‘I hope not, Alice,’ was all Grace could say, but she couldn’t help dwelling on the concern she had seen in her parents’ eyes over tea and her father’s keenness to listen to the BBC news, and the heaviness she had heard in her father’s voice earlier when he had told her about the developments in Russia.
‘If there is then I don’t know about you but I’m going to make sure I do my bit. I’ve got a cousin who’s thinking of joining the WRNS and I’m considering going along with her. They’ve got the best uniform of the lot, she reckons, and she should know, her dad being in the navy. You’ve got a brother, haven’t you? What service is he going for?’
‘Luke’s going into the Salvage Corps, like our dad,’ Grace told her automatically and then flushed. There was something in the other girl’s expression that made her feel defensive and protective on her brother’s behalf, although Alice hadn’t come out and said anything.
‘It’s every bit as dangerous as joining up,’ she felt obliged to say.
‘I dare say it is,’ the other girl agreed but she didn’t meet Grace’s gaze, and Grace noticed how, as soon as their patient was back up on her feet and the bandages and splint had been returned to their correct places, Alice didn’t linger to chat, going instead to join some of the other girls.
‘Campion, I’d like a word.’
Grace looked apprehensively at Sister Harris. Was she too going to quiz her about her Luke’s plans?
However, when Sister Harris had drawn her into a quiet corner of the hall what she did have to say was so surprising that it drove all thoughts of Alice’s comments out of Grace’s head.
‘You’ll have heard the news about Russia, no doubt,’ Sister Harris began, barely waiting for Grace to nod before continuing. ‘No one wants war but since it looks like we’re going to have it, it makes sense to be prepared. Captain Allen tells me that you work in Lewis’s?’
‘Yes, Sister.’ Captain Allen was the retired army captain in charge of their St John Ambulance Brigade unit.
‘Have you ever thought of enrolling to train as a full-time nurse?’
Hearing Sister Harris saying those words, and so matter-of-factly, was such a shock that Grace couldn’t speak. But then she managed to overcome her feelings to say as calmly as she could, ‘I did think I’d like to do nursing when I was growing up but …’ She hesitated, unwilling to say to someone who plainly had come from a family that had been able to afford her training that she hadn’t wanted to burden her parents with that kind of cost.
‘Well, maybe now is the time to think of it again,’ Sister Harris told her firmly, without waiting for a full explanation. ‘You’re an excellent first aider, quick to learn and good at doing what you should when you have learned. The nursing profession needs girls like you, Campion, especially now. I happen to know that the Government is very keen to get new nurses trained up, and in fact we have been asked to put forward the names of young women who we think might be suitable candidates for such training.’
Was Sister Harris actually saying that she felt she was good enough for her to recommend? Grace could hardly believe it. Her chest felt tight as her heart swelled with pride and delight.
‘So I’ll put forward your name, shall I? It will mean a lot of hard work but I’m sure we all want to do our duty and give what assistance we can to the Government.’
‘Well, I …’ Now Grace could feel her heart lurching sickening downwards as her excitement came up hard against the reality of her situation. She could see that Sister Harris was looking irritated and impatient. Flustered and embarrassed she burst out, ‘I’d love to, really I would, Sister, but it’s my family.’
‘You mean that your parents wouldn’t give their permission?’ Sister was frowning now. ‘I find that very hard to believe under the present circumstances, Campion – not to say positively unpatriotic.’
Horrified, Grace blurted, ‘Oh, no, I mean … well, the truth is, Sister, that …’ Her voice dropped and she looked over her shoulder, checking she wouldn’t be overheard. ‘Mum and Dad have four of us at home, and my sisters are still at school, so …’ Grace bit her lip, floundering, not wanting to say that it was out of the question for her to expect her parents to go without her financial contribution to the household, never mind find the money required to buy the uniform and the books she would need before entering the Probationary Training School, but to her relief Sister Harris immediately realised what she was trying to say and the sternness faded from her expression.
‘Ah, I see, Campion. Well, my dear, it’s there for you to think about and I would be delighted to recommend you. If you should see a way to undertaking the training the cost would be around twenty pounds for your uniform and your books, you’d be paid eighteen shillings a week during your first year, and of course you’d be living in.’ She patted Grace on the arm. ‘My advice to you is to have a word with your parents and tell them what I’ve told you. It would be a pity if the nursing service were to lose the opportunity to acquire a girl like you.’
Her praise left Grace feeling slightly dizzy.
Ten minutes later, when Grace stepped out of the church hall, she was surprised to see Luke waiting for her.
‘I thought you were going to an ARP meeting tonight with Dad,’ she said.
‘I was – I did – but I thought I’d come this way and walk back with you.’
Smiling at him, Grace tucked her arm through his. They were close in age and close emotionally as well, and she sensed immediately that he had something on his mind but she also knew him well enough to wait to let him tell her in his own time what it was. It was no mere impulse that had brought him round this way to walk home with her.
‘There were a lot of them that was there tonight saying that their lads had had letters and that, telling them to report to their units …’
Grace gave a small shiver. She didn’t need Luke to explain to her what that meant – not after what her father had told her earlier. The whole country must surely know now that although no official declaration of war had been made, things were moving towards that with increasing speed.
They were walking only slowly and Luke was dragging his feet a bit, scowling and scuffing the side of his shoe in a way that she knew would have drawn a rebuke from their mother. Something was definitely wrong.
‘They were painting out the name of Edge Hill Station when I cycled past it earlier on me way home from work. Mr Smethwick that’s in charge of the ARP unit said that the Government has given orders that anything that might identify a place to the Germans had to be got rid of.’
Abruptly Grace stopped walking. ‘It’s going to happen, isn’t it?’ she asked in a hushed voice. ‘We are going to be at war with the Germans.’ She gave a little shiver, then told him sadly, ‘There were some kiddies in Lewis’s at dinnertime, brought in by their teacher. They’d been to choose gas masks for themselves, ready to be evacuated. I heard the teacher saying that the school had thought if they were getting them from Lewis’s it would be a bit of a treat and it wouldn’t scare them so much. Thank goodness the twins are old enough not to have to go. I reckon it would break Mum’s heart if they did.’
‘I can’t say anything at home but I fair hate listening to other chaps talking about how they’ll do their bit for the country, Grace, whilst thanks to Dad all I’m going to be doing is skulking here at home like a ruddy coward.’
‘Luke, that’s not true,’ she protested, genuinely shocked. ‘Of course you’ll be doing your bit. And, anyway, as for Charlie, he said himself that the only reason he’s joined the TA is because it means he can stay at home and show off to pretty girls in his car.’
Luke