Millie didn’t hesitate when a nervous young WAAF, someone from Hawkinge, sidled up to her and said that there was a situation and she was needed immediately. There was no point in asking what the emergency was until they were outside and she would be able to hear the explanation.
‘What’s wrong? Who sent for me?’
‘It’s one of your girls, Corp, she’s got into a bit of bother with a couple of airmen.’
They were heading for the noisy recreation room, where as far as she knew there were no other ranks, only senior NCOs and officers. How could one of her girls be having an issue with an airman?
The girl led her straight past the noisy dance and out onto the base itself. There was a huddle of girls by the van she’d driven them over in and she hurried towards it. She couldn’t see who they were surrounding and was concerned a senior RAF officer hadn’t been summoned as well.
‘What’s going on? Why am I needed so urgently?’
The four girls parted and she saw Di leaning against the van, in tears. Her friend never cried. She turned to the stranger who’d been sent to her. ‘There are three senior officers in the bar – if airmen are involved then they should be dealing with those men.’
The girl ran off and Millie handed her friend a clean handkerchief and waited to be told what had happened. Di was too distraught to speak. Pamela and Phyllis were doing their best to comfort her.
Millie moved a short distance away and beckoned Pamela to accompany her. ‘Tell me, does Di need medical attention?’
‘No, those vile men didn’t touch her. They were friends of the two that were arrested and crowded Di into a corner and said the most horrible things to her. They called her a bitch and threatened to harm her when she least expected it. It happened so quickly and left her so shaken she couldn’t speak and then they were gone.’
‘Did you get their numbers? Would you be able to identify them?’
‘They had their backs to us and we didn’t realise what was happening initially. We ran across but they vanished immediately.’
‘I knew she shouldn’t be out and about so soon. The doctor said she should be on sick leave for a week, at least, after the trauma.’
Millie was calmer now she knew her friend hadn’t been injured or physically molested, but she was still furious that these men thought they could get away with doing something so appalling in front of others.
‘Thank you for looking after LACW 356, but I’ll take over from here. You won’t often have the opportunity to dance in the Officers’ Mess, so make the most of it.’
They thanked her for giving them permission to leave and dashed off to join in the fun, leaving her alone with Di.
‘As soon as we’ve reported this, I’ll take you home. You certainly won’t be back on duty tomorrow.’
The sun was only just setting, the base was quiet apart from the music, and they wouldn’t need to close the doors for another hour at least. It would be Midsummer’s Day in a couple of weeks, so it was hardly surprising it was so light at nine o’clock.
She was alerted to the arrival of at least one officer by the sound of raised voices and heavy feet. Ted appeared first but was closely followed by Freddie – thank goodness the two most senior officers on the base hadn’t come as well.
‘What’s going on? Is Di okay?’ Ted skidded to a halt beside her.
‘She’s not at all well. I’m going to take her home as soon as she’s made an official report.’ She quickly stood to attention and saluted Flight Lieutenant Hanover – she thought of him as Freddie, as that’s what Ted called him, but he was definitely not someone she’d address by his first name.
Briefly, she explained what she knew, and his expression was formidable. He was exactly the man to deal with this.
‘I’ll not have men on this base behaving like that. Believe me, Corporal Cunningham, those three men will be arrested and charged.’
Di finally gulped, blew her nose noisily and managed to speak. Her voice was gruff, her words faltering, not at all like the strong girl Millie had come to love like a sister.
‘Please don’t do anything. My life will be untenable if more men are in trouble because of me. I’m feeling much better now – it was just the shock – it was so unexpected.’
Freddie stepped between Millie and Di. ‘I give you my word, not just as an officer, but as a man that you’ll not be accosted again.’
‘How can you promise me that? This is a huge base with hundreds and hundreds of airmen – there are only twelve of us and those men will have other friends and it will just continue.’
‘No, it won’t. By the time I’m done with the three bastards who upset you, nobody else on the base will dare to step out of line as far as you or any of the other WAAFs are concerned.’
Millie glanced at Ted and he was looking equally grim and somehow much older than he’d looked just an hour ago. How much they’d both changed in so short a space of time – this confirmed her decision that, if it was possible, she would marry him immediately. They were both adults in every sense apart from the legal one.
‘I don’t know who they were, sir—’
‘Forget the formalities, I’m Freddie to you. You don’t have to know who they are as what they did will be common knowledge by now. I can assure you that an hour from now, they will be regretting what they did and quite likely wishing they were dead.’
Di pushed herself upright and smiled at the Flight Lieutenant. ‘As long as they’re not actually dead, Freddie, because then it would be you in the lock-up on a charge of murder.’
‘I’m glad you’re feeling a little better now. Let Millie take you home. I don’t expect to see you on duty for a week at least.’
‘Yes, sir, I wouldn’t dream of disobeying your orders.’
This was said with another smile, more genuine and warmer than the first. Millie thought she and Ted were somehow intruding on a personal moment between the two of them.
She grabbed his hand and pulled him away. ‘Before I go, did you get a chance to ask about us getting married?’
‘Yes, the answer to both questions is yes. I’ll ring Hawkinge tomorrow and see if the padre there will marry us. I doubt either of us will get any time off for a honeymoon, we won’t be able to live together, but at least we can spend what time we do have without fear of upsetting our superior officers.’
‘I don’t have any superior officers here at the moment. I’m not sure if I’m looking forward to moving onto the base so I can be closer to you or rather dreading it.’
‘I wish you weren’t coming as Manston will be the first place that gets bombed when things kick off. We’ll have to buy a ring when we next get a few hours off. One of the perks of you being a corporal now and in the motor pool is that you can borrow a vehicle when you want to.’
He was looking over her shoulder and pulled her close and they exchanged a brief but passionate kiss. ‘You’ve got to go now – will you come back?’
‘I certainly will. We’ve not danced together nearly enough, and I was told there’s going to be a super buffet supper. I don’t want to miss that.’
Joanna was enjoying the evening sunshine on the terrace with Elizabeth when she heard the disreputable van from earlier rattling towards the house.
‘Good heavens, why has she come back so soon? I do hope nothing untoward has occurred.’
‘My dear girl, why do you always think the worst in any situation? I would think it more likely that someone has forgotten something vital and has returned to collect it. It’s only a mile or two from here to Manston, after all.’
‘It’s not any of our business but I’m still going to see why Millie is back so early. Remain here, Elizabeth, I’ll only be a minute. Would you like another glass of wine?’
‘I certainly would. One thing I can say for my son is that he knew how to keep a good cellar. Now I’m feeling more robust, I think I might go down myself and have a look at what’s there. There might well be treasures from when I was living here.’
It was quicker to run along the terrace and out into the turning circle rather than go through the house. Joanna arrived as Di, who had been travelling in the passenger seat, got out, looking rather the worse for wear.
‘Girls, is there something wrong? Is there anything I can do?’
‘Di isn’t as well as she thought so decided to come home. She’s absolutely fine but intends to go to bed. I’m returning immediately,’ Millie called out cheerfully as she reversed expertly and then roared back down the drive.
‘I did think you were rather unwise to go out so soon after your accident, Di, and think you’ll do better resting. Would you like me to bring you up a tray of tea?’ This was a silly question, as they both knew it would be Liza who would do any tray carrying or tea making.
‘No, thank you, Joanna. I overdid it going to the dance and felt rather unwell when I arrived. Excuse me, my bed’s calling me.’
She watched the girl make her slow way up the stairs. Someone her age shouldn’t need to hold onto the banister like a drowning man. There was more to this than she’d been told, but she’d wait until Millie had time to tell her the full story, hopefully tomorrow morning.
This time, she took the wine bottle with her – she rather thought they might finish it. How incredibly daring of them, as she couldn’t remember the last time she’d had more than one small glass.
Her return was greeted with enthusiasm. ‘Excellent, my dear, a perfect night to drink wine and enjoy each other’s company. It’s a great shame the WAAFs are leaving so precipitously and the land girls won’t be coming until next month. I find I really like the noise and bustle of our new residents.’
‘I agree. I think the ladies from the village have come to rely on the extra that I’m paying them and they’re going to be disappointed they won’t be needed for a while.’
‘Get them to spring-clean the lodgers’ rooms – that should take them several days and it’s too much for Liza to do on her own.’
‘I wouldn’t ask her to do that anyway. The longer she and Joe are here, the more I think of them as part of the family. Not exactly relations – more, perhaps, godchildren. I wonder if they’ve been baptised?’
‘I should think that highly unlikely. Why don’t we arrange to have it done if they would be amenable to it and then we can be their godparents officially? I don’t suppose the grandmother will care one way or another. She’s obviously washed her hands of them.’
Joanna poured them both another glass. ‘Listen, I can hear the music from the base. They must have the doors and windows open.’
‘I rather liked young Mr Broome, didn’t you?’
Elizabeth was prone to jumping from subject to subject in a random fashion. It must be something to do with her age, Joanna thought.
‘I did. He’s coming on Monday. Do you think he managed to prise the financial documents and so on from the bank?’
‘I imagine he must have, my dear, otherwise he would just have telephoned, don’t you think? That bank has handled Harcourt financial affairs for generations so I expect they’ll be very reluctant to release any information. The revenue from the farms went directly into the business account and everything was handled by them.’
‘It would be interesting to see how much income there actually is from our tenants. I shouldn’t think it will be enough to live on, but I’m hoping there will be sufficient to pay for the much-needed repairs and renewals that have been neglected these past few years.’
‘Do you know, my dear Joanna, I never imagined myself being in this position. Sitting here in a house I loved, but had to leave, and feeling very much part of the household. I can’t tell you how much I am looking forward to seeing Sarah next week – do you think her fiancé might meet us too?’
‘Millie told me that no one at Manston is allowed off the base at the moment and the same rules will apply at Hornchurch. Any free time they have has to be spent there just in case they’re needed. Therefore, I’m certain Angus won’t be around.’
‘The photograph that Sarah sent of the two of them at the Ritz tea dance is quite splendid. I’m not surprised you’ve got it displayed so prominently in the drawing room.’
Joanna held her breath, waiting for her mother-in-law to add a scathing criticism about the fact that the two of them had been staying at the Ritz, but she didn’t say anything derogatory.
‘I envy them. Such an exciting but dangerous time they live in. A girl was unlikely to be able to train to be a doctor, very few even went to university, twenty years ago. I don’t blame any young person for wanting to experience as much as they can as they really don’t know how long they’ve got on this earth.’
Was it the wine making her mother-in-law speak so frankly? Unlikely, really, because the French drank copious quantities of wine with every meal, so it wouldn’t go to her head.
‘You’re right, Elizabeth. When I married David, I didn’t expect anything exciting to happen – I just looked forward to an uneventful life as the wife of a wealthy aristocrat. Surely it must have been different for you? You were born when Queen Victoria was in her prime.’
‘We had trains, trams and the automobile was just on the horizon. There were no aeroplanes, no telephones and women were considered incapable of making decisions for themselves. I can’t tell you how excited I was to be able to vote for the first time in 1918.’
‘And now women are in the RAF, the army and the navy, even though they might be in non-combatant roles. I remember Sarah telling me that there are actually women pilots in the Air Transport Auxiliary – the ATA – delivering the aircraft to the bases. I find that quite astonishing.’
Lazzy, who had been rootling about beneath the terrace, bounded up with something very much alive in his mouth.
Joanna shot to her feet. ‘He’s got a live rat. Go away, you horrid dog, we don’t want that in the house.’
Elizabeth was already inside, leaving her to deal with the situation.
Ted waited for Freddie to take the lead on the search for the airmen who’d verbally assaulted Di.
‘Back to the office, Ted, we need to look at the records. Those men will be from the same billet as the other two. It shouldn’t take too long to find out who they are.’
‘Do you want me to round up some RAFP and speak to Win Co?’
‘Yes, should be me, really, but I want to settle this myself. Those bastards are going to rue the day they crossed me.’
Freddie was taking this very personally and Ted wondered if something had clicked between the injured girl and his superior officer.
He found the adjutant easily enough, as he was still sitting at the same table he’d been at before. He quickly explained and the man was on his feet immediately.
‘I thought we’d got rid of the troublemakers but obviously not. The majority of the men billeted in that hut will have to be transferred separately. There will be half a dozen RAFP on duty.’
There was no need for anyone else to be involved in this. The men needed some R&R, so he and the adjutant headed for the office alone.
‘I’m afraid what happened will be all over the base by the morning, sir. There were several WAAFs who were witnesses and they’re now busy circulating and no doubt chatting to the chaps.’
This was indeed the case. In the foyer of the admin block, there were half a dozen angry officers milling about, who’d been told about the incident and wanted to help apprehend those who had caused such unpleasantness.
Freddie emerged from the office. He raised his hand and such was his presence, his command of his men, that everyone fell silent.
‘Thank you for offering to help, gentlemen, but this is better handled officially. Go back to the dance and leave this to us.’
No one argued. They nodded and sloped off leaving just Ted, the adjutant and Freddie behind.
‘There are twenty possible suspects, Ted. Three of them are NCOs, which could make the situation tricky. I’ve sent someone to see if they’ve returned to their billet or are in their mess.’
Freddie handed him the list of names and he scanned it and recognised two of them immediately.
‘These two, Jim and Mike, were my ground crew. I can absolutely vouch for them. They’ll be as horrified as we are and will be only too happy to give us the names of the culprits.’
‘Excellent, Ted, find them. Take my motorbike – it’s propped up just outside.’
Fortunately, he’d ridden a bike a few times so was familiar with its workings. He heaved it off its stand, kickstarted it and was off in a cloud of petrol fumes and noise. He roared across the base to the buildings where the other ranks congregated.
He left the bike ticking over, not sure if he might want to make a quick getaway – despite the fact that he was an officer, it was just possible that the men involved, if already drunk, might be stupid enough to attack him.
He didn’t go in – officers weren’t welcome and only ever appeared when somebody was in trouble. He stood for a few moments listening and could hear voices around the side of the building.
He sauntered around, trying to look as casual as he could. There was a group of four airmen sitting on upturned orange boxes, with a fifth box being used as a table, obviously playing poker or brag if the amount of loose change on the table was anything to go by.
‘As you were, men. I’m looking for Mike and Jim – they were my ground crew and I want to give them something for looking after me so well. Do you think one of you could nip in and fetch them out for me?’
As he obviously wasn’t going to comment on the illegal activity, they were only too happy to help. One of them stood up and saluted. He was obliged to return the gesture.
‘I’m pretty sure I saw them both in the recreation room, sir. I’ll tell them you’re waiting round the front, shall I?’
The throaty clatter of his motorbike was audible from here so this lent credence to his story. He smiled, nodded and strolled back the way he’d come. As soon as he was out of sight, he ferreted about in his jacket and removed his wallet.
He whistled under his breath in relief. He had two ten bob notes – exactly right to give to the men who he hoped would be out in a moment with the names of those who’d behaved so reprehensibly.