War in the Valleys

by Francesca Capaldi

  ‘What, sitting down all day, writing? That’s not hard work,’ said Rose.

  Mirjam’s head went down and she shuffled her feet.

  ‘Of course it is!’ said Gwen. ‘You just wouldn’t have the head for it. Perhaps you should try a stint at the munitions, instead of flitting in and out of your father’s shop whenever it pleases you.’

  ‘What, and go all yellow like you, you mean?’ She laughed far too loudly. ‘You used to be pretty at one time. A right show-off. No man would look twice at you now.’

  Being a few inches taller than Rose, Gwen was able to look down her nose at her, in the way Mrs Meredith or Esther Williams might do.

  ‘Well that’s where you’re wrong, for I am walking out with a gentleman. I don’t suppose you can say the same. I’m not a nasty little thief who tries to get other people in trouble. I doubt any man would look even once at you, and no wonder. Who’d want a nasty little liar like you as a sweetheart?’

  Rose let out an almighty roar and leapt at Gwen, who moved so fast that Rose tripped over the chair next to her. She pulled herself up quickly. Anwen hurried away with the baby to stand next to Mrs Schenck. She thought Rose was going to have another go at Gwen, but instead she bounded to the nearest bookshelf, immediately pulling out books and hurling them to the floor. Mr Schenck and Gwen tried to stop her. Mirjam burst into tears, setting the baby off again. Rose’s flailing arms caught the faces of those trying to restrain her.

  As Gwen was about to grab one of her arms, the door opened once more and the welcome figure of Sergeant Harries stepped inside. Behind him was PC Probert. They sprang into action and soon had Rose Pritchard restrained. Gwen went to Mrs Schenck, placing a comforting hand round her shoulder.

  ‘I am – all right, thank you,’ the older woman said haltingly. Her English had never been as good as her husband’s. ‘I go now to our rooms.’ She made a hasty retreat and shut the door.

  Sara Fach had calmed down now and was sucking her thumb. Anwen and Mr Schenck explained to the sergeant what had happened. Rose all the while was shouting that they were liars.

  ‘Do you want to press charges?’ the sergeant asked Mr Schenck.

  He rubbed his chin, considering. ‘I am always one for as peaceful a life as possible, especially now war is raging around us. I will give you one more chance, Miss Pritchard.’

  ‘Are you sure that’s the right decision?’ said the sergeant. ‘Too mouthy by far, this one, and has got away with far too much.’

  ‘I am sure.’

  ‘Still, we’ll take her to Rhymney station to caution her. A little time behind bars to cool off wouldn’t go amiss.’

  ‘You’ll be sorry,’ she called, as the policemen led her away.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Violet was roused from her sleep by a vague noise she couldn’t quite make out. It sounded like people running down the road, shouting. Maybe a drunk being noisy. She looked out of the window, onto the street, just catching sight of the backs of several people as they disappeared into the mist. It obscured the dim light of pre-dawn that was more obvious high up on the other side of the valley. As she opened the window to lean out, she caught a faint glimpse of another couple of people as they appeared out of Lloyd Street, further down the road and opposite.

  Her breath caught. Surely there couldn’t have been another mining accident. She switched the light on and looked at the clock on the mantelpiece. Twenty-five past four. She rushed to get dressed, ignoring the corset which took too long to fiddle with. It wasn’t like she had much flesh to pull in. At the back of her mind she thanked God that Hywel wasn’t on the night shift. Nor Idris or Gwilym, she added to herself.

  When she reached the landing, Olwen’s door opened.

  ‘What on earth is going on? There’s a terrible din coming from the houses over the back, and I thought I saw flames.’

  ‘Flames?’ She rushed down the stairs.

  Olwen followed, whispering loudly, ‘Where do you think you’re going?’

  ‘To see if any help is needed,’ she said, grabbing her shawl off the hatstand and throwing it round her shoulders.

  ‘And what help would you be?’

  She ignored the suggestion that she was useless. ‘Tell the kiddies when they wake up where I’ve gone. I’ll be back when I can.’

  ‘What a to-do, and on a Whit Sunday as well.’

  ‘I’ll be back in a while.’

  She rushed out the door before her mother-in-law could find some argument to keep her there. There was some light in the sky to her left, enough for her to see her way down. A few people were ahead of her. They turned onto James Street, so she followed on round the corner.

  It gradually became apparent that there was a crowd outside the shops on the next corner, where the confectioner’s, the empty baker’s and the bookshop stood. As she got closer she realised there were flames licking the air from Mr Schenck’s shop. The crackling noise it caused mingled with the shouts of the people. She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, giving in to the immediate urge to cry. What if the family were hurt – or worse?

  People were gathered on the road in front of the park. It was a relief to see Anwen and Gwen, until she remembered what had happened. She wiped her tears away. Closer to her, she spotted Maurice Coombes’ wife, Mabel, who’d been in Violet’s class at school.

  ‘What’s happened?’

  ‘Oh Violet! Hywel, Idris and Noah have gone in to find Mr and Mrs Schenck.’

  ‘What, in that?’ She pointed to the burning building. ‘Where’s the fire engine?’

  ‘Someone’s alerted Phillips the Fire and he’s fetching it down.’

  It was at that moment they heard the roar of an engine. Soon, its bright red body and gold engine casing came into view through the gloom. The ladder stretched at an angle from the front to the back, where it sloped down. The bell was being clanged frantically. A cheer went up from the crowd.

  Violet looked back towards the shop. ‘How long have the men been in there?’

  ‘I dunno. A coupla minutes?’ Mabel took hold of Violet’s arm and held on. ‘I hope they’re all right.’

  Bethan Schenck, Noah’s wife, rushed over to them. ‘Mabel, where on earth are they? My mam’s taken the children to her house. I don’t want them out here, or tucked up in bed next to a burning building. Oh Lord, where is Noah?’

  The last few words came out on a sob. Violet took her hand. Bethan’s two children were the same age as Clarice and Benjamin. Violet couldn’t bear the idea of another pair of babbies without their da.

  ‘Out of the way everyone,’ called Sergeant Harries, ahead of the fire engine. ‘Let Phillips the Fire do his job.’

  The crowd moved to the opposite pavements on the crossroads. Four other men ran to help with the equipment. Violet caught sight of Cadoc Beadle in the crowd, struck for a second by the oddity of it. He’d not been seen out since his beating.

  Bethan moved away from the women and ran over to the policeman. ‘Sergeant, some more people should go and look for Noah and the others.’

  ‘We can’t be sending more men in, not until we’ve got a bit of water going. They shouldn’t have gone ahead in the first place.’

  ‘But Sergeant Harries—’

  ‘Now step back, Mrs Schenck. We’ll send more men in just as soon as we can.’

  Bethan burst into tears, a long, moaning wail issuing from her mouth. Violet and Mabel went to her once more, leading her a few yards away. Suddenly she stopped. They all looked towards the shop. Out of the front door stumbled Idris, holding on to a swaying Jozef Schenck who wore a long, striped nightshirt. Both men were coughing. The three women ran to them, not heeding the sergeant’s order for them to stay back.

  ‘Uncle Jozef,’ cried Bethan, ‘where are Noah and Aunty Mirjam?’

  ‘And Hywel,’ said Violet, unable to stop herself.

  ‘I don’t know,’ said Idris, struggling to speak. ‘They went to find Mrs Schenck.’

  ‘Mirjam, Mir
jam,’ Jozef groaned the name with difficulty, followed by something in Dutch. ‘She’d been restless. I think – must have gone to, to – other bedroom to sleep, so as not to disturb me. I must go back.’

  ‘No, Mr Schenck, you can’t,’ said Violet.

  ‘Dr Roberts is here with Sister Grey,’ someone called.

  ‘Come on, Mr Schenck.’ Mabel took him from Idris. ‘You need to see the doctor.’

  ‘And you must see the doctor too, Idris,’ said Violet.

  She’d barely got the words out when Anwen ran over, giving her a strange look as she pulled Idris away.

  Violet and Bethan held onto each other, staring at the shop, as the flames inside licked ever higher.

  * * *

  ‘Noah, where are you?’ Hywel spluttered, staggering out of what appeared to be the front room of the flat above the bookshop. The early morning light wasn’t helping much.

  Mrs Schenck hadn’t been in the bedroom with her husband when Noah had burst in, he and Idris following on. Overcome with smoke and confusion, the older man hadn’t known where she was. As Idris had led a resisting Mr Schenck away, Hywel and Noah had gone to find his wife. Noah had called that he was going to check the kitchen, which appeared to be on the other side from the room Hywel had just exited. There would be other rooms, but it was hard to see which way to go. His eyes stung from the acrid smoke, making them water, whilst the searing heat was starting to make him feel dizzy.

  ‘Noah? Noah! Are you still in the kitchen, mun?’ He’d barely got the last word out when he started coughing. It might be best to check, in case Noah had found his aunt there and needed help. He pulled his scarf away from his neck and wrapped it round his face, covering his nose.

  The smoke was less fierce here, at the back of the house, and it was clear there was no one in the kitchen. Back in the hall he heard someone calling. The voice became clearer.

  ‘Hywel, Hywel!’ There was a rasping cough. ‘Help me.’

  It was coming from the area beyond the front room. Struggling down what turned out to be a narrow corridor, he made out a door. He flung it open. ‘Noah?’

  ‘Here, I’m here, mun,’ Noah’s disembodied voice yelled, but it was coming from further up the corridor.

  Through the smoke came two figures. Noah was dragging his aunt along. She was gasping for breath.

  ‘Help me – get her – downstairs,’ Noah rasped. ‘There are – flames – bedroom.’

  Hywel plunged forward and tried to help his friend, but it was hard because three people couldn’t fit side by side down the narrow passage. He realised his leg, the one that had taken the bullet, was aching, as it still did on the odd occasion. He was limping once more.

  At the top of the stairs, Noah said, ‘I’ll go in front, you go behind, and we’ll get her down between us.’

  As they were getting into position, Mirjam roused herself. ‘Jozef, where is Jozef?’ she screamed.

  ‘He’s gone—’

  Hywel’s muffled ‘ahead’ was barely out, when she tugged herself away from the men. What she’d intended to do he wasn’t sure. What happened next occurred so quickly he could do nothing to stop it. In her effort to jerk away from them, she tripped on the top step and fell into the fog of smoke on the landing. He watched as if in slow motion. The last thing he remembered was something hard hitting his leg as her flailing foot swept him off his feet, and then a shriek of panic from Noah.

  * * *

  ‘We have to send people in to get the others out,’ Bethan was howling, tugging the arm of Sergeant Harries’ uniform once more.

  ‘No one goes in until we have this fire under control,’ shouted Harries. ‘Now stand back, all of you.’

  By now PC Probert had turned up on the scene, with another, even older, ex-policeman, recently dragged out of retirement. They spread their arms to herd the rest of the crowd away. There were murmurs of protest, but they all did as they were told.

  Bethan pulled Violet well out of earshot of the policemen. ‘I’m going in, I don’t care what he says.’ She rushed off immediately.

  Violet felt her pulse thud inside her head twice before she followed on. This was idiotic. She had two young children.

  ‘Bethan, wait, think about your kiddies.’

  She tried to grab hold of her, but Bethan shook her off. Violet followed on, regardless. She could always change her mind if it proved too hazardous. If no one did anything, they’d surely perish. They might have simply collapsed near the door. It was worth a try, wasn’t it?

  They felt the heat intensify before they reached the building. Although the flames seemed to be on the left of the shop, who knew what they’d find inside? Sergeant Harries’ voice hollered out warnings to them to keep away as they entered the door. Soon the footsteps of someone rushing up behind them were heard. She expected any moment to be grabbed by Harries, but then she heard Idris’s voice.

  ‘You two should go back.’

  Bethan shouted, ‘No,’ and ran in.

  ‘Violet, please,’ Idris pleaded. ‘You have young children.’

  Shame at her willingness to run in to rescue Hywel overwhelmed her. She nodded and stepped back as Idris rushed in after Bethan. She was about to turn around when she was almost knocked over by the diminutive Twm Bach, dashing past her.

  Hurrying back outside, she saw Anwen at a distance crying and calling Idris’s name. What a fool she must have looked, running in after Hywel. Enid was with Anwen now, holding her hands. Gwen seemed to have disappeared. No, there she was, coming towards her.

  ‘Why did you go over?’

  ‘I was trying to persuade Bethan not to go in.’ This was at least true, if not the whole story.

  ‘Shame she didn’t listen. They’re taking Mr Schenck to the hospital. I hope they come out soon. This is terrible.’

  They huddled together to watch as the men fought the flames which were now licking out of the top window on the left side of the shop.

  ‘Someone should go and help them,’ Anwen shouted. She was shaking and starting to whimper.

  From the crowd somebody else ran towards the burning building.

  ‘Oh my goodness,’ said Violet. ‘He can’t be well enough to—’

  But she didn’t get to finish before Sergeant Harries began to yell at the next disobedient member of the public, but to no avail.

  * * *

  ‘Twm, what are you doing here?’ said Idris, as the smaller man caught him up, already coughing.

  ‘You were the main reason – we got out of the mine during the disaster last year, so I’m not – letting you risk your life alone here.’

  ‘Come on then.’

  The two of them rushed through a haze of white smoke. To the left of the shop, in the section with the children’s and history books, the flames were leaping high. Idris felt a brief sorrow for all the lost books that nobody would ever rifle through with delight again.

  Because Idris had not long come out, he knew that the door at the rear was where they should head. They were both coughing almost continuously. Twm was right to compare it to the mine disaster, where the choking gases of the afterdamp could easily have killed them.

  They just made out Bethan in the dark space beyond the door. Even during broad daylight there wouldn’t have been much light here, with its north-easterly aspect, without the dark grey smoke making it difficult to see.

  ‘The stairs – are here – somewhere,’ Bethan huffed. ‘Ouch.’ She seemed to fall from view.

  ‘Where’s – she gone?’ Idris coughed.

  ‘I’m here. There’s something here. Oh God, bo – bodies.’

  ‘O duw, o duw,’ wailed Twm, panting heavily.

  There was a long groan.

  ‘Someone’s alive!’ said Bethan. ‘Who’s there?’

  ‘Hywel,’ he said. ‘I’m here with, with – Noah, I think.’

  Idris tried to sigh with relief but only ended up coughing again.

  Hywel appeared as he hauled himself up. ‘And Mrs Schenck
’s – here too. Slid down – we did. Help us.’

  ‘What the – the – hell are you doing – here, Bethan? Aunty Mirjam’s still, still,’ Noah coughed, ‘at – top of stairs. I – think.’

  ‘I’ll go,’ said Idris.

  ‘No!’ came a new voice. ‘You’ve done enough. And it’s time I made amends.’

  ‘Mr Beadle?’ said Hywel, pulling Noah up. ‘Don’t be daft, mun. You’re not well enough.’

  ‘Out of – the way! It’s the – the least – I can do.’ The last words were spluttered in his haste to get up the stairs.

  ‘Let’s go,’ said Twm. ‘We, we – can’t stay.’

  * * *

  ‘Where are they?’ said Violet, the urge to cry bubbling to the surface again.

  ‘Oh Lord, please let them be all right,’ said Gwen.

  Mabel returned to Violet’s side. ‘Haven’t they come out yet?’

  The two women shook their heads. The water being sprayed at the building from the fire engine did at least seem to be doing some good at last, but it still wasn’t enough to make those inside safe.

  Sergeant Harries stood watching, lifting his helmet to scratch his head. All of a sudden, he leapt towards the building and entered it.

  ‘About time!’ said Mabel. ‘Letting ordinary folk risk their lives while he stands there watching.’

  The crowd moved closer, despite warnings from the two older constables. Harries soon re-emerged, followed by Idris, Hywel, Bethan, Noah and Twm. A cheer went up. Anwen ran over with Enid. A wave of relief washed over Violet. Hywel was bent over and coughing, but he was alive. How she wished she could run to him.

  ‘Idris, why did you have to go in again?’ Anwen admonished him while throwing her arms around him. ‘There are plenty of strong young men here could have gone.’ She looked round accusingly at the crowd there.

  ‘Where’s that idiot Cadoc Beadle?’ said the sergeant, glancing around. ‘I thought he’d be with you.’

  ‘He went back to get Aunty Mirjam.’ Noah tried to catch his breath as he pushed his fair hair back from his face. ‘Where’s Uncle Jozef?’