‘That’s such a shame. My friend was telling me it’s much worse out there than most of us know. The papers don’t tell us the half of it, according to Billy.’
‘Probably wouldn’t dare.’ She gave me a little push forward. ‘It’s your turn next. Will you wait for me? We can go for a cup of tea or something.’
‘Oh yes, I should like that. We shall be able to travel together, I expect.’
Ally nodded and gave me another push. The woman behind the counter took my paper and gave me a sheaf of leaflets with my instructions and information, and a small brown packet containing a ticket for the bus.
‘You’ll be one of fifteen personnel catching the bus,’ she told me. ‘Be there on time or you’ll be left behind. They don’t wait for stragglers. Miss it and you’ll have to make your own way.’
I thanked her and moved aside while Ally was given identical instructions. She grimaced as she joined me.
‘Anyone would think we were school children,’ she muttered. ‘I don’t know why they couldn’t give us the money and let us get there ourselves.’
‘We might take their money and run. Besides, it is a Military hospital and they probably want to control things their way – make sure we’re not spies or something. We might be German soldiers dressed up as girls …’
Ally laughed. ‘Daft! I thought you looked my sort. Where shall we go for a chat? I don’t know this part of London too well – I’m from the other side of the river, down Finsbury way. My father has a business there and we live near the shop. Let’s get something to eat, shall we? I’m starving.’
‘There’s a little teashop I’ve been using just up the road. It’s not bad and they make everything themselves.’
‘Do you live near here?’ She looked at me curiously.
‘I’ve got a room in the next street. It’s temporary – just until we go.’ I hesitated; then: ‘I had a row with my father and walked out last week.’
‘Oh, poor you,’ Ally said and linked her arm through mine. ‘My parents have been really good to me. They were expecting me to work in the shop – Dad owns a grocery business – but I told them I thought it was important to give something back to the men who were giving so much for us and they agreed.’
Ally was obviously from a better class of home than my own, but she was prepared to be friendly and it would be nice to have at least one friend in this venture.
‘Your family sounds nice. I – I don’t have a mother, just Gran and my father. Gran is lovely, but my father has a temper. He hit me after an argument so I left before he could do it again.’
‘Good for you!’ Ally hugged my arm and gave me a look of approval. ‘I hate that sort of brutality. I’m glad you left home, Kathy. I think we shall be good friends.’
‘I think so too.’
Ally smiled. ‘You spoke about your friend just now. Is he a soldier?’
‘Yes. His name is Billy Ryan. He’s asked me to marry him, but I haven’t said I will yet. I want to learn to be a nurse first – and there’s no sense in planning anything until the war is over.’
‘That’s just how I feel,’ she agreed. ‘I’ve got a special friend too. His name is Mike Saunders. He’s just been promoted to sergeant. In his last letter he said he wants to get married when this is all over, but we’ve agreed not to rush things.’
‘Are you in love with him?’ I asked her shyly. Ally nodded, a little smile of satisfaction on her mouth. I continued, feeling I could open up to her now, ‘I’m not sure how I feel about Billy. I like him – and he makes me feel odd, sort of excited, when he kisses me – but I don’t know if I love him enough to marry him.’
‘Wait until you are sure,’ Ally advised. ‘There’s nothing worse than being married to the wrong man. You remember me mentioning my cousin Joan?’ I nodded. ‘Well, she is divorced …’
‘Never!’ I stared at her in amazement.
Ally nodded solemnly. ‘It caused terrible trouble in the family. But Joan said he was making her life a misery and she left him. He divorced her. He’s something in the city and rich. She got absolutely nothing because he claimed she was unfaithful to him. Joan didn’t care as long as she got away from him. She applied to be a nurse and then the war happened.’
Ally’s sophisticated talk of divorce was an eye-opener for me. It just wouldn’t have been thought of where I lived, but I was beginning to realize that the world was very different away from the lanes. A rush of excitement made me glad I had taken my courage in both hands and walked out when I did – and that I had found a new friend.
‘She sounds wonderful – your cousin.’
‘Joan has a lot of courage,’ Ally replied seriously. ‘My father says she’s one of the new modern women who will emerge when this war is over. He thinks it can’t be long before women are allowed to at least vote for who they want in Parliament. Joan is ahead of her time. If she hadn’t wanted to be a nurse she would probably have tried to stand for Parliament herself.’
I stared at her in amazement. ‘Can women do that?’
Ally shook her head. ‘Not yet but one day they will – and if she lives to see it my cousin will be one of the first to join the men on the hustings.’ She laughed at my look of disbelief. ‘I can see I am going to have to educate you about your rights, Kathy – but for the moment I want my tea!’
The hospital was the most amazing place I had ever seen. Both Ally and I were speechless as the bus finally pulled up in the courtyard of Beckwith House.
‘Good heavens,’ Ally said in an awed whisper. ‘We’ve done all right for ourselves here, Kathy. This must have been someone’s private house before the war. And what a house! Mind you, I wouldn’t want to live here, stuck out in the wilds like this. When they said it was outside London I didn’t expect it to be this far.’
‘I expect that is because they like to keep the location as secret as possible; no doubt that’s why they brought us here instead of giving us the money to find our own way. It’s huge, isn’t it – and that’s without all those temporary buildings they’ve put up in the grounds.’
‘You mean those tin shacks we passed?’ Ally grimaced. ‘I’ll bet you that’s where they put us.’
‘Well, I don’t suppose we’ll be staying in the main house; that’s sure to be needed for the men.’
‘They come first, of course.’
‘Pay attention please!’
An officious-looking man in uniform was trying to line us all up. We stopped talking and waited for directions.
‘Nursing recruits are to report to the Dower House. Orderlies and outside staff come with me.’
‘They get the tin huts,’ Ally said and grinned. ‘Where do you suppose the Dower House is? Hey – where are we supposed to go? Some of us are new around here, you know. We’re not all mind readers!’ She got a glare from the sergeant in charge of new arrivals, but there was a murmur of agreement from some of the other girls.
‘Follow that path.’ He pointed to the right. ‘The one between the shrubbery there. Someone will look after you when you get there. Right! Sort yourselves out, I haven’t got all day. Everyone other than nursing recruits come with me.’
‘Poor devils,’ I whispered to Ally as several women and a couple of elderly men trooped after him. ‘He’s a real bully. I’m glad I’m not in his charge.’ I picked up my case. ‘We’d better try to find