by Joan Jonker
It was a lovely sunny day and Mary and Eileen were sitting outside after they’d had their dinner. ‘He’s a long time! He said he’d only be gone an hour, but he’s been missing nearly all morning.’
Eileen’s eyes swivelled sideways. ‘I’ll tell yer what, kid, he doesn’t let the grass grow under his feet, does he? In the ’ospital last night I wouldn’t have given him a snowball’s chance in hell of getting yer to the altar in two weeks. If looks could kill, he’d have been a dead duck with the look you gave ’im.’
‘I wondered where you’d got to.’ Harry appeared at their side. ‘I’ve been looking all over for you.’
‘We’ve been wondering the same about you!’ Mary answered. ‘Where’ve you been all this time?’
‘Everywhere!’ Harry’s white teeth flashed in the sunlight. ‘I decided if it was left to you we’d never get anything done, so I’ve done the lot!’
Mary’s mouth gaped. ‘What d’you mean, you’ve done the lot?’
‘I’ve arranged for the furniture van to move you next Saturday, and your mam’s coming home on the Sunday. I went to see Doctor Greenfield, and he’s going to call and see her in the new house, to make sure she’s all right.’ He took a deep breath. ‘Your mam’s over the moon!’
‘I never thought I’d see a real live flash Harry!’ Eileen was tickled by the stunned look on Mary’s face. ‘You can certainly move yer backside when yer want, can’t yer?’
‘That’s not all!’ Harry looked hard into Mary’s eyes, daring her to object. ‘I’ve been to see Father Murphy. He can’t marry us the following Saturday because he’s already got a few weddings on, but he can do it on the Friday. I said that would do, so we get married a week on Friday, at the Blessed Sacrament, at eleven o’clock.’
‘I’ll never get everything done in time.’ Mary’s voice rose. ‘How can I get all the packing done to move on Saturday when I don’t finish work till Friday?’
‘It can be done! I’ll do all the heavy work, and your mate here,’ Harry winked at Eileen, ‘she’ll give you a hand, won’t you, Eileen?’
‘I sure will, kiddo!’ Eileen wouldn’t have missed this for the world. ‘We’ll get yer moved, don’t worry.’
‘But the house won’t be ready for me mam the day after we move in! It can’t be done!’
‘It’ll be done!’ Harry wasn’t listening to excuses. ‘We’ll have that house like a palace for your mam! There’s curtains up, lino on the floor, and the place is spotless. All we have to do is move the furniture in.’
As they walked back into the factory Mary was still shaking her head, while Eileen was still grinning.
Chapter Nineteen
‘Where yer off tonight, Willy? Flyin’ yer kite, as usual?’ Eileen watched Willy Turnbull pulling the loaded trolley away to make room for the empty one. ‘Got a date, have yer?’
‘Aah, that would be tellin’, wouldn’t it?’ Willy smirked. He loved to be thought of as a lady killer and had no intention of telling Eileen he didn’t have a date but was hoping to pick up a girl at the Grafton dance hall. ‘I don’t kiss and tell.’
‘I’m not interested in yer kisses, Willy! It’s what the rest of yer body gets up to that I want to know about.’
Willy’s mouth was open to reply when a large explosion shook the ground beneath their feet, followed by several smaller bangs. Then came the sound of shattering glass and shouting and screaming. Eileen looked across the conveyor to see Mary standing white faced and open mouthed.
‘Turn the bloody machine off!’ Eileen pushed a dazed-looking Willy. ‘Go ’ed, switch the bloody thing off!’ Willy’s eyes looked glazed as he remained rooted to the spot. Eileen put a hand in the middle of his back and pushed hard. ‘Get a move on, will yer!’ She waited till he made a move towards the end of the machine where the lever was for switching off the conveyor, then dashed round to Mary. ‘It’s all right, kid! Probably nothing to worry about.’
‘It was a bomb!’
‘Nah! The alarm would have gone if there was an air raid.’ All the machines had stopped now, and women were gathered in groups at the end of their machines. Men were running from different parts of the shop floor in the direction of the glass-fronted offices which lined the side wall. Eileen took Mary’s arm and steered her forward. ‘Let’s find out what’s up.’ They could see Harry outside the office, a head taller than most of the other men, and his face was serious as he waved his arms about, talking quickly. Then, a troubled look on their faces, the men ran after him out of the shell inspection department. ‘There’s definitely something up,’ Eileen muttered. ‘But it can’t have been a bomb or they’d have us all out.’ Her nose twitched. ‘Can yer smell anythin’ burning?’
‘It smells like gunpowder.’ Mary was shaking. ‘I wish someone would tell us what’s going on.’
Just then Willy came hurrying down the passage between the machines. The long hair, usually carefully combed up from the side to hide his bald crown, was hanging down his shoulders, but for once his vanity was forgotten. The women converged on him, all talking at once and demanding to know what had happened. He brushed their questions aside. ‘Harry said I’ve to switch the machines on, and yer’ve to get back to work.’
‘Sod that!’ Eileen snorted. ‘The bloody place is nearly blown up and he tells us to get back to work! If I’m to be blown to smithereens I’d like to know in advance.’
‘There was an explosion in the powder shop.’ Willy licked his dry lips. ‘But there’s no danger.’
Maisie Phillips’ face was white beneath her thick makeup. ‘No danger! You don’t get an explosion like that without someone being hurt!’
‘All I know is, I’ve been told to start the machines up, and that’s what I’m doin’.’ Willy threw the lever on Maisie’s machine, forcing her to take her place at the side of the conveyor before the shells began to roll. Eileen and Mary walked behind him as he made for their machine. ‘You’d think someone would tell us what was goin’ on!’ Eileen stormed. ‘I think they’ve got a bloody cheek!’
‘They don’t know themselves how bad it is.’ Willy looked round furtively. ‘I think some of the girls have been injured ’cos they’ve sent for ambulances.’
Rumours were rife for the next hour. Every time a woman went to the toilet she came back with a knowing look on her face and a higher number of deaths. It was much later that Harry appeared, looking ghastly. No one had been killed, he was quick to assure everyone, but some had been injured. He managed a smile when Mary asked him what happened, and he convinced her the rumours she’d heard were wrong. Then he went round to Eileen, where the mask slipped. ‘It’s hell in there!’ He wiped the sweat from his brow as his eyes blinked rapidly. ‘If you saw the injuries you’d think this was the battlefield!’ He glanced across the machine. ‘Don’t tell Mary, but one of the women has had half her face blown away!’
‘Oh, my God! Who was it?’
‘Iris Brown.’
Eileen screwed her eyes up. ‘She’s got three young kids, and her feller’s in the Navy.’
‘We don’t know what happened yet, but all the women on that machine were injured and have been taken to hospital. The rest of them are being treated for shock.’ Harry breathed in deeply, then let it out slowly. ‘I can’t get Iris Brown’s face out of me mind. I don’t see how she can live with those injuries! Honest, Eileen, half her face was blown away!’
Eileen inspected a suspect shell then returned it to the conveyor. ‘They can’t take cigarettes or matches in there, can they?’
‘No! The precautions are very strict, but I suppose any friction could have caused it. The only ones that might know are the women who were working on the machine where it happened, and they won’t be talking for a long time. The inspectors are sifting through the rubble now to see if they can find out the cause, but it’s just like a bomb crater in there.’
‘Let’s know if yer hear anything about Iris, won’t yer?’
‘Mr Morgan’s gone in the ambulance
with her, but I don’t think we’ll get any news today. If we do, it’ll be bad news.’
Eileen watched him walk away. ‘What a bloody life!’
Mary was rummaging in her bag for the door key when Vera Jackson came hurrying up. ‘I’ve been watching for you. You’re late today.’
‘There was an accident at work.’ Mary was too upset to talk about the awful morning. ‘How did it go with Danny?’
‘He went as white as a sheet when he read the letter. I thought he was going to pass out.’ Vera shook her head, ‘No … I’m being unfair! He seemed a bit shaken, but not as bad as I’m making out. He’s been very quiet since, and he keeps looking at the kids with a funny look on his face. I’ve even caught him looking at Carol, and he never does that … he usually ignores her. Anyway, he’s got to report to Central Hall in Renshaw Street for his medical. If he passes, he reckons he’ll probably be called up in a few weeks.’
Mary was studying Vera’s face. She was a good neighbour and they’d always been friends. It would be a lousy trick not to tell her they were moving.
‘Can I come in yours for a few minutes? I’ve got something to tell you.’ They stood in Vera’s tiny hall and Mary kept nothing back. ‘We’re moving on Saturday, Vera, and I’m telling everyone it’s because me mam’s coming home and we need a six-roomed house. But the real reason we’re moving is because I’m pregnant and I’m marrying Harry Sedgemoor.’ Without giving the shocked Vera time to comment, Mary went on. ‘It’s Bob’s baby, but Harry knows and still wants to marry me. We’re moving to get away from gossiping tongues, but I wanted you to know the truth.’
‘You poor kid! I won’t breathe a word, you know that! But I’ve got to say I think you’re getting a smashing feller in Harry Sedgemoor. Perhaps you’re going to have some good luck for a change.’
‘I could do with it!’ Mary threw her head back. ‘Me mam’s coming out of hospital the day after we move, so that’s good news, isn’t it?’ Evading Carol’s outstretched arms, Mary kissed her. ‘I’m sorry, sunshine! But I’ve got so much to do I don’t know where to start! I don’t see how we can get everything done in time, but Harry and Eileen said they’ll do all the hard work.’
Vera laughed as she imitated Eileen’s voice. ‘If I say yer can do it, kid, then yer can bet yer bottom dollar yer’ll do it!’
By Friday Mary was worn out and had to summon all her energy for that last shift. It had been hard going getting all the packing done, but Eileen and Harry had been round each day for a few hours, and between them they’d done most of the donkey work.
Mary had no regrets at leaving work, because apart from Eileen she hadn’t made any real friends. The women had been surprised when she gave her notice in, but because her mam was coming out of hospital nobody questioned it. As she stood by the conveyor on her last shift, she imagined some of the remarks that would be passed in the cloakroom when they found out she was pregnant. ‘Fancy her! Going round with her nose in the air, an’ all the time she had a bun in the oven!’
Harry got away early that night and travelled home with the two women. Eileen left them at the corner, shouting, ‘I’ll see yez tomorrer, kids! Don’t worry if yer sleep in, tatty head! Me and Harry will wake yer up. Ta-ra!’
Once Mary’s door swung open Harry didn’t linger. ‘Don’t you do anything tonight. We’ll see to everything in the morning. Get a good night’s sleep and you won’t be so tired tomorrow.’
He’d walked a few steps when Mary called him back. ‘Are your mam and dad coming to the wedding?’
‘I haven’t told them yet!’ Harry admitted. ‘They know you’re leaving in the morning, but I haven’t told them about the wedding. I’m going to tell them now, if they’re still up.’
‘I’ve been worrying meself to death about them. They’re your parents, and I don’t want you to fall out with them because of me.’
Harry walked back and squeezed her arm gently. ‘Don’t you worry, everything will work out fine, I promise! You get a good night’s sleep and forget everything else.’
‘You’re my parents, and you should be at me wedding. But I can’t make you come if you don’t want to.’ Harry spread his hands out in despair. ‘All I can say is, you’ll make my wedding day complete if you’re both there to see me marry the girl I love.’
George Sedgemoor was scraping the bowl of his pipe with a small pen-knife. He stretched across to knock the pipe against the bars of the grate and watched as the charred remains of his last smoke fell into the fire. ‘I’ll be there, son.’ He spoke quietly. ‘Your mam will have to do as she wants, but I’m not missing me own son’s wedding.’
There was a heavy silence before Lizzie asked, ‘Are you having a reception afterwards?’
Harry shook his head. ‘There’ll only be a few people there and we couldn’t go anywhere because Mrs B will be in a wheelchair. We’ll just have a bite to eat and a few drinks at home.’
Lizzie’s head was bowed, and as she studied the red bob on her bedroom slippers her mind flashed back over the last thirty years. Martha Bradshaw had always been a good neighbour and friend. In the early thirties, when a lot of men were out of work, it was always Martha that people went to for help and they were never refused. Lizzie had often gone to her when George was out of work and they didn’t know where the next meal was coming from. It was only since the war started, and she’d had a regular wage coming in off George and Harry, that Lizzie had been able to go to the shops and buy what she wanted without having to count every penny. But Martha must have had a struggle bringing Mary up with no man’s wages coming in. Yet never once had she complained or asked for help.
Lizzie sighed. Since Harry’s shock announcement last week she’d never even asked how Martha was. Now, pocketing her pride and her stubbornness, she asked, ‘Martha no better, then?’
‘She’ll never walk without crutches, but she never moans.’ Harry stifled a yawn with the back of his hand. ‘I’m going to bed! I feel worn out, and I’ve got to be up again at seven. The furniture van’s coming to Mary’s at eleven, and there’s still loads to do. If you’re awake, Mam, will you give me a shout?’ He had turned to the door and didn’t see the look exchanged between his parents. But he stopped in his tracks when Lizzie said, ‘I’ll give you a hand in the morning, if you like! An extra pair of hands won’t go amiss.’ After a slight pause, she added, ‘Me and your dad will both be at your wedding.’
Harry squeezed his eyes tight. ‘That’s the best wedding present you could give me. Both me and Mary want you there. She’s been worrying herself sick about the pair of you. Thanks, Mam and Dad! I’ll sleep tonight, now.’
But Harry couldn’t sleep. The explosion at the factory two days before had affected him badly. He couldn’t get Iris Brown’s face out of his mind. The supervisors had been told to play it down so as not to frighten the other workers, but he knew they were all as shaken by it as he was. Three women had been so badly injured in the explosion they’d never work again, and ten others had been kept in hospital suffering from minor injuries and shock. The gunpowder had blown up in Iris Brown’s face and she’d borne the brunt of it. She wasn’t expected to live. The explosion had been caused by friction and couldn’t have been prevented, Harry had been told. It was one of the risks of working with gunpowder.
Harry pulled the bedclothes round his shoulder. If he didn’t get some sleep he’d be in no condition to lug furniture round in the morning. His last conscious thought was that women certainly weren’t the weaker sex. Some of them had more guts than many men he could name. They must have been terrified after the explosion, but not one woman working on filling the shells with gunpowder had asked to be taken off the job.
Two doors away, Fred Smith couldn’t shut out the sound of his wife’s whining voice. ‘I told you there was something fishy going on, didn’t I, but you wouldn’t have it! Well, perhaps you’ll believe me now after what we’ve just heard. Fancy, after being neighbours all these years, they only tell us the night before they
move house! And if Mary’s packing in work to look after her mam, as she says, where’s the money coming from to pay the rent on a house in Orrell Park? We couldn’t afford it, never mind them!’
‘Is it any of your business?’ Fred seldom raised his voice, but he did now. ‘I’ve never lifted a hand to you in all the years we’ve been married, but I’m sorely tempted to now! So remember that before you open that mouth of yours again to pull decent people to pieces.’
Eileen had to bang hard before Mary’s tousled head appeared round the door. ‘There’s no need to panic, ’cos it’s only seven o’clock.’ She pushed Mary towards the stairs. ‘But yer don’t want yer future husband to see yer lookin’ like a wet week, do yer?’
Mary was halfway down the stairs when the knocker sounded. ‘I’ll get it!’ She swung the door wide, expecting to see Harry standing on the step alone. When she saw Lizzie with him, a flicker of fear crossed her face and she was frozen to the spot. They’d come to tell her it was all off.
‘Are you going to keep us on the step all morning?’ Harry was trying hard to keep his nerves under control. ‘Me mam’s come to give us a hand.’ Mary stood aside and as Lizzie stepped into the hall she looked into the scared, white face. ‘Hello, Mary.’
Harry didn’t know how it happened, but the next thing he knew his mam had her arm around Mary and they were both crying. Eileen ran to the door to see what was going on and when she took in the scene she looked at Harry in amazement. He couldn’t remember crying since he was a kid, but he was near it now as the two women he loved most in the world embraced each other.
‘Eh, come’ed you two!’ Eileen smacked Mary’s bottom. ‘The van’ll be here before we’ve even started!’
The two women broke apart, sniffing and rubbing their eyes with the backs of their hands. ‘Can I come in now, please?’ Harry asked. ‘The neighbours will be wondering what’s going on.’
‘D’you know Eileen, Mrs Sedgemoor?’
