Courage for the Cornish Girls by Betty Walker

Author:Betty Walker [Walker, Betty]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2022-05-25T17:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINETEEN

‘See you in a few days,’ Demelza told her roommates, donning her coat and collecting her bag of dirty laundry before heading downstairs.

She felt guilty; both her roommates, like so many other women in the Auxiliary Fire Service, had been drafted in from other parts of Cornwall to augment numbers and didn’t have anywhere local to go when off duty. While they had to stay at the Fire Guard, constantly bombarded by bells and whistles, she was able to go home, wash and dry her clothes, sleep in her own bed, and see her family for at least forty-eight hours, sometimes longer.

Once, she’d thought being away from home the most exciting thing possible, and had dreaded returning when off shift. Now though, Demelza suspected it was the only thing keeping her sane. She had no idea how the men away fighting managed it, but she guessed they must rely on each other for company and good spirits, just as the girls of the Fire Guard did.

‘All for one and one for all,’ they often chanted while throwing on their uniforms and helmets and dashing out to an incendiary bombing or a collapsed building. This saying was a motto from a French novel called The Three Musketeers, her roommate Rosemary, who was a bit of a bookworm, had explained. But although Demelza wasn’t a big reader, she had understood at once. ‘You mean, we’re stronger together,’ she chimed in, and Rosemary had nodded enthusiastically. ‘That’s it, exactly.’

She had never thought of herself as being particularly courageous. There hadn’t been much call for courage back on the farm, except when it came to dodging her father’s fits of bad temper. But it was clear that the other Fire Guards were as brave as any soldier, ready to risk their lives to save others without a single word of uncertainty or self-pity. They might not be fully-fledged firefighters but they still fearlessly put themselves in harm’s way, especially when assisting at fires or checking properties for bomb damage. She was so proud to be one of them, it brought tears to her eyes as she waved goodbye to Captain Enys and some of the others in the training room.

‘Have a lovely break,’ Jean replied, and then called her back. ‘Hang on, Demmy. You live up the top of Alverton Road, don’t you?’

‘We’re out that way, yes.’

‘Well, you’re in luck. My nephew’s heading there soon. He’s offered to take some equipment to the repair shop at Lansdowne. I’m sure if you ask nicely, he’ll give you a lift home. Unless you prefer to walk?’

‘No, I …’ Demelza clammed up, suddenly tongue-tied as a familiar figure emerged from the back of the training room.

She was surprised to recognise Robert at first, but then remembered having bumped into him when she first came here to sign up.

‘Your nephew, did you say?’

‘My late sister’s boy.’ Jean turned. ‘Robert, can you give Demelza a lift? She’s going home to …’ She hesitated. ‘Where is it exactly?’

‘Hill View Farm,’ Demelza said breathlessly.

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