Wings of the Morning

by Beryl Matthews

  ‘I agree,’ the captain said. ‘And I can assure you, Squadron Leader, that my men will get a refresher course as a matter of urgency.’

  ‘It wasn’t their fault,’ Reid admitted. ‘If our planes were there they would be high and coming out of the sun, so I knew where to look.’

  Captain Freeman nodded. ‘I’m glad you were here, and your planes, of course, have just saved us from serious damage. This poor old ship can’t take much more.’

  And neither can the crew, Reid thought, as he saw the strain on their faces. But he said nothing and sat back to wait out the rest of the journey. He was filled with a sense of gratitude for the courage of these men around him. Without the soldiers on the beach and the crew of this ship he would still be stuck in France.

  It didn’t seem any time at all after that when he heard cheering, and there in front of him was Dover. It was the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen! The injured were taken off first, followed by the relieved soldiers. Reid thanked the captain and his officers, and then made his way ashore.

  The quay was crowded with doctors, nurses and civilians, all helping the returning troops. He stood there for a while, wondering how he could get a lift back to Kenley, when he saw Captain Freeman striding along, then stopping in front of a woman and holding her close for a few moments, then kissing another girl on the cheek. He couldn’t see who they were because of the crowds milling around them, but he was glad the captain had someone waiting for him.

  ‘Let me see to your head, sir.’ A military nurse began to lead him towards a building.

  After he was cleaned up, had stitches and a dressing put on the gash, and been given something to eat he went outside again looking for any kind of transport heading towards his airfield. There was a blast on a ship’s horn, and he saw the destroyer making her way out to sea. Dear God, they were going back again already. He prayed that they had been able to stop the leaks.

  The journey back to Kenley was long and tiring. He’d spent more time looking for lifts than he had actually travelling. He’d had umpteen modes of transport and all equally uncomfortable, but the help had been willingly given. He finally reached the airfield at four in the morning.

  He was greeted enthusiastically by everyone, and after a short debriefing he staggered into his hut.

  ‘Reid! Where the blazes have you been? Couldn’t you have let us know you were all right?’

  He glanced at his brother’s angry and worried expression, and then gave a lopsided grin. Paul must have driven over from Biggin Hill. ‘It’s good to see you, as well, little brother.’

  Then he threw himself on his bed and was instantly asleep.

  5

  Annie rushed through the gate at Compton Bassett and sighed in relief; she’d only just made it in time after spending longer than she should have with Rose. Her sister had refused to leave Dover until she saw Bill come back again, so she’d stayed with her. Annie smiled to herself. How wonderful it had been to see him return, and now he had some leave while repairs were carried out to his ship.

  As an officer approached she saluted smartly. She remembered the pilot she had caught a glimpse of on the dock. For a brief moment she had thought it was Paul but he had been taller and his hair darker. She hadn’t been able to see all of his face for caked blood down one side, but there had been something about him that had drawn her. Before she could go over and offer him some help a nurse had led him away. Rose had put her WVS training to good use and Annie had taken her orders from her sister. It had been a relief to see the ships come in and the men pouring off them. At least they had managed to rescue a lot of men …

  ‘Hey! Annie,’ someone called. ‘Show us your knickers!’

  She spun round, a smile of delight on her face. ‘Dora!’

  They hugged each other, laughing.

  ‘What are you doing here?’

  ‘I’ve been posted here and I’m working in the office.’ Dora grinned. ‘It’s better than that awful factory I was in, and I’m getting to mix with some smashing blokes. I’m hoping to get promotion when I’ve finished my training.’

  Annie fought back a smile. ‘So I hope you’re not going to get me into trouble while you’re here.’

  ‘Who me, now would I do that?’ Dora put on an offended expression.

  Both girls burst into laughter, remembering the escapades they’d been involved in while doing their basic training.

  ‘Anyway …’ Dora composed herself. ‘Where have you been, I arrived three days ago and not a sign of you.’

  ‘I’ve been with my sister, helping with the troops coming back from Dunkirk, but they’re nearly all home now, thank heavens.’ Annie shuddered inwardly when she thought of the perilous situation this country was now in. Getting the troops off the beaches had been a massive operation by the navy and a flotilla of little boats all manned by civilians. These men had shown remarkable bravery and disregard for their own lives in their determination to rescue the soldiers. The army had been plucked off the beaches, but all the military equipment – trucks, guns, tanks – had been left behind. What a mess! This was Hider’s chance to walk right in …

  She glanced at her watch and gasped. ‘I must drop off my kit and report back for duty.’

  ‘There’s a dance at the NAAFI this evening.’ Dora grabbed Annie’s arm to stop her running away. ‘Can you come?’

  ‘Wouldn’t miss it.’

  ‘Smashing. I’ll see you later then.’

  Annie hurried away. It would be fun to relax and have a laugh tonight, and that was always guaranteed when Dora was around. It might help to dull the distress of Dunkirk and the worries about the future. This country was alone now and vulnerable!

  The afternoon was exam time to see how much they had learned in the last three months, so Annie grabbed a cup of tea and skimmed through her notes. There wasn’t time to do more than that, but she felt confident of passing. Then it would be into the last three months of training, and she was determined to do well because she couldn’t wait to start doing the job for real. She could already send and receive messages quite well with few mistakes, but the next stage would be learning to maintain their wireless sets and doing their own repairs. She smiled to herself; the work as a fashion editor had not prepared her for using soldering irons, or whatever it was they were going to have to do, but she loved the idea of it.

  ‘Would you like to dance?’

  Annie smiled at Officer Graham who was standing in front of her and felt the same surge of empathy she’d experienced when she’d first met him. ‘I’d love to.’

  He was an excellent dancer and Annie relaxed, lost in the floating music and the smooth movements of her partner.

  The floor was crowded and as he marked time when they were surrounded and unable to move forward he smiled down at her. ‘And how have you been getting on, Ann Webster?’

  ‘Fine, thank you, sir. I love what I’m doing.’

  ‘Good. And we’re off duty now, so my name is Jack.’

  ‘And everyone calls me Annie.’

  He swept her off again as a space appeared. ‘What do you like to do in your spare time, Annie?’

  ‘Well, now that the weather is warming up, I like to get out in the countryside and just walk. I love the peace and quiet, and Wiltshire is a beautiful county.’

  ‘So do I. Perhaps we could spend some time together? There are some good walks around here and I know of a very nice tearoom.’

  ‘Oh, I’d like that.’ Annie had taken to this man from the moment they’d met. He was so like her brother-in-law. But no, that wasn’t true; her feelings for Jack Graham were different from those she felt for Bill. It was amazing that this was only the second time they’d met, and yet it seemed as if she’d always known him …

  ‘Before you accept so readily,’ his deep voice interrupted her thoughts, ‘I must tell you that I’m married and have two children. I’m looking for companionship, that’s all.’ He shook his head. ‘That sounds insulting. It isn’t that I do
n’t find you attractive. I do, but I’ll behave myself.’

  ‘Do you think that’s possible at the moment when everything’s so uncertain?’ she asked drily, knowing instinctively that it was all right to joke with him.

  ‘Difficult, I agree.’ He held her away from him and looked down into her upturned face. ‘Will you still come out with me?’

  ‘I’d love to.’

  ‘Thank you, Annie. I shall be stationed here for a while, so just let me know when you have some free time.’

  The dance ended and he led her back to her seat, his fingers lingering on hers for slightly longer than necessary, before smiling again, and then leaving her.

  ‘Ah!’ Dora said with satisfaction as they watched him walk away. ‘I thought he wouldn’t be far away.’

  ‘That’s the first time I’ve seen him since he recruited me.’

  ‘Go on?’ Dora clearly didn’t believe that.

  The expression on her friend’s face was too much for Annie and she dug her in the ribs. ‘And what have you been up to since I last saw you?’

  ‘Having fun. And if you think I’m going to tell you all about my sordid past, then you’re in for a big disappointment.’

  ‘I don’t think I want to know.’ Annie feigned a look of horror. ‘I don’t think my chaste little ears could stand it.’

  Dora allowed herself to be dragged on to the dance floor by an exuberant sergeant before she’d had a chance to reply, but from the expression on her face it was clear she’d had a snappy answer ready for Annie.

  Annie didn’t see Jack again until the last waltz, which he claimed, and then walked her back to her billet. He kissed her hand gallantly, sighed deeply, and walked away.

  There was no sign of Dora.

  ‘Don’t you ever get any time off?’ Dora complained, a week later.

  ‘Not much,’ Annie admitted. ‘I’ve got less than three months of training to go and I must be expert by then.’

  ‘Do you know where they’re sending you after that?’

  ‘No.’ Annie stirred her tea thoughtfully. ‘About time off, I have got tomorrow afternoon free, but – ’

  ‘Oh, that’s no good, I’m on duty until the weekend.’

  ‘Never mind. If we can fiddle a couple of days together I could take you home to meet my family.’

  ‘Wow! Annie, would you?’

  ‘Of course.’ She laughed. Dora had such an open expression and didn’t try to hide her pleasure at the idea of meeting Annie’s family. They would like her, she was sure.

  Her friend started to flip through a diary. ‘I’ll go and make eyes at the sergeant in the office. So, what are you going to do on your own?’

  ‘I won’t be on my own. I’m going out with Jack.’

  ‘Who’s Jack?’ Dora looked intrigued. ‘I didn’t know you’d found yourself another bloke, you’ve got this pilot, Paul, haven’t you?’

  Annie sighed. ‘Yes, he thinks so.’

  ‘Ah.’ Dora pulled her chair closer so they wouldn’t be overheard in the crowded mess. ‘Tell me all.’

  Realizing that she wasn’t going to get any peace until Dora knew the facts, Annie bowed to the inevitable and explained about Paul.

  ‘Why don’t you just tell him that you don’t want to see him any more?’ Dora said when she’d finished the story.

  ‘I can’t do that, he’s a nice boy and I wouldn’t want to hurt him. Especially now.’

  ‘Annie, you’re too soft,’ Dora told her gently. ‘Have you got a picture of him?’

  ‘Yes.’ Annie took a letter out of her pocket and removed the photo Paul had sent her the other day.

  Dora took it and whistled. ‘Nice-looking bloke.’

  ‘He is, and at the moment he needs me. I think he’s realized that being a fighter pilot isn’t the fun he thought it was going to be.’

  ‘Bloody dangerous, if you ask me.’

  Annie agreed with that! ‘So you see, I don’t like it, but I don’t see what else I can do at the moment.’

  ‘Don’t worry, it will all work out. Right, now you haven’t answered my first question. Who’s Jack?’

  ‘He was the one who recruited me. He was at the dance, don’t you remember?’

  ‘What, you mean, Sir?’ Dora squeaked. ‘But … hold on a minute, mate, he must be about forty, and that means he’s most likely married.’

  ‘He is, but we’re just going to be friends. He only wants some companionship.’ Annie was well aware how ridiculous that sounded, yet somehow she believed Jack Graham. She knew she was being naive but he didn’t appear to be a man who would lie to her. She trusted him.

  Dora’s mouth opened in disbelief. ‘Oh, come on, Annie, you don’t believe that, surely?’

  ‘Of course I do. He’s been absolutely honest with me.’

  ‘Worse and worse,’ her friend groaned. ‘Never trust a man who’s being honest.’

  ‘Why on earth not?’

  ‘My God! We’ve got a babe in arms here. I know you look like an untouched angel but you can’t be that green.’ She leaned towards Annie urgently. ‘When a man says, I want to be honest with you, then it’s time to run for your life.’

  ‘You’re wrong.’ Annie laughed. ‘He’s so like my brother-in-law.’

  ‘And you sleep with him, do you?’

  ‘No, I don’t. I love Bill, but not in that way. Anyway, Rose would kill any woman who tried to take him from her, even me!’

  Dora’s grin was evil. ‘I bet she would. So where are you going with Sir, then?’

  ‘Just for a walk.’

  ‘Any cornfields on the route,’ she asked drily.

  ‘Oh, you’re impossible,’ Annie said and laughed. ‘You’ve got only one thing on your mind.’

  ‘Is there something else, then?’ Dora sat back and pretended she was puzzled.

  Annie glanced at her watch and got hurriedly to her feet. ‘I’ve got to get back. And you needn’t worry about me, I know what I’m doing.’

  She left Dora muttering fiercely, ‘Too bloody innocent for her own good.’

  It was a lovely June afternoon. The sky was clear, the sun warm, and just for a few hours they could relax and pretend that everything was well with their world. When Churchill had been made Prime Minister, and given his first speech to the House of Commons on the 13th of May, he’d said, ‘I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat.’ They all knew this was true as they waited for Hitler to invade – for he must surely come now.

  Annie smiled at the man walking beside her. ‘What do you do, Jack, apart from finding people with an ear for Morse code?’

  ‘Whatever I’m asked to do. Oh, look, there’s a green woodpecker!’ He pointed towards a clump of trees. ‘On that lower branch.’

  ‘Yes, I see. Isn’t he lovely? Oh, he’s flown away now.’

  Jack started to talk about the different kinds of birds, which was a subject he was very interested in, and Annie knew he wasn’t going to tell her about his work. She’d been asking a question he obviously couldn’t answer. Though that made her even more curious. There was an air of mystery about him and that intrigued her. The attraction between them was very strong so she must not forget that he was a married man!

  ‘Sorry,’ she apologized, ‘I shouldn’t be asking you questions about your work, should I?’

  He wrapped his long fingers around her hand and sighed. ‘Let’s not spoil this afternoon with talk about the war.’

  They walked down country lanes, admiring quaint little cottages and open farmlands, sometimes talking and at other times quiet. The war seemed a long way away in this tranquil setting, and Annie sensed that Jack needed to unwind. He held her hand. Every so often she could feel the tension in him, then it would go and he’d smile again.

  After over an hour of strolling along they came to a tearoom where in normal times they would have been selling cream teas. The thought made Annie’s mouth water, but she knew they would be lucky just to get a pot of tea now.

  The
y sat at a table near the window overlooking a picture-postcard scene of sheep grazing contentedly in a field. Annie sighed at such a peaceful scene in these violent and troubled times.

  ‘This is blissful,’ she told Jack. ‘You could almost believe we weren’t at war.’

  ‘Hello, my dears.’ An elderly lady, with grey hair and a round smile, came up to them. ‘What would you like?’

  ‘A huge cream tea,’ Annie said, laughing.

  ‘Ah, I wish I could.’ The lady joined in the joke and her smile became even broader. ‘I can let you have a pot of tea and a piece of home-made carrot cake.’

  ‘That would be lovely,’ Jack said, and watched her bustle away with her smile still firmly in place.

  ‘There’s a dance at Chippenham Town Hall tonight, Annie. Would you like to go?’

  ‘Oh, I’d love to!’

  ‘That’s right, my dears, you enjoy yourselves.’ The woman was back with their tea and had obviously overheard their conversation. ‘There now, you’ll find that cake quite tasty, though nothing like the ones I used to make. Famous for my fruit cake, I was.’

  ‘I’m sure it’s lovely.’ Annie smiled and watched her walk away, her spotless and highly starched apron rustling as she moved.

  They spent an hour over their tea and then walked back. As soon as the Compton Bassett camp came into view they were back in the real world, but it had been a lovely interlude of peace.

  ‘I’ll meet you at the gate at seven,’ Jack said, and strode off after giving her hand a gentle squeeze.

  It was only when she was having dinner with Dora, and thought about the afternoon, that Annie realized she’d told Jack a great deal about herself but had learned practically nothing about him.

  The dance at Chippenham was crowded with service personnel determined to have a good night out. Jack was a wonderful dancer, but the dance Annie liked most of all was the foxtrot, and they swept around the floor as if they’d been partners for years. That was why she was amazed when after being there for about two hours Jack stepped away from her in the middle of the dance floor and swore fiercely under his breath.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ she asked, alarmed by his action. They’d been dancing and laughing, completely at ease in each other’s company, and suddenly he looked angry.