Welcome Home (14 page)

‘Of course this isn’t enough for those of you who are going on to train as wireless operators,’ their instructor said, ‘but all of you should have a basic
knowledge.’

When they went out in the evenings, there was always a member of the staff with them, observing their behaviour, as Beth well knew, for she had done it herself several times at Alan’s
request. But now
she
was being observed. At the end of the three weeks, Beth was one of those chosen to proceed to one of the paramilitary schools based in north-west Scotland.

Now it was getting serious.

‘You can all go home for Christmas,’ their instructor told the chosen few, ‘but not a word about what you have been doing or what you are training for. Not one word. Being in
the services’ – he nodded towards the small number of women, who were now all in the FANYs, to include them – ‘you have the protection of what that stands for.’

Beth felt torn. She longed to go home to see her family, but she was nervous too. Her family – and her father in particular – were very astute and she doubted her own capability of
keeping such secrets. Still, she reminded herself wryly, it’ll be good practice. If I can dupe my nearest and dearest, I can fool anyone.

‘1941’s been a funny year, hasn’t it, Lil?’ Edie mused as they sat together to finalize their plans for Christmas.

‘Irene and the little one – and Reggie, of course – have been away such a long time and we haven’t even been able to get out to see them.’

‘I know, duck, but Archie’s adamant that we shouldn’t upset Reggie and, of course, we’re not encouraged to make unnecessary journeys, are we?’

‘I don’t think seeing our family is “unnecessary”,’ Lil replied with surprising asperity.

‘Tell you what, you write and ask Irene to come home for Christmas and I’ll write to Reggie. Surely he’s been there long enough not to get “unsettled”, as Archie
calls it.’

That decided, the two women turned their thoughts to how the war was going.

‘Most of the year seems to have been taken up with Rommel’s siege of Tobruk. Thank goodness the Allies won in the end.’

‘Yes, but to me the worst thing that’s happened this year has been the Japanese attack on America’s fleet in Pearl Harbour last week. Who’d have thought anybody could be
daft enough to attack a huge country like that?’

Lil laughed wryly. ‘Only Hitler, when he attacked Russia. If he beats them, Edie, I’ll eat my hat.’

‘He won’t – but at least we’ve got both the big powers on our side now.’

‘That’s true – we’re no longer alone, are we?’

Edie sniffed. ‘Only here at home without our families.’

At the end of his final trip to sea before Christmas – the third Christmas of the war – Archie stepped into the back door of his house to be greeted by Edie waving a letter under his
nose.

‘She’s coming home for Christmas. Beth’s coming home.’

‘Ah, now that’s the best news I could have had, love. We’ll make it the best Christmas we’ve had since all this started, eh?’

‘Aye, we will – as much as rationing will let us. It’s going to be even harder this year. I don’t reckon it can get much worse. I just hope Beth brings her ration book
home with her.’

‘She will,’ Archie said confidently.

‘But there’ll be no sherry for Norma this time – even if she was joining us this year, which she isn’t – and hardly any chocolates or fruit. And I’ve had such
a job to get you even a bit of baccy, Archie.’

He patted his wife’s shoulder. He could see that the shortages were bothering Edie. She couldn’t look after her family any longer in the way that she always had.

‘I’m sure you and Lil will work miracles. You always do. And chin up, love. Things are looking better than they did this time last year. Adolf was an idiot to invade Russia –
at least from his point of view. I don’t know what he was thinking of but at least it diverted his Luftwaffe away from us. And he’s had to abandon his attack on Moscow now. I expect the
Russian winter defeated him just like it did Napoleon. And it’ll have depleted his resources and lowered the morale of his troops. And we’re not alone now, Edie. We’ve got the
Yanks with us. You mark my words, love, it’ll take us a while yet but we’ll win. One day – we’ll win. And best of all, Beth’s coming home!’

For the rest of the day, the smiles never left either of their faces and Lil, when she heard, clasped her hands together and breathed an ecstatic ‘Oh!’

Shirley, too, grinned from ear to ear. ‘I’ll be able to introduce her to my friend.’ Shirley had had few real friends in her life other than Irene and, of course, her sister,
but she seemed to have found one in Ursula.

‘Oh aye.’ Archie smiled as he sat down in his armchair with a satisfied sigh and shook open his newspaper. ‘And who’s this, then? A boyfriend?’

‘Don’t be daft, Dad,’ Shirley laughed wryly. ‘Who’d look at me?’

‘Aw, don’t do yourself down, love.’ Archie glanced up at her over his paper but couldn’t for the life of him think what to say to encourage his plain-looking daughter
without sounding patronizing. ‘Beth’ll help you with the make-up and curl your hair and all that when she comes home. Your hair looks pretty when it’s curled up.’ Now he
could be truthful, for it did.

Shirley felt a lump in her throat. It wasn’t often her dad took much notice of her and he hardly ever commented on her appearance. But she was honest enough with herself to know that it
was a difficult task to pay her compliments when she was compared to her lovely sister!

They were all at the station to meet Beth on Christmas Eve, but this time it was a happy occasion. And Lil was there too. After she’d hugged them all and Archie had picked up her suitcase,
Beth glanced around her. ‘Where’s Reggie? And Irene and Tommy? Have they come for Christmas? Are they waiting at home?’

Edie bit her lip and shook her head but it was Shirley who said, ‘They’ve not come, Beth. Irene said that little Tommy’s got a cold and she doesn’t want him riding on
draughty buses or trains. And Reggie, well . . .’ she paused and glanced at her mother, then took a deep breath and said bluntly – ‘he doesn’t seem to
want
to come
home.’

‘Of course he does,’ Edie said, valiantly trying to persuade herself as well as everyone else. ‘Mr Schofield brought a letter from him when he brought us two birds –
geese this time – and a lovely piece of ham this year. Oh, we’ll have a feast, Beth, and no mistake.’

‘And what did Reggie say in his letter?’

Edie shrugged, trying to make light of it, but she’d been hurt. ‘He said that the land army girls are going home for Christmas and Mr Schofield won’t have anyone else to help
him on the farm, so – he felt obliged to stay. I’m sure he really
wanted
to come home, though.’

‘Of course he did, Mam,’ Beth said gently.

Comforted, Edie linked her arm through Beth’s and Shirley took her sister’s other arm and they walked along the road arm in arm, leaving a smiling Archie and Lil to bring up the
rear.

‘You’ll meet my friend Ursula,’ Shirley chattered. ‘She’s got no family in this country and the woman she lodges with at the top of our road is a right old misery.
There’ll be no merrymaking in
that
house.’

‘Ursula? Who’s Ursula?’

‘I told you – my friend.’

‘I know, but who is she?’

‘She’s Swiss and came to live in England years ago.’

‘She’s got a funny accent,’ Edie murmured, ‘but she seems nice enough.’

‘And what about you?’ Shirley asked. ‘What have you been doing? I must say, I like the uniform. You look awfully smart, though I’m surprised they’ve let you grow
your hair even longer. I thought you had to have it all chopped off when you went into the services.’

Beth laughed, her low, deep chuckle that had everyone smiling. How they’d all missed Beth and that laugh of hers. ‘All sorts of things,’ she said, answering the first part of
Shirley’s questions and deliberately keeping her replies vague. Neatly, she avoided any comment on her hair. She was growing it longer for a reason, but she didn’t want her family to
know what that was. ‘I’ve been taking a first-aid course.’ This at least was true and Beth felt she was on safe ground. It fitted in with the nursing theme that the FANYs stood
for. ‘And it’s been very useful knowing how to drive. I must remember to thank Uncle Harry tomorrow. They are coming to us for Christmas Day, I take it?’

‘Yes, but Norma’s got other plans this year,’ Edie replied.

‘Well, she won’t be missed,’ Shirley said, without stopping to think that Lil was walking close behind them. Edie shot her younger daughter a warning glance, but Lil called out
merrily, ‘It’s all right, Edie. Actually, I quite agree with Shirley.’

And all five of them burst out laughing, attracting some curious glances as they walked home.

‘Poor Norma,’ Beth said kindly. ‘Just so long as she’s not going to be on her own for Christmas Day. I wouldn’t like to think of anyone being on their own at
Christmas.’

‘That’s why I want to invite Ursula,’ Shirley said promptly.

‘What about the lady she lives with, though? Does that mean she’s going to be alone?’

Shirley shook her head. ‘She’s going to her sister’s, but they didn’t ask Ursula.’

‘Then she must come to us,’ Edie said firmly. ‘You can pop up the road and ask her before the blackout needs to go up.’

Later that night when Lil had gone home and Edie, weary with all the preparations for the following day, had gone to bed – Shirley too – Beth and her father sat
together in front of the dying embers.

‘Now, love,’ he said gently, ‘are you really all right? You can tell your old dad, y’know.’

‘Dad, I’m fine – honestly.’ And Archie had to admit she looked it. Her skin was clear, her long brown hair was glossy and her eyes were shining as if she were thoroughly
enjoying her life in the FANYs.

‘Er – what is it you do exactly?’

‘All sorts, Dad.’

‘But it’s nursing, isn’t it? Is that what you’re doing?’

‘Not exactly.’ Beth shook her head. She’d rehearsed her answers to any probing questions so they slipped glibly off her tongue with no awkward hesitation whilst she concocted
an answer. ‘I’m a general dogsbody, I suppose, but thanks to good old Uncle Harry, I can drive an ambulance if needed.’

Archie leaned forward and tapped his pipe out on the hearth and then set it on the mantelpiece. He avoided looking directly at Beth now as he stared into the fire and said softly, ‘Well,
whatever it is you’re doing, lass, just take good care of yourself and – and come back safely to us, won’t you?’ He was on the point of asking her to write more often, to
keep them posted about where she was and what she was doing, but Archie Kelsey had his own instincts – just like his daughter – and he remained silent.

Beth felt a lump in her throat and she was on the point of confiding in her father, but she stopped herself just in time and instead whispered huskily, ‘I promise.’ She stood up and
kissed the top of his head. ‘I’m off up now. I need my sleep to cope with a heavy afternoon of charades tomorrow. Night, night, Dad.’

As the door closed softly behind her, Archie sighed. Her replies to his gentle probing hadn’t fooled him for one moment.

Despite the absence of several members of the family, they all enjoyed Christmas Day. At first, Ursula seemed shy and somewhat disconcerted by having to meet several more
members of the family at once for the first time. She seemed especially nervous when she found that Beth had joined one of the forces.

‘Shirley says you’ve been living in this country for some time.’ Beth smiled at her, trying to make the girl feel welcome and yet, she was puzzled by her. She wanted to find
out more. ‘But where are you from originally?’

‘I told you, Beth, she’s from Zurich.’

Beth grinned. ‘So you did, Shirley. Sorry, Ursula, I’m just naturally nosey.’

Archie, carefully carving one of the geese from the Schofields’ farm, pretended to be concentrating on the job in hand, but his sharp ears were missing nothing of the conversation around
the table. He was wondering what Beth was playing at. He’d always thought her the least ‘nosey’ person he knew and yet here she was asking the stranger in their midst quite
probing questions. Maybe she was just trying to make the girl feel welcome and at home – or was it something else? Had Beth’s training – whatever that had been – taught her
to ask questions of anyone and everyone?

‘So how long have you been here? You speak wonderful English.’

‘I came when I was twelve,’ Ursula said. Suddenly, her foreign accent sounded more acute. Perhaps, thought Archie, Beth’s questions were unnerving her and she was feeling under
pressure.

‘Here? To Grimsby?’ To the casual observer, Beth’s questions sounded innocent enough, as if she was merely making conversation, involving the girl in their midst, but Archie
wondered . . .

‘No, I was in London for many years, but when the bombing started I came north.’

‘Not the safest place you could have chosen, duck,’ Edie said, piling potatoes and carrots on to Ursula’s plate. ‘They’ve sent folk
out
of Grimsby –
not to it.’ And she added under her breath, ‘As if we didn’t know.’

‘So, what made you come here?’ Beth laughed and, trying to lighten her probing questions, added, ‘It can’t be that you like the smell of fish.’

‘Well, I’m glad she has come here,’ Shirley put in. ‘She’s become my best friend now that you and Irene have gone away.’

Beth smiled at her sister, sensing the poignancy in the girl’s tone. She guessed that Shirley must have felt very lonely, but she hoped she hadn’t latched on to just anyone
who’d shown her the slightest sign of friendliness.

‘I – I got a job on the local paper. At least, I work freelance for them,’ Ursula added swiftly. ‘If I hear a story, I write it and take it to the newspaper
offices.’

‘Well, there’re plenty of stories just now,’ Edie said, with a bitter edge to her tone. ‘Ones we’d rather not be having.’

‘So, you haven’t been interned, then?’

Ursula frowned. ‘Interned? What is that?’