A Nest of Singing Birds by Elizabeth Murphy

Author:Elizabeth Murphy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Canelo Books
Published: 2019-04-24T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twenty-Three

Many mothers felt the tragedy of the Athenia more keenly because they were upset at the prospect of their own children being evacuated. For most of the children it was a big adventure, at least when they were setting off with their school friends. Homesickness and disillusionment came later for some of them.

A teacher friend of Eileen’s told her that although most of the mothers were genuinely upset, some were pleased to have their children taken off their hands. Within a week the evacuation was complete. Stephen had been told he was needed in the factory which had turned over to war work but Joe and Terry had applied to join the Irish Guards, and Eileen to join the WAAFs.

The Pools had closed down and Eileen and Joe were unemployed but Littlewood’s had made arrangements for their staff to sign on for unemployment pay at the Edge Lane office.

‘How will all these people ever find jobs?’ Eileen said to Joe as they joined the hundreds of people streaming up Edge Lane.

‘Easily,’ he said. ‘A lot will go in the forces like us and there’ll be jobs in ordnance factories and other places. Someone said this building will be used by the censorship people.’

Anne was surprised at how quickly all that seemed so strange became normal. Remembering always to carry her gas mask, stumbling home through the blackout with only a narrow beam of light from her torch to help her and going to services in churches lit only by candles with a blackout curtain over the door.

The blackout precautions were a constant worry to Julia and Eileen declared that they were an excuse for petty tyrants to enjoy themselves. Mrs Morton, who had once forbidden Anne to take her daughters on days out, was the Air Raid Warden for the street and the slightest chink of light brought her screaming and banging on the door.

‘She’ll give my mum a heart attack one of these nights,’ Anne said. ‘I never liked her and now I hate her.’

‘Little Hitler,’ Sarah said. ‘Old Ashcroft in our street is the same. Much use he’d be in an air raid anyway.’

The doctor who attended Sarah went into the forces and the elderly man who took his place discharged her as fit for work. Sarah was delighted but others thought she was still not well enough.

‘Silly old fool,’ Mabel said to Anne. ‘God knows what damage she’ll do to herself coming back so soon. We’ll have to watch she doesn’t do too much.’ It was arranged that Hetty would stay on in the shop for a while and Sarah would work from ten o’clock until three for the first few weeks.

Helen and Tony were married on the first Saturday in October. Minnie did not attend the wedding but everyone else thought that Helen was a beautiful bride. She wore a long full-skirted dress of white organdie and a headdress of artificial lilies of the valley and carried white roses and carnations.

Anne and Eileen wore blue

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