‘He won’t give up, will he?’ Pat slammed her fork into the ground to dig out some potatoes.
‘That damned man can’t last much longer, surely?’ Jean tossed the vegetables into a sack and tied it up. ‘But it’s taking longer than expected to reach Germany, and with winter just round the corner, that will slow things up even more. This waiting is all the more frustrating because we know the end must now be near. The only problem is, that man in Germany doesn’t seem to have received the message yet.’
‘Well, hang on a bit until we’ve cleared this field and then I’ll nip over and tell him, shall I?’ Pat joked.
Hanna laughed. ‘Good idea, Pat, but I can’t see the war being over by Christmas, as everyone was predicting, can you?’
‘I doubt it.’ Pat grimaced. ‘Still, there’s no point fretting about it. We’ve got plenty to keep us busy.’
They worked silently for another hour. It was back-breaking work, but it had to be done, and Hanna was quite pleased when it was time to go and collect the boys. ‘I’ve got to go, girls,’ she called.
They waved and Hanna hurried off to make herself presentable before going to the village.
When she reached the school it was still ten minutes to go before they all came out so she looked in at the store to say hello to Beth. Since Jack had met Beth at the dance, Hanna had taken every chance to speak to her, and the more she came to know her, the more she liked her. She seemed a sensible, level-headed girl, and appeared to understand the kind of life Jack had chosen for himself.
‘Hello, Beth.’ The shop wasn’t busy and Hanna stepped inside for a moment. ‘Heard from Jack lately?’
Beth came over to her, smiling happily. ‘I had a long letter two days ago. Have you any idea when he might be home again?’
‘Sorry.’ Hanna shook her head. ‘In peace time I always had some idea when his ship would be returning, but I’m afraid that all through the war I’ve never even known where he is. We’ll only know when he turns up.’
‘Oh well, that’s something to look forward to. What about your Alan? Any news from him?’
‘I’ve heard from him at last, and he’s all right.’
‘My dad says that the war can’t last much longer, and he reckons that the end of this year is now out of the question, but it should be over by the spring of next year.’
‘Hope he’s right. It seems to have been going on for ever, and I can hardly remember what it was like to be at peace.’ Hanna glanced at the clock. ‘Oh, I must go, or the boys will be out of school and tearing off on their own. They’re always the first through the door.’
‘You coming to the dance on Saturday?’ Beth called as Hanna hurried towards the door.
‘Yes, see you there.’ Hanna ran the few yards to the school and got there just in time. She didn’t have the chance to say much on the walk to the farm because the boys never stopped talking for one moment as they told her every detail of their day.
The next morning Hanna received a letter from Bob’s parents, and as she read it the tears trickled down her face.
‘Whatever is the matter?’ Mildred’s face was anxious as she sat next to Hanna. ‘Nothing’s happened to Jack or Alan, has it?’
‘No, it’s from Bob’s parents. Ed was killed in the landings, but Bob and Hal have survived and are all right.’
‘Oh, I’m sorry about Ed. Such nice boys, and I particularly liked Ed.’ Mildred sighed and gave a sad smile. ‘Do you remember how they wouldn’t let us make their coffee, and couldn’t stand the taste of tea?’
Hanna nodded and wiped away the tears. ‘I was praying that they would all survive the war. There’s been so much suffering and destruction, and all because of one man. I’ll be glad when it’s all over.’
‘So will we all!’
The winter dragged by and they listened avidly to the news bulletins, waiting, hoping, that the end wasn’t far off now. When spring finally arrived they were shocked by the news that President Roosevelt had died on April twelfth, and sad that he hadn’t lived long enough to see the victory that was surely about to come.
Then on April thirtieth the news came that Hitler had committed suicide, and they knew that now it could only be a matter of days before this awful conflict finally came to an end.
‘Hanna! Hanna!’ The boys ran into the garden waving little flags. ‘It’s over! The war’s over!’
Right behind them were Jane, George, Mildred and Pete, quickly followed by Pat and Jean.
‘Germany has surrendered!’ George was rubbing his hands together in excitement. ‘May the seventh will go down in history as a great day!’
‘We’re going to have a big party tomorrow.’ The boys’ faces were glowing, picking up on everyone else’s joy.
‘We certainly are.’ Pat took hold of the boys’ hands and danced them round and round. ‘We’re going to line the village street with tables, and decorate everywhere.’
‘We’re going to need everyone’s help,’ Jean told them, ‘and any food you can supply.’
‘That will be my job.’ Mildred appeared delighted at the prospect of providing food for a party.
That evening everyone from the farm gathered in the sitting room to celebrate the end of the war in Europe, their thoughts going out to those who weren’t able to be with them. The boys were now old enough to understand, and were allowed to stay up for a while so they could join in. They were far too excited to sleep, anyway.
Pat raised her glass. ‘Here’s to all our men, and may they come home soon safe and sound.’
‘Soon!’ Jean couldn’t stop smiling. ‘And we can start to live our normal lives again.’
‘What are you both going to do now?’ George asked the two Londoners. ‘You’ve been a great help around the farm and I’ll miss you if you go.’
‘Ah . . . well.’ Pat looked at Jane. ‘We was going to have a word with you about that. We’ve grown fond of our homes here, and the kids are happy at the village school. Our homes in London are just a great damned hole in the ground, and none of us fancy going back to that. We like living in the country, so do our kids. They’ve got room to run and play in green fields instead of grey concrete. Our blokes like it here as well, so . . .’
‘Then you must stay,’ Jane said, before Pat had time to finish what she was going to say. ‘The cottages are yours for as long as you want them. Wait until your men come home for good and then decide what you would all like to do, but as far as I’m concerned, I will be happy to have you stay in the cottages.’
‘Oh, thank you!’ Both women smiled with obvious relief, and Jean said, ‘That’s taken a load off our minds. We know you’ve said before that we could stay, but we wasn’t sure. Can we both still help George on the farm? Part time, of course.’
‘Yes, if that’s what you want. Arrange it with George, and I know he will be glad of your help.’
‘I certainly will. You’re a couple of very good workers.’ George smiled, pleased.
By nine o’clock all the children were having a job to keep their eyes open, so Hanna put the boys to bed, and then found somewhere for the other children to sleep until their parents left the party. Her thoughts naturally rested on Jack and Alan, wondering where they had been when the news of Germany’s surrender had come through.
‘What’s going on?’ Jack rushed up on deck when he heard the ship’s sirens blasting away. They were only a couple of hours from reaching Liverpool, but this was a hell of a racket to be making. The deck was crowded and just as he arrived a Spitfire roared overhead and executed a beautiful victory roll, one of the escort ships steamed past sounding a horn, and men were cheering.
Jack stood there, mouth open as it dawned on him – the war must be over! There was no way the ships would be making all this noise otherwise, even if they were nearing the coast. Someone spun him round and he looked into Frank’s beaming face, and Bill was thumping him on the back.
‘We made it, lad! The war is over at last.’ Bill had to shout to make himse
lf heard. ‘We’ve been saving a little keg of rum for just this occasion. We’re going to have one hell of a celebration.’
Frank was busy handing round mugs with a small tot of rum in them, and there was much laughter as the mugs were swiftly emptied. Then a voice came over the speakers, ‘Let’s get this ship into dock.’
They all rushed to their stations, and as they made their way into the docks, Jack knew that this moment was something he would never forget. Everyone was cheering and smiling, joy and relief on each face.
‘I know we’ve been expecting this, but it still came as a bit of a shock. How do you feel now the war for us is really over?’ Bill asked, when they were safely docked.
‘Stunned,’ Jack admitted. ‘It’s hard to grasp it’s all over, and not only that, but we are still in one piece. I can hardly believe we have survived.’
Bill shook his head. ‘That’s nothing short of a miracle, lad. Thousands of merchant seamen didn’t live to see this day. And we mustn’t forget that.’
‘We won’t.’ Frank sighed deeply. ‘Now we can get back to being sailors again, instead of targets for the U-boats.’
‘And you had better get around to marrying that girl of yours, Frank. You’ve got no excuse now, and she’s waited long enough.’
‘First thing I’m going to do when I get home, Bill.’
After a wild night of partying, and the prospect of two weeks’ leave in front of him, Jack made his way to the farm. On his way he saw that the entire country was celebrating; flags were flying everywhere, and the streets were crowded. He was looking forward to seeing Hanna again, and Beth. They had been writing regularly and now he would have the time to get to know her better. He also wanted to find out if Alan was all right, and he really hoped so. Alan would make Hanna a good husband, and she deserved a happy home and family of her own. Those years in the orphanage would have been unbearable if it hadn’t been for her. He’d had someone to turn to, but she had shouldered all the responsibility and stood alone. It was only after they had both left the orphanage that he had fully recognized what she had done for him. She had only been a child herself, and in her quiet way had shown great strength of character. And that strength had shone through when he had boarded his first ship. It must have torn her apart, but there had been no fuss or tears; she had let him go with her blessing and a smile on her face. His sister really was something special, and he hoped Alan knew that.
When he walked into the farm there wasn’t a soul around, and remembering the street parties he’d seen on his way here, he dumped his bag and walked to the village.
The party was in full swing, and he just stood there for a while, taking in the scene. There was a long table down the middle of the road, full of sandwiches and cakes, obviously provided by the entire village. It took a few moments to locate Hanna, and he smiled when he saw her with Beth. They were both laughing and trying to control some of the excited children.
Suddenly Hanna turned as if sensing him there, and started waving, grabbing hold of Beth’s arm. Both of them came towards him and he hugged Hanna and then Beth, delighted to be home with them and able to celebrate the end of the war in Europe. ‘Ah, it’s good to see you both, and enjoying yourselves.’
‘Welcome home, Jack,’ Hanna laughed. ‘You’re just in time to give us a hand. This party is turning out to be hard work.’
‘Jack!’ The boys had spotted him at last and came tearing towards him, broad grins on their faces, and hands covered in jam.
He dodged behind his sister and Beth, pretending that he needed their protection from the onslaught. ‘Hold it, boys!’ he cried in mock terror. ‘You’re too big now for me to take you both on at once.’
‘No we’re not!’ Screaming with laughter they began to try and get to him, causing everyone in the street to stop and watch to see what all the fun was about.
Jack took off, dodging round the tables, with the twins in hot pursuit.
Hanna watched and felt a tear of pure relief running down her cheek. She swiped it away. This was no time for tears, but it was such a relief to know that at last Jack would be safe in the profession he had chosen for himself. The next time he sailed away there wouldn’t be U-boats stalking his ship any more.
‘It’s been a worrying time for you, hasn’t it?’ Beth said, noticing the moisture in Hanna’s eyes.
She nodded. ‘I was terrified for him, and struggled all through the war not to show it. We could so easily have lost him, and nearly did at least once. I expect there were many other times he never mentioned, but when war came he was determined to stay in the merchant navy, and I respected that. Over these desperate years I’ve watched him grow into a fine man.’
‘Yes, he has.’ Beth smiled at Hanna. ‘But I think we had better go and rescue him. He’s got at least a dozen kids after him now.’
The village celebration had been a huge success and enjoyed by all, and later that evening they sat around the kitchen table, exhausted.
Beth had come back with them, and Hanna felt a wonderful sense of contentment, thinking that all she needed now was Alan here as well, and her happiness would be complete.
Thirty
‘Nothing for you again, Hanna.’ The elderly postman smiled apologetically. ‘Your young man is probably on his way home and hasn’t had time to write. There are thousands of troops all over the place, and it will take some time to get them all home.’
‘Of course.’ She nodded as she took a letter for Jane from him, knowing he was trying to be comforting. ‘Thanks, Fred.’
Hanna found Jane in the kitchen talking to Mildred. All through the war they had all lived together at the farm as one family, supporting each other through the rough times of the long war. Now, four weeks on, they were each looking to the future. Hanna knew that Jane wanted to go back to London, but was reluctant to take the boys out of their school where they were happy. Jack’s future was clear to him: the merchant navy. Even after all he had gone through over the last few years, his enthusiasm and love of the sea had not diminished one little bit. In fact he was now going to start studying, and hopefully work his way up to becoming an officer one day. He had also found a lovely girl, who seemed to understand that the sea was his life, and he was obviously more than fond of her. It looked as if Beth felt the same about Jack, and Hanna couldn’t be more pleased for both of them. Her future was with Alan, but this long delay in hearing from him was unsettling. It just wasn’t like him, and she knew letters were coming through from Germany because Pat and Jean were getting them without much delay. So why hadn’t she heard from Alan?
‘Letter for you.’ She handed it to Jane and sat down at the kitchen table, checking there was hot tea in the pot, and pouring herself a cup.
‘Thanks.’ Jane noted Hanna’s empty hands after she took the letter from her. ‘Wasn’t there anything for you?’
‘Not today.’ Hanna smiled and stood up, not wanting to show her concern. She was probably worrying over nothing. It must be chaotic in Europe at this time, and it wouldn’t be surprising if Alan didn’t have the time to write at the moment. ‘I’ll go and see if Pat and Jean need any help.’
‘Sit down, Hanna,’ Jane ordered gently. ‘I’ve come to know you quite well over the years, and I count you as a friend, so won’t you tell me what’s bothering you? And don’t try to tell me that nothing is, because I won’t believe you. I know you well enough to understand that you try to keep your feelings to yourself, but you have a very expressive face.’
Hanna sighed and sat down again. ‘I haven’t heard from Alan, or his parents, for some time, and that isn’t like any of them. Mr and Mrs Rogers have written every week without fail, and you know I get loads of letters from Alan. Sometimes two or three at once, but I’ve had nothing for ages. I don’t like this silence, and I do admit that it is worrying me.’
‘It does seem strange, but give it a while longer, and if you don’t hear within the next couple of weeks then you had better go to London and see Alan’s parents
.’ Jane smiled. ‘Try not to worry too much, Hanna. It’s probably just a glitch in the postal system.’
‘You’re right, of course, and I’m just being silly.’
‘You are never silly, Hanna.’
She gave a dry laugh. ‘I wish that were true. Now I’d better get on with some work.’
She found Pat on her own checking on the lambs. ‘Growing fast, aren’t they?’ she said, joining Pat in the field. ‘Where’s Jean?’
Pat beamed. ‘Her Bert came home last night so George told her she wouldn’t be needed today. He just walked in, and we didn’t even know he was on his way home.’
‘That’s wonderful news!’ Hanna felt a sense of relief sweep through her. That’s what Alan would do. She was worrying over nothing. ‘Your Charlie won’t be far behind then.’
‘Hope not.’ Pat sighed. ‘It will be so good to have them back. Any idea where Alan is?’
‘None at all,’ was all she said. ‘Will your husbands be happy to stay here?’
‘We talked it over with Bert last night, and he was all for us staying. There’s nothing in London for us and we love the cottages. We’ve never had such a nice place to live in before, and our kids think it’s paradise. Bert and Charlie are good mates and both lorry drivers, so Bert said they might get a couple of old lorries and do them up. He reckons there will be plenty of them for sale, and they should be able to find loads of work around here.’ Pat shoved her hands in her pockets and gazed at the field of sheep. ‘Bert and Charlie often talked about how they’d like to work for themselves. This could be their chance.’
‘That sounds exciting, Pat. I do hope it all works out for you.’
Pat nodded, her expression serious now. ‘You too, Hanna. We’ve all got to start picking up the pieces and look to the future. Been afraid to do that, haven’t we, not knowing if our men were going to survive. We’ve been lucky, when so many haven’t. It’s been a terrible waste of young lives.’
A New Day Page 23
