The Docklands Girls

by June Tate

  A bell pinged as she opened the door and an elegant woman behind the counter looked up and smiled. ‘Can I help you?’ she asked.

  ‘I’m Cora Barnes; I’ve come for an interview with the manageress.’

  The smile disappeared. ‘Oh yes, well I am the manageress, come through to the back, will you.’ She nodded to another assistant to take over and then took Cora through a curtained off room which served as an office.

  ‘Please sit down, Miss Barnes. Now I believe you have no experience in this type of work, is that correct?’ There was a coldness in her tone which made Cora edgy.

  ‘Yes. I’ve been working in a munitions factory, doing my bit for the war effort, you know. But now I want to start a new career. I love clothes and would very much like to be in this kind of business.’

  ‘I can see by your apparel that you have taste, thank goodness, and it’s imperative in this business, of course.’ She took down details of age and address, then discussed a salary. ‘We do pay commission too,’ she told Cora, ‘so if your sales are above a certain amount you will be rewarded for your work. I like my assistants to wear black skirts and white blouses – will that be a problem?’

  ‘Not at all,’ said Cora, wondering how on earth she’d find enough clothing coupons to purchase such items.

  Cora eventually rose to leave with a job starting in three weeks’ time.

  ‘That will give you time to find living accommodation,’ she was told once the manageress discovered she’d nowhere to stay in the city.

  Cora left the shop with her head in a whirl. Outside, she stood against the wall to catch her breath. She couldn’t make sense of the change of attitude of the woman who’d interviewed her – perhaps she was just a hard taskmaster – but she’d achieved her aim. Now she’d have to find somewhere to live and she had no idea where or how much it would cost.

  ‘Are congratulations in order?’

  She looked round in surprise to see Joe Keating standing, smiling at her.

  ‘Mr Keating! Where did you spring from?’

  ‘Joe, please. I knew when your appointment was so thought we could celebrate over lunch. Besides, you have to find somewhere to stay, don’t you?’

  Suddenly Cora heard Belle’s warning ringing in her ears and she hesitated, but she also realised she still needed his help so she agreed.

  They went to a nearby restaurant and sat down at a table. After ordering, Cora looked at her companion and asked, ‘Why are you doing this for me?’

  He looked surprised. ‘Because I said I would.’

  ‘Is that all?’ Cora thought she ought to find out before she was in too deep if there was a hidden agenda.

  His eyes twinkled with amusement as he gazed across the table at her. ‘What had you in mind, Cora? Do you imagine I’m going to make some outrageous demands on you in return, is that it?’

  ‘Well, a girl has to be sure, you know!’

  He burst out laughing. ‘Good heavens, I’m really quite flattered, but you are mistaken. I just want you to live your dream and it so happens I’m in the position to help you do so, that’s all. You have my word. Now tell me about the job.’

  She told him about the interview and her concern about buying the necessary clothes and lack of coupons.

  Joe put his hand inside his jacket and handed her an envelope.

  ‘What’s this?’ asked Cora.

  ‘I had wondered about this situation. I knew the dress code of the staff, so here are some clothing coupons, enough for two skirts and two blouses.’

  She looked at him in astonishment. ‘But are these yours?’

  ‘Good heavens no! Just use them and leave it at that.’

  She frowned as she looked inside the envelope.

  ‘Now, Cora, these things happen during shortages. Everything has a price. It’s common practice, you must know that surely?’

  Of course she did. The black market was a part of life ever since the war began and it was still going on. Who was she to complain especially as it was essential to getting her job.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said and put the envelope in her handbag.

  ‘Now for your living accommodation. I have found a small bedsit a couple of stations away on the Underground. I thought it the best way to start, then when you’re earning more money and know the city better you can move if you wish to.’

  She was speechless for a moment. ‘My goodness, you have been busy,’ she said.

  ‘When we’ve finished eating, we’ll go and take a look.’

  Although she was grateful, Cora suddenly felt as if her life had been taken over and she was a little uncomfortable about it, but what could she do? She was grateful; it saved her a lot of searching in a city she didn’t know.

  After their meal, Joe took her by Underground to Shepherd’s Bush, then when they left the station within a short walk they arrived at a building. They walked up two flights of stairs and Joe stopped in front of a door, opened it and stepped back for her to enter.

  It was a large room with a single day bed, which could double as a settee and a small round table with two chairs. Along one side, a draining board with small sink and a gas burner with two rings. A few pieces of crockery and plates were stashed away in a cupboard with a couple of small saucepans. There was a wardrobe, a dressing table with a mirror and a window overlooking the street. There was a small fire escape outside.

  It was so compact and complete; she loved it and said so.

  Joe looked delighted. ‘I’m so glad. You can add bits and pieces to make it your own,’ he said. ‘You know, bed cover, cushions, the woman’s touch.’

  ‘How much is it a week?’ she asked.

  ‘Twelve shillings and sixpence. Being so small, the rent isn’t expensive.’

  Cora did a quick calculation. She could afford it with her salary and if she was able to make any commission, she’d be fine. Besides, she did have her savings to fall back on if necessary.

  ‘Thanks, I can manage that. When do I see the landlord? I need to collect the key and I expect he’ll need some rent in advance.’

  Joe took a key out of his pocket and handed it to her. ‘I’ve already seen him and paid a month in advance as a gift to get you started.’

  Cora stared at him and said with some determination, ‘That’s very nice of you, but I certainly can’t accept your offer. I’ll pay you back. I have the money in the bank. As you know, I’ve been saving.’

  Seeing the stubbornness in her eyes, he smiled and said, ‘Just as you like. Send a cheque to my office.’

  ‘How do I pay the rent?’ was her next question.

  He handed her a small rent book. ‘A man calls round every Wednesday evening about eight o’clock. He calls on all the flats in the building.’

  Taking the book from him, she said, ‘I’d like to thank you for taking the trouble to help me. Without you, I’d still be struggling.’

  ‘Not at all, young lady. I’m only too happy to help. Here are your keys, now is there anything else I can do?’

  Anxious to be alone and look properly at her new home, she said, ‘No. Honestly. I’ll make a note of things I need then I’ll catch the Underground to Waterloo.’

  He walked towards the door. ‘I’ve left a map of the Underground on the table. As you know, there’s a station just along the road.’ He shook her hand. ‘Good luck, Cora. You know where you can reach me.’

  When she was alone, Cora sat on the day bed and looked around. Although the room was fully furnished, it wasn’t claustrophobic. She opened the window wide and listened to the sounds of the street outside. If she wanted, it would be easy to climb out onto the fire escape and sit with a cup of coffee at night after work. She was thrilled with her new home. When she was settled she would shop for a few bits to make it her own. Closing the window, she thought she could hardly wait, in fact she’d move in next week. That would give her time to get used to her new surroundings before starting work. But now she’d have to tell Belle she would be leaving and that w
ouldn’t be easy. It was the only bad thing about starting her new life.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Belle was sitting reading the paper when Cora returned. She looked up at her friend expectantly.

  ‘When do you start?’ she asked.

  ‘You were so certain I’d get the job, weren’t you?’

  ‘Don’t tell me I’m wrong.’

  Cora sat down opposite her. ‘No. You were right; I start in three weeks’ time.’

  ‘Three weeks, why so long?’

  ‘It’ll give me time to settle in my bedsit.’

  ‘Your bedsit? So you’ve managed to find somewhere already. That’s lucky … or did Joe Keating find it for you?’

  Belle was making her feel uncomfortable and Cora was annoyed because her friend was making her feel guilty when she had nothing to feel guilty about.

  ‘Yes, he did and before you say anything else, I made sure there were no strings attached because I asked him!’

  Belle grinned broadly at her. ‘Good for you.’ The tension between them faded.

  ‘Well, I did listen to you, Belle. He thought the whole idea amusing and assured me there was no agenda, so you see, you were wrong. He said he just wanted to help me fulfil my dream.’ She hesitated before continuing. ‘I’ve decided to move up there in a day or two. It will give me time to settle in and get used to my surroundings.’ Looking at Belle, she was suddenly overcome with emotion.

  ‘I’m going to miss you, Belle. We’ve been through so much together.’

  Belle looked at her with affection. ‘Now listen to me, love, I’ll miss you too, but Mr Keating is right, this is your dream. Your start to a new life and I want you to do it, honestly. I know what you’ve been through and you deserve a fresh start.’

  ‘You could always come and stay,’ Cora said, ‘but I’ll have to get a mattress for you to sleep on.’

  ‘Let’s not rush it, Cora. Get settled first. I can always come up for the day on a Sunday, after all.’

  ‘There is one thing that worries me,’ said Cora, ‘what about this flat? As we shared the cost of it.’

  ‘Don’t give it another thought. I can afford the rent on my wages and overtime, plus I like living here. I may move to the Isle of Wight when the factory closes. Property prices are low with the war. You know, people moving who have lost husbands and such. I might pick up a bargain. Maybe I’ll open a B & B.’

  With a sense of relief, Cora chuckled. ‘I can just see you doing that. You’re a good cook and you like people.’

  Getting up from her chair, Belle took out a half bottle of gin and poured them a drink each. ‘Come on, Cora, love, this calls for a celebration. Southampton won’t be the same without us!’

  Whilst Cora and Belle were making decisions about their future, Hildy was doing the same. Milt had been given special permission to marry her before he was repatriated and to that end, they’d got a special licence and the marriage was to take place in a couple of days’ time.

  The preparation was manic. Her friends at the factory were preparing food to be served at a reception in a small hall hired for the afternoon. A couple of Milt’s friends were going too. One as best man and together the two men would play at the reception. One on the piano, the other with his guitar.

  Hildy’s friends gathered in her flat with various items of clothing to make sure she would look like a bride. It was a hilarious evening with clothes being tried on and a variety of hats, and a few drinks to help them decide.

  Milt had a twenty-four hour pass, then he had to return to the camp, ready to sail for the States, but as he said to her, ‘At least I’ll be leaving knowing my wife will be following eventually with the other GI brides.’

  Cora had delayed moving to her bedsit for a couple of days as she and Belle had been invited to the nuptials. They enjoyed getting ready in their finery as all women do.

  The sun shone, the bride looked wonderful, the groom proud, but nervous. It was a happy occasion and as the couple exchanged their vows, some of the small congregation had tears in their eyes, thrilled to see them standing together, knowing that so many didn’t return from the war.

  After the ceremony, confetti fluttered down, photographs were taken and they all walked to the hall together, laughing and chattering.

  It was an informal affair, the gathering being small with their closest friends but Milt did give a speech.

  ‘Today, I’m the luckiest guy alive! When I was posted to England, never did I imagine I would be returning to the States a married man. Hildy has made me the happiest guy on the planet and I can’t wait to take her home. Thank you all for coming. I would now like us all to drink to my beautiful bride: to Hildy!’

  Everyone stood, held up their glasses and in unison said, ‘To Hildy!’

  The bride was overcome with embarrassment, but at the same time she was delighted.

  People gathered at the table to fill their plates with sandwiches and sausage rolls. There was a one-tier wedding cake, courtesy of the cook in the camp at Tidworth and later the two musicians sat and played.

  Milt and his bride took to the floor as the music of ‘The Anniversary Waltz’ was played with everybody cheering.

  Holding her close, Milt looked down at his bride. ‘Hello Mrs Miller.’

  She beamed at him. ‘Hello husband. You know Milt, I think I’m living a dream and I’m scared to wake up and find it’s not true.’

  He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her slowly and longingly. ‘Believe me, honey, this is no dream, this is reality. It’s what kept me going all the time I was in France. We are going to have such a good life together and when we grow old, we’ll be sitting on our porch in the evening, remembering today and wondering, where did all those years go?’

  ‘That sounds good to me,’ she said and kissed him back.

  Milt took a moment to speak with Belle when he told her how Jackson had saved his life. ‘Without him, I wouldn’t be here today. I owe him everything.’

  It made Belle’s day. ‘Don’t you worry about leaving Hildy,’ she told him, ‘we’ll keep tabs on her for you.’

  The following evening in the local paper, Olive Dickson nearly choked on her cup of tea as she saw a picture of a bride and groom with the headline:

  LOCAL GIRL MARRIES HER GI

  There was her daughter, Hildy, smiling at the camera, holding onto the arm of … that GI! The woman was incandescent with rage. How dare she get married without inviting her mother to the wedding! She looked again at the picture, but it only incited her anger even more. What would the neighbours think when they saw the picture? How was she to explain her absence? How could Hildy have done such a thing?

  The following morning at her place of work, Olive faced question after question by her customers who had seen the photograph.

  ‘Your Hildy looked lovely,’ said one. ‘Was it a good wedding?’

  ‘Yes, lovely,’ she replied and hurried off to serve another customer.

  She managed to bluff her way through the morning until one of her neighbours walked in. There was no love lost between the two women. Her neighbour, knowing how she’d treated Hildy and had been a witness to Olive’s angry tirade the day Hildy moved out, had been thrilled to see that the young woman had found happiness and would be free at last from her mother’s controlling ways.

  She waited until she’d been served and had put the vegetables in her basket, then as Olive handed her some change she casually said, ‘Pity you weren’t invited to your daughter’s wedding, always a proud moment for any mother I always thought.’

  The other customers looked up and listened with interest. Olive paled and pursed her lips. She glared at the woman.

  ‘I thought she was making a mistake and said so.’

  ‘Like you have done with any young man Hildy has ever taken home as I recall!’ She gave a look of triumph as she said, ‘But this time you lost. Well, I’m delighted for the girl, she deserves some happiness after the way you’ve treated her for years. Good
luck to her I say.’ She turned and walked out.

  Olive saw the expressions on the faces of the waiting customers as they stared at her. There was such an air of hostility in the small shop that she couldn’t face them. She turned and walked out to the back, took off her apron and left.

  Hearing a lot of noise, the owner walked into his shop from the storeroom and was greeted by several angry women all talking at once.

  ‘Ladies, ladies, a little decorum, please,’ he shouted and there was silence. ‘Now that’s better. Who was first?’

  Whilst her employer was doing her job, Olive walked home, fuming. Trust that old hag from next door to interfere. How dare she make her look such a fool! How dare her daughter treat her this way, leaving her open to criticism.

  Her mood wasn’t improved the next morning when she arrived at work to discover she’d been fired.

  Her boss was furious. ‘You walked out yesterday without a word,’ he complained. ‘I heard a lot of noise in the shop only to find several very angry women, waiting to be served and no one behind the counter. Well, Mrs Dickson, that’s not good enough. Here’s your money and cards.’

  As she made her way home, Olive wondered what she was supposed to do now. She had rent to pay and now she didn’t have a lodger or a job. She’d have to find both – and quickly.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Belle was feeling lonely. After Hildy’s wedding, Cora had packed her things and taken off to her new life in London. There had been an emotional parting between the women, Belle promising to visit one Sunday once Cora had settled, but as she watched her friend drive off to the station in a taxi, she felt bereft.

  For years, she’d been surrounded by friends: fellow prostitutes when she was working the streets; Cora, who had become her closest friend. She had workmates in the factory, but they were just working associates. Now she had no one she was close to and she was unsettled. Even more so when there were rumours that the factory would soon be closing down and she came to the conclusion it was time for her to move on too.