The Factory Girls of Lark Lane: A heartbreaking World War 2 historical novel of loss and love

by Howes, Pam

  Brian smiled and moved forwards, allowing a brief hug and a peck on the cheek. Boys of his age didn’t go around kissing their mams all over the shop. It was a sissy thing to do.

  ‘Feeling better, Mam?’

  ‘I think so, chuck. Some days I’m okay, and others I can’t even face getting out of bed in the mornings. I feel I’ve nothing to get up for, like it’s all so pointless.’

  Alice frowned. ‘Mam, you’ve got us three. Have you talked to your doctor about these feelings?’

  Mam shook her head. ‘They’ve enough to do here without me mithering them. I’ll be all right, eventually.’

  ‘They are here to be mithered,’ Alice said firmly. ‘You need to talk to them. Do you want me to say something?’

  ‘No, no I don’t want that. Leave it. I’ll do it when I feel up to it.’

  ‘Okay.’ Alice chewed her lip. ‘Do you promise me? They won’t let you home until you are able to cope again.’

  Mam stared at a place above Alice’s head and smiled, a serene expression on her face.

  ‘I don’t want to go home, back to that house. They’re here you know, your dad and Rodney. I can feel them with me. They’re not there at home and I don’t want to leave them alone here.’

  Brian frowned and pulled Alice to one side. ‘What does she mean?’ he whispered, looking worried. ‘Can she really see ghosts? Won’t that be a bit scary for her? And me dad and Rodney wouldn’t come and haunt her, would they?’

  Alice smiled and rubbed his arm. ‘No, of course not. I think she’s just imagining how it was when they were both alive. If it gives her comfort then that’s no bad thing, is it?’

  Brian screwed his face up. ‘I s’pose not. The lads at my school say she’s gone mental. She’s not though, has she, Alice? I punched Albert Dobbs last week for saying that she’s crackers and he’s kept his gob shut since. But there are others who say things, not to my face though because they’re scared of me now that I’m doing my Saturday club boxing. They think I might knock ’em out.’

  Alice tried not to laugh at his earnest face. Poor little lad. He’d endured so much lately. Thank God for Granny Lomax, who treated him like a son. She spoiled him rotten and Brian loved it.

  ‘She’s not mental, love,’ she whispered. ‘Her mind is a bit disturbed, that’s all. They’ll make her right here and we’ll get her home soon.’

  Her mam was still staring at a spot above Alice’s head, a smile fixed on her face. Alice shook her head. Coming home was not an option she could see happening in the foreseeable future. The visits to Crosby on a Sunday took a whole chunk out of the day. Granny Lomax’s neighbour had brought them today and he was having a stroll up the promenade with his little dog while they did their visiting. Although she was missing her mam, Alice didn’t feel Mam was missing her family in quite the same way.

  ‘Mam, put your coat and hat on and let’s have a little stroll in the gardens,’ she suggested.

  Mam got to her feet and Alice asked one of the nurses to help her get ready for a walk outside. Brian grabbed Cathy’s hand and she squealed and lifted her feet off the floor. Alice grabbed the other hand and Cathy swung back and forth while they waited.

  ‘Little monkey, aren’t you?’ Alice said as Cathy squealed and kicked her legs out so that she swung higher and higher. ‘Right, put her down now, here’s Grandma.’

  Mam walked towards them with the nurse and raised her hand in a wave.

  ‘Hello, Alice love, fancy seeing you three,’ she said, genuine surprise registering on her face. ‘I didn’t know you were coming today.’

  The nurse patted Alice’s hand, shook her head and smiled sympathetically. ‘The memory comes and goes,’ she whispered.

  Alice nodded. She swallowed a sob and took her mam’s arm as they followed Brian and Cathy out into the gardens to pass a bit more time.

  19

  December 1942

  As they waited for the works’ bus on Monday morning, Alice hugged Millie when her friend excitedly told her that her parents thought she should give singing with the band a go.

  ‘Mam said I might be famous one day if I’m discovered, like Vera and Gracie were. Tommy, the band leader, gave me a phone number to ring if I decided to do it and he said the person I would speak to is called Don Robinson. He’s the manager of the band and will tell me where to go to meet up with them. I phoned him yesterday afternoon and he’s making the arrangements for me. I’m to give a week’s notice at Rootes today and be ready to go with him next weekend. He’s picking me up in his car on Saturday morning. I’m so excited, Alice, I could burst.’

  ‘Oh God, I bet you are,’ Alice said, choking back tears. ‘But I’m really going to miss you so much.’

  ‘And I’ll miss you, you know I will, but if I don’t take this opportunity while I can, I might regret it forever. And like Sadie says, it’s still doing something good for the war effort. The troops need a bit of entertainment and cheering up to keep their morale up. Don’t say anything to anyone when we get on the bus. I’ll tell Freddie privately.’

  ‘I won’t,’ Alice said as the bus lumbered into view. ‘Here we go. Plaster a smile on your face.’

  Marlene called them over as they clambered aboard. ‘Saved you some seats,’ she yelled up the aisle, gesturing to the two seats in front of her and Maisie, who half-smiled at them.

  ‘Morning,’ Alice said and sat down next to the grimy window. Millie took the aisle seat and turned to nod a greeting.

  ‘Was your mam pleased with your raffle winnings, Marlene?’ Alice asked, ignoring Maisie, who looked decidedly sheepish. She wondered if Jack had said anything to her like he’d promised he would.

  ‘Thrilled to bits, chuck. We ’ad a tin of salmon for our tea last night with some bread an’ butter, and the rest’s been put away for Christmas. Not too long to wait, an’ it will all ’elp to make a special day even more so this year. ’Ow was your mam yesterday, Alice?’

  Alice shook her head. ‘Not great, I’m afraid. I can’t see her coming home any time in the near future, and certainly not for Christmas. She’s well enough in herself, but her mind is all over the place. I wouldn’t be able to leave her on her own and go to work if they let her home, and without me working we’d never survive. She’s safer being looked after for the time being.’

  ‘It’s a bloody shame,’ Marlene said. ‘You’ve all ’ad enough to put up with, losing your dad not that long ago an’ now your Rodney. An’ you getting caught with the babby so soon after the wedding as well. It’s a job an’ a ’alf looking after yourself in times like this, but you’ve the little lad as well as your Cathy. Some folk don’t know ’ow well off they are.’

  She glared at Maisie beside her. ‘Only got themselves to think about. Gadding about at the weekend an’ drinking most of their wages away, an’ then causing bother for people who are just trying to earn an honest bob or two extra for their families.’ Marlene pursed her lips. ‘An’ not a word of an apology, never mind a good morning.’ She snorted as Maisie got up and made her way to an empty seat further down the bus.

  Alice felt uncomfortable as the sulky-faced woman stared at her. She was certain Jack must have said something. Well, it served her right. Going around tittle-tattling about something that wasn’t true anyway. She looked up as Freddie made his way to the empty seat next to Marlene.

  ‘Morning, ladies,’ he said, offering his cigarettes around. They all shook their heads. Freddie lit up and puffed contentedly. ‘Soon be Christmas again. Do you think we should put on another revue show?’

  Alice raised an eyebrow at Millie, who chewed her lip. ‘Maybe,’ Alice said, ‘although we’re all very busy with family stuff at the moment, Freddie. I can’t really spare any evenings to rehearse with the baby to look after.’

  She knew she was waffling, but it saved Millie from having to say anything and at that point the bus driver began whistling Bing Crosby’s ‘White Christmas’, and all the passengers joined in, including Freddie.

&nb
sp; They all got off the bus inside the factory gates and Millie linked her arm in Alice’s and muttered, ‘Saved by the sleigh bells. I’ll collar Freddie as soon as we get inside, before he comes to put my name on his list for singing.’

  She stopped and frowned as Maisie barged past them, almost knocking Alice flying. ‘Oi, you, watch where you’re going. Has anyone ever told you you’re out of order, Maisie? You upset Alice on Friday night, didn’t apologise, and then you act as though she’s the one in the wrong.’

  Maisie stopped dead and turned to face them. ‘When that boyfriend of yours apologises to me for coming banging on my mam’s front door and threatening me if I didn’t keep away from you, that’s when I’ll apologise to you and not before.’

  Alice frowned. ‘Jack’s not my boyfriend. I work with him, that’s all. And you’ve only got yourself to blame if he told you to stop saying things that were untrue and could cause trouble. I’m a married woman with a family to think about. You shouting your drunken mouth off on Friday was wrong and you know it. I doubt Jack would threaten you, that’s just you exaggerating things.’

  ‘Is it?’ Maisie said as they reached the locker room. She pulled her coat off and showed a bruised right arm to Alice. ‘Look at them finger marks then. That’s where he grabbed me. He didn’t need to do that. I was trying to shut the door on him and he put his foot out to stop me and nearly fell inside. He grabbed my arm and he really dug his fingers in, as you can see.’

  Alice chewed her lip, remembering Marlene’s comments a few months ago about Jack being handy with his fists, but Millie was quick to point out: ‘Jack probably grabbed hold of you to stop himself falling over, you idiot. He only has one good foot and if you tried to shut the door on it he probably lost his balance. Serves you bloody well right that he bruised you, you could have hurt him badly.’

  Alice shook her head to stop Millie from saying anything else as Marlene popped her head around the door. Maisie flounced past her, pulling on her overalls and carrying her turban.

  ‘Earrings,’ Marlene called out. ‘Take ’em off now.’

  Maisie snatched at her earlobes and flung the diamanté clip-on earrings in Marlene’s direction. ‘Shove them in my locker for me, please.’

  Marlene shrugged. ‘Now what’s up with ’er?’

  ‘Nothing,’ Millie replied, fastening her turban. ‘Right, I’m off to find Freddie,’ she mouthed to Alice and slipped out of the locker room.

  Alice put down her riveting gun as Millie joined her on the bench. ‘What did he say?’

  ‘That I’m a very lucky girl and shouldn’t let my talent go to waste,’ Millie said with a big grin. ‘He told me to go for it.’

  Alice nodded, trying her best to look and sound enthusiastic. ‘I’ll miss you, but this is your big chance to make a name for yourself. Go for it, as Freddie says.’

  ‘I’m a nervous wreck thinking about it, but I know I’ll regret it forever if I don’t give it a try.’

  ‘You’ll be fine. You’ll knock ’em dead. Come back to us when the war is over and make sure you always let me know if you are singing in Liverpool. I’ll come and see you. Maybe Sadie and Jenny will come with me.’

  ‘And if you bring Jack along as well, I’ll have my own audience. Right,’ Millie said, picking up her gun, ‘I’d better do a bit of work. They can name this plane after me.’

  Alice couldn’t shake off the feeling of gloom that descended on her as the morning got underway. Not even the thought of hot buttered toast and a decent brew cheered her up as the break bell rang out. She put down her gun and linked Millie’s arm as they walked to the canteen just ahead of the shell girls. She ignored Maisie, who tried to catch her eye while they queued at the counter. Millie also saw her looking over and turned her back on the girl.

  ‘Let’s sit near the window,’ Alice suggested. ‘It’s a bit quieter and this is the only chance I get to have you to myself.’

  As they shared a plate of toast and a tiny dish of mixed-berry jam, Freddie came rushing over.

  ‘Alice, I just had your mother-in-law on the blower. Nothing to worry about,’ he assured her as Alice jumped to her feet, hand on her chest. ‘It’s not bad news but she thought you should know in case you hear something on the way home and start to panic.’ Freddie pulled out a chair and sat down next to Millie. ‘Seems the school your Brian goes to has been evacuated and the kids sent home for the rest of the day while they deal with an incident.’

  ‘What sort of an incident?’ Alice asked.

  ‘Some of the lads were on the school playing field collecting shrapnel as kids do, and they came across an unexploded bomb. Bloody lucky it didn’t go off in their faces – apparently one was standing on it, showing off. Fortunately the brighter ones in the bunch ran to tell a teacher and they were all told to run. They were sent into the shelters until a bomb squad attended and made it safe. But there’s a search of the area going on now to make sure there are no more, so they’ve sent the kids home. Good job there’s only a handful, with most of them being evacuated.’

  Alice felt herself go faint at the thought of the bomb exploding and killing all those innocent little lads who thought they’d found a treasure. If only her mam had used a bit of common sense and left Brian in Wales where he was safe. It had been a selfish act really, to bring him home, no matter how much they all missed him. He could have been blown to smithereens this morning. Who knew how many more unexploded bombs were lying around the city at any given time? Liverpool, like all major cities with a port, was a dangerous place to be at the moment. She wished she was in a position to take both children somewhere deep into the countryside away from all the bombs and air raids. She wondered if there was a chance she could do that, but then there was her mam to visit each week, and Granny Lomax would be heartbroken if they all upped sticks and went away. It was hard knowing what to do for the best sometimes.

  Brian was full of it when Alice arrived home, excitement written all over his face, in spite of the danger he’d been in. Alice gave him a hug, just thankful he was still in one piece.

  ‘It was me what said it were a bomb that hadn’t gone off, you know,’ he boasted. ‘The others were about to pick it up, and Johnny Owens wanted to stand on it like the king of the castle, daft fool. I shouted at him that it was a bomb and he laughed and said what did I know anyway. I ran to tell the teacher and he blew his whistle and ordered everyone off the field and into the shelters. I probably saved a few lives, our Alice.’

  ‘You probably did, sweetheart,’ Alice said, giving him another hug and saying a silent prayer of thanks that he was a sensible kid. She turned to greet a pale-faced Granny Lomax, who had walked into the sitting room with Cathy in her arms.

  ‘That was a close call,’ Granny Lomax muttered to Alice. ‘She’s just woken up. Here, Brian, take hold of Cathy for me while I make your sister a cuppa. She looks like she could do with one.’

  Brian took Cathy to sit on the rug and got her bricks out to play with. Alice watched as he sat beside her, building a tower and talking to his niece, who looked at him with adoring eyes. Granny Lomax beckoned for Alice to follow her into the kitchen, where she filled the kettle and put it on the gas hob to boil.

  ‘Since Brian got home earlier I’ve been thinking. Before I married Terry’s father I was a primary school teacher for a number of years. How would you feel if I offered to teach Brian here at home for the duration of the war? He told me that he’s had problems with some of the boys calling your mother mental and it upsets him. He’s a sensitive child at the best of times. I think one-to-one teaching with me would be ideal for him.’

  Alice stared open-mouthed at her mother-in-law. ‘Would you really do that for him? Would the school allow it?’

  ‘Well there’s only one way to find out, dear. I’ll phone them later and see what they say. I expect the headmaster will still be there while the grounds are being searched and if he’s not then tomorrow will do. I’d be delighted to put myself into a teacher’s role again.
Brian is a clever boy and I reckon he’ll get into grammar school with a bit of extra help. He’ll miss his chance if he keeps getting distracted by the naughtier element of his class, not to mention the bullies.’

  ‘If it’s possible, then yes, I’m very happy for you to teach him. Maybe the school will provide textbooks and what-have-you. But can you manage the pair of them while I’m at Rootes in the morning?’

  ‘Of course I can. Once I’ve set Brian his lessons I can see to Cathy while he gets on with his work. We won’t have that mad rush of getting him out of the door on time in the mornings either, and with the winter fast approaching it will be much nicer for him that he doesn’t have to go out on freezing days. Let’s ask him what he thinks of the idea.’

  Brian’s face lit up as they explained the plan of him being taught at home. ‘Will I still get a morning snack and me dinner at dinnertime?’

  Granny Lomax laughed and nodded her head. ‘Of course, Brian. That’s one of the most important elements of being taught at home. You’ll get decent food to feed the brain.’

  A look of delight crossed his face.

  ‘Then I think it’s a smashing idea,’ he declared as Alice breathed a sigh of relief. It was one worry off her mind and the air raid shelter was close to hand if and when they needed it too.

  20

  The poster for the Christmas Eve do at the Legion had attracted a lot of attention

  and all the tickets had now been sold. Alice was really excited and proud as punch that the entertainment that night, brought back by popular demand, was the Tommy Jones band with Millie Markham, and her friend’s name was plastered all over the poster. The money raised at the last social night the Americans had attended was being put towards giving the local wounded soldiers a hot meal to be served earlier than the evening do, and a nice Christmas present each.

  Alice had been asked if she could do a shift that night. Christmas Eve fell on a Thursday, not her usual day of working, but Granny Lomax had told her to do what she could to help out and that she and Brian would get their Christmas Day preparations underway once Cathy was in bed. The tree was already up in the sitting room and this year it was a slightly taller one than usual, from Granny’s farmer friend’s land. He had also brought round a fat, plucked and prepared chicken, a large bag of fresh vegetables and six newly laid eggs this morning. They were looking forward to a lovely family Christmas. It was just a pity that Mam wouldn’t be with them to celebrate.