Joanna, after the first few minutes, found that she rather enjoyed being in charge of a bicycle. She hadn’t ridden one since she was a girl, but it seemed one never forgot this particular skill.
‘I’m glad that WVS is first this month as quite a few women slipped out after the WI meeting last time,’ she said to Betty, who was pedalling beside her.
‘You ask them to actually do something useful, whereas Mrs Thomas just asks them to knit balaclavas or gloves for the navy.’
‘We need to plan how we’re going to cope with an air-raid. From the recent activity at the base, it’s obvious the real war’s about to start and, being so close to Manston, Stodham might well get bombed, too.’
She swerved to avoid a pothole and, to her dismay, Betty did the same. Their front wheels clashed and, before she could recover her balance, she careered off the lane and ended up in the ditch with the bicycle on top of her.
Betty was more fortunate and managed to stop before she fell off. For a moment, Joanna was disorientated. The sound of the wheels spinning above her and the birds singing in the nearby hedge kept her company as she lay at the bottom of the nettle-filled ditch.
There was the sound of a car screeching to a halt and Dr Willoughby appeared, smiling down at her. ‘I’ll soon have you out of there, my lady. Don’t try to move until I’ve checked you’ve not broken anything.’ He reached over, lifted the bicycle and handed it to Betty, who was hovering anxiously behind him.
He dropped in beside her. ‘Can you move your legs for me?’
She did as he asked, but when he was about to check with his hands that she was uninjured, she gathered her wits and sat up so abruptly she almost knocked him out with her head.
‘I’m perfectly fine, thank you, Dr Willoughby. I was temporarily stunned by the impact but I’m tickety-boo – apart from being stung. Isn’t it fortunate the weather’s been dry or I might have drowned?’
He laughed, leaned down, lifted her and placed her easily on her feet on the grass verge at the edge of the lane. Her hat was askew, her precious stockings laddered and her legs were stinging from the nettles, but apart from that she’d come off remarkably lightly.
‘Oh, my lady, you gave me quite a turn falling into the ditch like that. Do you still want to go to the village or shall I accompany you back?’ Betty said.
The doctor jumped like a jack-in-the-box from the ditch and winked at Joanna. To be honest, she’d never really noticed him before, and knew little about him apart from the fact he’d been widowed a few years ago and had decided to buy a country practice as far away from his previous home as possible.
‘Before I go, ladies, let me just check the bicycle is working.’ He expertly flipped it upside down and then spun both wheels in turn, presumably checking to see that they rotated correctly. Then he righted it and tested the brakes. ‘You’ve been lucky, neither you nor the bike has come to serious harm – the only casualty is your hat, my lady.’
With a cheerful wave, he returned to his car and drove away. ‘What a nice man he is, Betty. I know that my daughter got on really well with him and that he helped her with her medical studies, but I don’t think I’ve ever really spoken to him myself until today.’
‘Being unmarried and all, he certainly got the ladies of the village in a flutter. He used to practise in Harley Street – gave it all up when his wife died three years ago. I must say, he’s a great improvement on the old one who retired.’
Joanna nodded, not wishing to discuss the handsome doctor any further. She was a married woman and shouldn’t even notice another man, however attractive he might be.
‘How old is he, do you think?’ She hadn’t meant to ask this out loud.
‘Around forty, I reckon, my lady. Shall we get going or do you want to push the bike and not ride?’
‘Apart from my dignity and my clothing, I’m absolutely fine.’ She fiddled with the pins that had been holding her smart hat in place and hoped she’d got it back where it should be. ‘Is that all right? Do I pass muster?’
Betty grinned and nodded. ‘You’re smart as paint, my lady, put us all to shame even after going headfirst into a ditch.’
The remaining mile was accomplished without incident, but Joanna had to admit she was relieved when she could dismount and prop the bicycle against the wall of the village hall. From the sound of the chatter, laughter, and the clinking of cups and saucers, most of the ladies were already here. She did so hate being late for anything – but she supposed she had a legitimate excuse today.
There was much smiling and sympathy when she explained what had happened. Betty brought her a cup of tea and two rich tea biscuits before finding herself a seat.
‘My lady, have you heard what’s happening off the coast?’ The speaker was the wife of the new vicar and she was surprisingly young.
‘No, Mrs Evans, I haven’t heard anything. Would you care to enlighten me? By the way, welcome to the village and I hope you and your husband are very happy with us.’
‘Thank you, my lady. Cedric sent me on ahead to sort out the vicarage and get to know the churchwarden and so on. He can’t get away from his parish in the East End until the new incumbent arrives – but he should be here in the next week or so.’
Joanna didn’t like to enquire why the Evanses had decided to leave London just when they would be needed the most. This was something she would think about – but not at the moment.
‘That’s good news, Mrs Evans. Now, please could you tell me what’s happening off the coast?’
‘I like to walk to the cliffs and look out to sea and I’ve noticed over the past three weeks, more and more small boats sailing towards Dover. Something is definitely going on. When I spoke to Cedric on the telephone last night, he said that there are plans afoot to evacuate the BEF from Dunkirk, although I can’t see what use a lot of little boats would be as there must be hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the British Army.’
Several of the women, like Joanna, had husbands, sons, and other members of their families with the army in France. One of them seemed to know more about what was going on than everybody else.
‘My dad’s in the Merchant Navy, he said there’s destroyers and all sorts gathering in Dover Harbour and some admiral or other is organising a rescue mission. The small boats will be used to bring the poor blighters from the beaches to the big ships as they won’t be able to get in close enough.’
Two of the women began to cry, one saying that her husband couldn’t swim and he was bound to drown if he wasn’t blown up or shot by the Jerries.
Joanna let the conversation continue for a few minutes and then tapped her spoon on her cup to bring the meeting to order. She had no difficulty keeping a room full of noisy women in order, so why couldn’t she do the same at home for one bad-tempered old lady?
Millie spent the next couple of hours standing on an old wooden box, peering into the engine of her lorry, trying to work out which bit was which. It had been so much easier when they were training and it would have made sense for them to practise at least once on an engine not painted in rainbow colours to identify each part. A manual would make things so much easier.
She made two further journeys to fetch extra refreshments for her squadron but on neither occasion did she think to get herself anything. In the few minutes she’d had spare, she’d nipped into the WC. By eight o’clock that evening, she was feeling parched and hungry. The Hurricanes had only been scrambled once and hadn’t been gone long, and she’d noticed that none of them needed rearming, just refuelling, when they’d returned.
Only an hour to go and then she could go home and get something to eat. Although she hadn’t been told not to fraternise with the airmen, she was quite certain it would be frowned upon if she hung about talking to them. The lorry was parked as inconspicuously as anything so large could be behind the huts, and she was sitting on the grass out of sight of the pilots in front of the cab.
‘Here, there’s still tea in this flask and the bun is edible – just.’
‘Ted, how did you know I needed sustenance desperately?’ She didn’t question his being there but gratefully tipped the tepid tea into the plastic beaker and downed it in three swallows. The bun disappeared just as rapidly.
‘If I’d known you were that hungry and thirsty, I’d have found you something else. It seems the usual catering system failed today. The NAAFI van got a puncture or something. You’ve got to be better organised, Millie, it’s a long shift and you can’t do it without food and drink.’
‘I just didn’t have time to go and collect anything for myself. Thank you so much for this – it’s an absolute lifesaver. Imagine if I’d fainted and driven you all off the cliff.’
‘Not a happy thought – although there are enough boats about down there to fish us out of the drink.’
‘I don’t suppose you’re supposed to talk about these things, but are things very bad for our men in France?’
‘You’re right, I’m not allowed to talk about it. I’m going to get out of my flight suit, put my chute away. Give it fifteen minutes and then bring your lorry round and we’ll be ready to board.’
He was gone before she could thank him again. Whilst the men were in the hut that was used as a locker room, she rushed around collecting the empty flasks and screwed up greaseproof paper bags that had held the sandwiches and buns and returned them to the mess.
There was an appetising smell of something hot coming from the kitchens, which made her mouth water and her stomach rumble. The returning crew would obviously have their main meal now, despite the lateness of the hour, and would then, probably, head for the bar to drink far too much alcohol.
They hadn’t been told to leave the lorries on the far side of the base, so she and Di decided to park them behind the fence where they couldn’t be seen – at least they hoped they couldn’t.
‘I’m glad my squadron wasn’t scrambled, but it’s going to be a very long and boring shift if they don’t find something else for us to do,’ Di said whilst Millie was carefully locking the padlock on the gate.
‘I suppose it’s better for us to be hanging about than for an airman who could be getting on with something more important. I do think we could do with another couple of drivers – I wonder if we’ll actually get any as Sarge said. There must be loads of things that need collecting and delivering.’
They walked back to Goodwill House, they were met on the path by Joe with the puppy. ‘He started whining to be let out and we knew you must be on your way home. My sister has got a tasty bit of rabbit stew and rhubarb and custard for afters.’
‘That sounds absolutely spiffing. We’re both terrifically hungry,’ Millie said as she fussed the puppy. Di was already several yards ahead of them and Lazzy seemed to sense he wasn’t wanted and stayed close to Millie.
It was dark enough to need the feeble light from her torch to complete the final hundred yards to the house. It was all very well tramping back and forth in the summer, but it was going to be absolutely horrible doing the same journey when it was freezing cold and knee deep in snow. Then she smiled. They would be stationed on the base before the weather turned cold. She wasn’t sure if she was keen to move where the action was or worried at being back with the stringent WAAF rules.
The moon was a sliver of silver in the sky and no use at all. Would there be night flying at some point? She stared up into the blackness. Those flying the aircraft wouldn’t be able to see where they were going unless there was a full moon, so the likelihood of night manoeuvres, and being obliged to work in the dark, was minimal.
She dashed upstairs and removed her heavy jacket and tie. She unbuttoned the collar and put it in the sink to soak beside the one Di had already put there. The bedroom was empty, but she’d heard sounds in the bathroom so knew where Di was.
The luxury of sleeping in a real bed after three months on the horrible mattress made up of three squares called biscuits was absolute bliss. When the full complement of WAAFs finally arrived, they would have to transfer to the Nissen huts with everybody else. She wasn’t looking forward to the inevitable move and intended to enjoy every moment of this unaccustomed comfort whilst she was here.
There was no sign of Joanna and they wouldn’t disturb her wherever she was. Millie had yet to meet the other Lady Harcourt and intended to do everything she could to keep things that way.
It seemed only fair that she and Di washed up after themselves as they couldn’t really expect Liza to do it when it was well past her bedtime.
‘Do you mind awfully, old thing, doing the clearing up on your own tonight?’ Di said. ‘I’ve got a letter I really must write before I turn in.’
‘Before you go, I was thinking that we should have left the lorries at the depot and used the cycles to get back to the fence.’
‘You’re right. Golly, what should we do? Do we go back and do it now?’
‘No, there was no one in the hangar when we finished. They can’t work in the dark as they’ve no doors on the front. I’m sure it’ll be fine. When the sergeant arrives, he’ll just think we were early and took the lorries over.’
‘Of course, they must finish when it gets too dark to work. Are you sure there were no doors?’
‘Well, I certainly didn’t see any. Let’s not worry about it. Go and write your letter. I won’t be long.’
It didn’t take Millie long to leave the kitchen pristine and she was heading for the stairs when an imperious voice summoned her from the drawing room.
‘Here, girl, I need assistance on the stairs. My maid has the evening off.’
Millie wasn’t sure if she should curtsy. ‘I’m happy to help you, my lady.’
She was shocked at how frail the elderly Lady Harcourt was. She was wearing elegant but outdated clothes, which concealed the fact that she was seriously underweight.
There was no conversation between them as the old lady required every ounce of strength and breath to ascend the stairs. Millie’s offer to accompany her to her apartment was abruptly refused. No further conversation took place.
It wasn’t her business to discuss the health – or lack of it – of one of the family, so Millie pushed her worries to the back of her mind.
Ted had the obligatory drink in the Officers’ Mess but sloped off as soon as he thought nobody would notice his departure. He’d always been a bit of a loner, preferring his own company, and losing his mother so early had reinforced this trait.
His father had told him that neither of them had wanted children, had been relieved when none had come along in the first ten years of their marriage, and that Ted’s arrival had been a shock. His father didn’t like children, so no friends were ever invited home for tea, which meant Ted was rarely invited anywhere himself.
At least he was financially independent, as a great aunt had set up a trust fund for him – he couldn’t access it until he was twenty-one and sometimes he wondered if he’d ever reach that milestone. His arrival at Manston had been to replace a flyer shot down over the English Channel and not recovered by the rescue boats.
He found it difficult to make friends, real friends, but was an expert at being a casual acquaintance to both men and women. He thought he might as well take a stroll in the darkness before turning in – he wanted to be sure he’d be fast asleep before his roommate rolled in, drunk and noisy.
Something drew him to the rear of the building where he’d met Millie and her friend, Di. He’d not bothered to bring the torch that was on top of the chest of drawers, and there wasn’t a glimmer of moonlight. Should he continue or return to the safety of his billet and read a novel?
He was about to turn back when he walked into something solid. He’d cracked his knee painfully on whatever it was and swore in the darkness. His eyes had adjusted a bit and the clouds parted to give him a glimpse of the object that had caused his injury. The girls had parked the bloody lorries behind the hedge – what were they thinking?
They’d be for the high jump, that was for sure, when this was discovered. He scrambled into the nearest cab and pressed the nail-like starter that connected to the ignition. There were no keys on any vehicles as they could be lost on a battlefield. With just the pinprick headlights to show him the way, he drove it as fast as was safe across the concrete runway and parked it beside the headquarters of the Motor Transport division. He did the same with the second and then trudged the mile and a half back to his quarters, glad that it had been him who had found the lorries and not their supervisor. He must get up early and meet the girls so they wouldn’t panic when they couldn’t see the lorries.
Ted was up long before dawn, nervous at his first full duty. What if he made a half-arsed show of himself? He wished he’d had more time to practise his dogfighting skills, and he wished he’d had someone to talk to who could reassure him.
The only chap he’d spoken more than a few words with, apart from James and the Wing Co, was Dickie, and he was the last person he’d confide his worries to. He’d heard him being very indiscreet about somebody else’s business in the mess last night before he’d turned in.
The main reason Ted was up so early was to wander around to the gate at the back. It had belatedly occurred to him that if the girls thought the lorries had been stolen then they would be worried and he wanted to be there to reassure them and, as their superior officer, give them a mild reprimand for leaving their vehicles unattended in an undesignated place.
This time, he remembered his torch, and as he approached the gate, he heard the girls undoing the padlock. He turned the beam of the torch onto his face so they could see who was. He didn’t want to scare the hell out of them.
‘Good morning, ladies. I wanted to speak to both of you.’
‘Ted, what are you doing out here so early?’ Di said and then her voice rose to a squeak of horror. ‘Millie, someone’s taken the lorries—’
‘I moved them. Don’t panic.’
‘I knew we shouldn’t have left them there – that’s why we’ve arrived so early. Thank you so much, Ted, I hardly slept a wink all night worrying about it,’ Millie said and, instead of giving them a severe ticking off as they deserved, he smiled.
‘I walked into the bloody things last night or I wouldn’t have seen them. You’ve got ample time to get to the depot and still be here on time.’
‘We do appreciate your doing this, Ted, I’m quite sure no one else would have helped us. Can I buy you a cuppa at the NAFFI van next time we see each other?’
‘You certainly can. I’ll be counting the hours.’
He could hear her laughing as they rushed off into the darkness and he was ridiculously pleased he’d been the one to make her sound so joyous. He made his way to the mess where, to his surprise, there were already a fair number of other flyers. None of them seemed nervous and they were all tucking into a substantial cooked breakfast, so he decided to do the same.