Bombs on Aunt Dainty by Judith Kerr

Author:Judith Kerr [Kerr, Judith]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780007375714
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Anna still thought the story about the Air Chief Marshal quite funny even after the effects of the gin had worn off, and she told Max about it the next time she saw him. By this time it was July and Max was in deep gloom. The summer term was nearly over and he did not want to embark on a second year’s teaching, but all his enquiries about getting into the Forces had brought only discouraging replies.

The Army and the Navy had firm rules forbidding the acceptance of foreign nationals. The Air Force, being a younger Service, had no such rule but didn’t accept them anyway. Max had more or less given up hope, but when he heard the Air Chief Marshal’s name he pricked up his ears.

“If I could talk to him –” he said. “Do you think Mrs Hammond would give me an introduction?”

“Well, I could ask her,” said Anna doubtfully, but in fact Mrs Hammond did much more.

On the following Monday, after Anna had explained the situation to her, she rang the Air Chief Marshal in her presence, cutting through secretaries, adjutants and personal assistants as a ship cuts through the waves.

“Jack,” she said. “Got a rather special young man I want you to meet. Can you have lunch?” Then, in answer to a question from the other end of the telephone, “I should think very bright indeed.” This was followed by some chat about the war, a reference to Dickie who had just been posted to his first operational squadron, and a joke about the dancing class, until the conversation ended with a laugh and an inexplicable shout of “Tally-ho!”

“Well, that’s settled,” said Mrs Hammond. “Max and I are having lunch with Jack.”

The appointment had been fixed for a day nearly a fortnight away and Max was very nervous about it. He decided to learn as much as possible about aeroplanes in the meantime, and his pupils were set endless essays to write in class while he studied the characteristics of everything from Tiger Moths to Messerschmitts, and a book about the theory of flight for good measure.

Papa encouraged him in this. “Such an Air Chief Marshal,” he said, “will expect you to be well informed.” But Mama refused even to consider that there might be any difficulty.

“Of course the Air Chief Marshal will make an exception for you,” she said, to Max’s rage.

“But you don’t know that!” he cried. “And if he doesn’t, I don’t know what I’ll do!”

Anna just kept her fingers crossed. She knew that if Max didn’t get into the Air Force he would feel it was the end of the world.

A few days before Max’s appointment she was unpacking some woollies in the office. One of them was an Air Force sweater and she was holding it up, wondering whether Max would soon be wearing one like it, when Mrs Riley came in with a face wrapped in gloom.

“Terrible news,” she said.

“About what?” said Anna. There had been nothing special on the radio.

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