*
It seemed wrong that war had been declared on a Sunday but Ellie supposed it didn’t matter what day of the week it was to Hitler. Most people would have been at church when the announcement was made but no doubt the news would have percolated into the congregation before the end of the service.
She wasn’t a churchgoer, wasn’t even sure she believed in the existence of a supreme being, but it couldn’t do any harm to say a few prayers just in case. Next week she’d definitely go to matins even if it meant putting on a frock.
Mrs B had taken over the role of poultry keeper which meant Ellie’s mornings were far smoother. Her trusty bicycle had been handed over to the housekeeper so she could pedal into the village or to the local shop when necessary.
Monday was like any other day and she and Jack set out for the airfield without mentioning the fact that Britain was now at war.
Gladys greeted them with a worried smile. ‘My Bert says he heard that all civilian aircraft have been grounded. Does that mean I’m out of a job?’
‘Nothing’s changed here,’ Jack told her. ‘We’re part of the war effort and they want us to continue to give the new recruits basic flying skills. When things kick off it will be different, but don’t worry about it now.’
‘My Bert says it will all be over by Christmas, so he doesn’t know what all the fuss is about. He did his bit in the last lot but he volunteered for the ARP. He don’t think he’ll have much to do apart from making sure everyone’s blackouts are working.’
‘I reckon there’ll be more accidents from people stumbling about in the dark now the street lights are turned off and the cars can’t use their headlights,’ Sid chimed in as he dropped his bicycle against the wall of the office.
‘I’m just glad he’s not going to be conscripted. My sister Vera says her Tommy has had his call-up papers and he’s just had his fortieth birthday.’
‘I don’t think they’ll want him, Gladys, it’s just a precaution. The reservists for all the armed services and the young men will be wanted first,’ Ellie reassured her.
‘I’ll get the kettle on then, I can hear the lorry coming down the track and the boys always want a good brew before they start.’
The RAF transport was, as always, on time and neither the cadets nor the Flight Lieutenant behaved any differently than they had the previous week. All six were now reasonably competent; this would be their last week at Glebe Farm Aero Club before they were sent on their way.
This week the trainees would be doing more than circuits and bumps – they would be staying up for a couple of hours and using a compass, map and landmarks to find their way. The Flight Lieutenant was going to accompany one of them and she and Jack would go up with two others.
The remaining three had to spend the time studying their textbooks. All six of them would be examined on what they’d learnt before they could go onto the next stage of the two-year training. A soldier received a few weeks learning to drill and follow orders instantly as well as how to use his weapon but would be ready for battle after that.
She didn’t know how long it took for a sailor, but she doubted it would be much longer than that for a foot soldier. The RAF was the elite service and only took the best recruits.
On Wednesday evening she was sitting in the garden enjoying the evening sunshine when Mrs B called her to take a phone call. ‘It’s your young man, Ellie, he’s ever so nice. You’ve fallen on your feet there, my girl.’
‘Greg, I’m glad you called. I haven’t heard from Neil or George and I really want to know what’s happening.’
‘I don’t know about either of your brothers, but I don’t think there’s been much action in the air so far. My squadron has flown one mission and we all returned safely.’
Her stomach somersaulted. The thought of him having already faced the enemy when war had only been declared three days ago was quite horrid. ‘I’m glad you’re all right. I won’t ask you what happened as I know you’re not allowed to talk about your missions. Suffolk is a long way from Romford otherwise I’d borrow Jack’s car and come and see you.’
‘There’s no need to do that, sweetheart, it’s possible we’re going to get leave after all. At least if nothing else happens over the next few days, we will. It’s only a couple of hours in the MG and at the moment we can still get petrol on the base. I’m pretty sure it’s going to be rationed soon which will make seeing you a bit tricky.’
‘I could catch the train to Colchester, then you would only have to come halfway. In fact, as I’m not working at weekends anymore, I could come to Ipswich – that’s not very far from Woodbridge is it?’
‘How come you’ve got Saturdays off as well?’
‘We’ve got this first lot of cadets ready to move on in a week less than they anticipated. So, unless things change, Jack and I have the weekends free in future. Even if you can’t get more than a few hours we could still see each other.’
‘That’s spiffing news. I don’t have to stay on the base unless there’s a flap on, as long as I report in the morning and evening. Actually, I rang to ask if you’ve got any spare photographs of yourself you can send me.’
‘Sorry, I haven’t. We don’t go in for photographs in this family, I’m not sure there’s even a camera in the house.’
‘You must have taken pictures of your aircraft for your brochures – I bet there’s a camera at the
