m worried about my mum,” she confided. “It’s been just me and my mum. My dad died last year.” Beth spoke quickly, half whispering in the dark beside Bess. Bess couldn’t help thinking about her own parents. She was glad they were together. She couldn’t imagine how hard it would be for her mum if she were alone.
“My brother Geoff is in the army fighting somewhere in the desert and my other brother Tom is in Canada training to be a pilot,” continued Beth. “He says there’s trees everywhere in Canada.”
“And mountains, too,” said Bess. “I’ve seen pictures of the Rockies. They’re beautiful!”
“I’m going to a place called Toronto to stay with my aunt and uncle. But I really want to go to Prince Edward Island, just like Anne of Green Gables,” said Beth.
“Me, too!” said Bess. “Especially if there are boys there like Gilbert Blythe!”
Beth laughed. “My mum says that the only reason she can bear to send me away is the hope that at least one of us will come out of the war alive. But the way I see it, I get to have an adventure!”
“I’m glad we can have an adventure together, Princess Elizabeth!” laughed Bess.