Spitfire Girl

by Lily Baxter

  The sky was colour-washed pale blue and the sun shone down on the peaceful countryside below. She was flying free as a bird and loving it, but with her elation there came bittersweet memories, and she was seized with almost uncontrollable feelings of grief. It had been just such a day when Tony had taken her up in the Mosquito. At the time she had not fully appreciated the risk he had taken in order to make her dream come true, and now he was gone. Inside she was numb. She knew that she would never love another man as she loved Tony. The fates had decreed that she would always be alone. From now on there was just her and Charlie. That was how it would always be.

  With nothing to lose, she gave herself up to the pleasure of being airborne, but after an hour or so the sun was obscured by a thick blanket of cloud and the weather had deteriorated. It was only then she realised that Elspeth was not piloting the plane as well as she might. Susan’s enjoyment turned rapidly into anxiety. Down below she could see the patchwork pattern of the fields divided by dark hedgerows, but visibility was poor and in the distance she could see a line of hills, their tops obscured by the cloud. I did not take a genius to realise that the weather was closing in on them.

  They flew on for a while and then quite suddenly the aeroplane nose-dived towards the ground. Elspeth appeared to have lost control. They were plummeting down at a terrifying speed. Scarcely able to breathe, Susan thought she was going to die. She almost welcomed the opportunity to join Tony in heaven, but just as she was resigned to meeting her end, Elspeth pulled back and they descended at a more appropriate speed. As her fear subsided Susan realised that they were coming in to land on a grassy field in the middle of nowhere. Startled cows scattered in all directions.

  It was a bumpy landing but somehow Elspeth managed to accomplish it without any damage to the Mosquito. As soon as it was safe to do so, Susan climbed out onto the wing. She found Elspeth slumped over the controls. ‘What’s the matter? Are you ill?’

  It took some time for Elspeth to rally enough to raise her head. ‘Migraine attack, darling. Suffered from them for years. Can’t see straight and the pain is crippling.’ She struggled to get out of the cockpit. ‘Move aside. Going to upchuck.’

  Susan moved just in time. She waited until the spasm of vomiting had passed before helping Elspeth out of the cockpit and onto the ground. ‘Sit down for a few minutes. Maybe you’ll feel better.’

  Elspeth held her head in her hands. ‘No chance, sweetie. I suppose this was coming on before we left, although I didn’t recognise the signs.’

  ‘What can I do? Have you got any aspirins?’

  Elspeth’s laugh was hollow. ‘It would take more than an aspirin to cure this one, sweetie. Hammers and picks inside my head. Frightful.’

  Susan glanced round anxiously. There was no sign of habitation and without a radio there was no way they could contact the nearest airfield or get help. ‘What shall I do?’

  ‘You’ll have to fly the Mossie, darling. It’s your big chance. One you’ve always longed for.’

  ‘But Elspeth, I’ve only ever flown the Moth. I’m not trained for this.’

  ‘Then we’re stuck here until I get better. Could be days, sweetie. Your choice.’ Elspeth stuck her head between her knees. ‘Going to puke again.’

  There was no gainsaying the fact that Elspeth was genuinely unwell. Susan had heard about people suffering from migraine but she had never seen anyone in the throes of an attack. She felt helpless and a little scared. It was almost midday and in a few short hours it would be dark. They could only fly in daylight and she needed to make a quick decision. She knelt on the ground beside Elspeth. ‘Where were we headed for?’

  ‘Castle Camps, Cambridgeshire. Map in the cockpit. You can do it, Susan. Get me to civilisation, sweetie. I need a soft pillow and some hot water bottles.’ She rested her head in her hands, groaning.

  ‘All right. I’ll try, but you’ve got to help me.’ Susan half lifted, half dragged her to her feet. ‘We’ve got to get you into the cockpit, or else you’ll have to lie here until a farmer finds you.’

  It took a huge amount of effort on both their parts but eventually Elspeth managed to get into the co-pilot’s seat. Susan took her place and her hands were shaking as she spread the map out on her knees. She flicked through the instruction manual given to all ferry pilots, and refreshed her memory as to the instrument panel. Panic seized her. Her lips were numb and her throat constricted. She knew it all in theory, but could she carry it out in practice? There was only one way to find out. She started the engine. She could feel the power of the twin Merlin engines throbbing through her whole body. She could do it; she would do it. ‘Here we go,’ she shouted above the engine noise. ‘Fingers crossed.’

  Elspeth raised her head. They were perilously closed to a stand of trees. ‘For God’s sake, pull back on the joystick, you bloody idiot.’

  Too terrified to protest at being called names, Susan did as she was told. They skimmed the top of the bare branches, soaring skywards. ‘Keep an eye on the artificial horizon,’ Elspeth murmured before slumping forward with her head in her hands. ‘Well done, you.’

  Susan’s nerves began to settle. She could scarcely believe that she had got the affectionately termed “wooden wonder” off the ground, but they were actually flying. She kept glancing at Elspeth and hoping that she would recover enough to land the plane when they eventually reached the airfield, but until then she had to rely on the map and landmarks on the ground in order to find her way. The cloud remained low but as long as she kept below it she knew that they would be safe. She spotted the silver ribbon of the Thames and in the distance she could see the tightly packed buildings that marked the beginning of suburbia. They were getting close to London. She wondered what Dave would think if he could see her now. She thought of Tony and her eyes filled with tears. She blinked them away. She must not allow anything to interfere with her concentration.

  Elspeth groaned and then was silent. Perhaps she was asleep? Susan hoped that she would wake up refreshed and ready to take the controls when they reached Castle Camps. She could see a forest of barrage balloons and she altered course slightly in order to avoid them. She headed north of London before veering eastwards. She was growing more confident by the minute and she was actually beginning to enjoy herself, but as they neared their destination she became anxious. ‘Elspeth, wake up. I think we’re getting close to the airfield. I need your help.’

  Elspeth opened her eyes, staring blearily at her. ‘You’re doing fine, sweetie. Just imagine you’re flying the Moth.’ She closed them again.

  After what seemed like hours, Susan spotted the airfield. ‘Elspeth, help me.’

  Elspeth lifted her hand and let it drop. She groaned and that was all the response Susan received. She gritted her teeth, going through the landing procedure over and over in her mind. She had come this far. She was not going to fail now.

  She had never been so scared in her whole life. She had the responsibility for both their lives, not to mention delivery of an expensive aircraft to 157 squadron at the aerodrome. Death would be preferable to failure. She went through everything in her head before attempting to put theory into practice. In the air she had felt safe but the ground was approaching at an alarming rate. She glanced at Elspeth but she was either asleep or unconscious. Susan knew that she was on her own. She had everything to prove.

  The wheels touched the ground, the Mosquito did a rather undignified bunny hop, but Susan regained control and to her surprise and delight she brought the huge twin-engine aeroplane to a slightly undignified halt. Frozen to the seat, she could not move a muscle. She did not know whether to laugh or cry. She saw an aircraftman walking towards the plane and she forced herself into action, opening the cockpit and getting stiffly to the ground.

  He looked her up and down. ‘Bloody hell, they get younger all the time.’ He looked up at the empty pilot’s seat as if expecting to see someone sitting there. ‘Did you just land this kite, miss?’

  Shaking from he
ad to foot, Susan nodded. ‘The pilot took sick. I had no choice.’

  ‘Where is he?’

  ‘She’s still in the cockpit. I might need a hand to get her out.’

  He swore softly. ‘Two women flying a Mossie. What’s the bleeding world coming to?’

  ‘She really is quite ill,’ Susan said urgently. ‘I think she ought to see a medic.’

  ‘All in good time, miss. You should report in. I’ll see to the rest.’

  Walking on legs that felt like jelly, Susan managed to get as far as the control tower. The warrant officer on duty was at first sceptical, apparently deciding that someone was playing a joke on him, and then frankly puzzled as to how a slip of a girl with no official pilot training could fly a military aircraft. She found herself passed on to the squadron leader, who was equally suspicious and then extremely put out. ‘You realise of course that this is strictly against all the rules, young lady.’

  ‘I know, sir.’ Susan clasped her hands tightly behind her back, staring down at her dusty shoes.

  ‘You should not have been on-board in the first place, let alone given a chance to wreck an expensive piece of military equipment.’ He paced the floor in his office, glaring at her from time to time in a baffled manner. ‘Are you telling me the absolute truth? You actually took off from a field and then landed here on your own?’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  He whistled through his teeth. ‘I wouldn’t have believed it if the pilot had not been taken to the sick bay suffering from a suspected migraine attack. She is recovering, I believe.’

  ‘Yes, sir.’

  He sighed heavily. ‘I suppose I should congratulate you on an amazing feat, but I don’t think you realise how complicated the paperwork will be.’

  ‘No, sir. I’m sorry.’

  He sat down behind his desk and shuffled a sheaf of papers, putting them neatly in the out tray. ‘Leave this with me, Miss … er, what is your name?’

  ‘Susan Banks, sir.’

  ‘And how did you come to be on the airfield at Hamble in the first place, Miss Banks?’

  ‘I work in the Armstrong Whitworth factory, repairing Spitfires. But I have learned to fly a Tiger Moth. I’d do anything to become a pilot, sir.’

  He stared at her for a full ten seconds before shaking his head. ‘Incredible. How old are you, Susan?’

  ‘Nineteen, sir. But I’ll be twenty in August.’

  A faint smile curved his lips and his handlebar moustache quivered. ‘Really? That old, eh?’ He leaned his elbows on the blotter, steepling his fingers. ‘Well, Susan, I think for the sake of my paperwork we’ll say that First Officer Peterson piloted the Mosquito but you assisted in the landing when she was taken ill. That will be the official line, but I’ll be reporting privately to the appropriate person in the ferry pool. I have to ring them to arrange for your transport back to base anyway.’

  ‘Yes, sir. Thank you, sir.’

  He picked up the telephone receiver. ‘That will be all. This really is a most irregular occurrence.’ He dismissed her with a wave of his hand.

  She found Elspeth in the sick bay, lying down on a bed with a cold compress on her forehead. ‘How are you feeling?’

  Elspeth managed a weak grin. ‘Not too bad, darling. I gather you’re the talk of the aerodrome. They’ll be lining up to shake your hand in the mess.’

  ‘The squadron leader said he was going to hush it up. They’ll say that you flew the plane and I just helped.’

  ‘Bastards,’ Elspeth groaned. ‘I’ll confess to the whole thing when we get back to Hamble, darling. I can’t steal your thunder.’

  ‘You’ll do no such thing. It would mean you’d get the sack. I think we’d best keep to what the squadron leader suggested. After all, it was more luck than judgement that got us through it safely.’

  Elspeth raised herself on one elbow. ‘Don’t talk poppycock, Susan. You’re a natural. You should have your wings, you’ve earned them.’

  ‘Not according to the squadron leader. I’ll probably lose my job in the factory because of what I did.’

  ‘There’s no chance of that, Susan. You might get a telling off, but I don’t think it will go any further. Now be an angel and get me a cup of tea. Two sugars if the blighters will spare it.’

  Susan was not convinced. She fully expected to get the sack when they eventually arrived back at Hamble, although there was no possibility of travelling that night. She found the officers’ mess and was amazed to discover that she was something of a celebrity. Everyone she met offered to buy her a drink and she was bombarded with questions. She was overwhelmed by all the attention and completely exhausted both mentally and physically. She was desperate for sleep but every time she attempted to leave the table after dinner someone came up with another question and she felt obliged to answer. If only Elspeth had been well enough to join them Susan knew that she would have been able to merge into the background and leave all the talking to her, but Elspeth was tucked up in bed and no doubt sound asleep. Susan had been given a bed in the sick bay too, as there were no other females living on the base. She longed for her bed but the session looked as though it was going to be a long one, until the night fighters were scrambled and the mess emptied in seconds. She made her way to the sick bay, stumbling in the darkness and listening to the roar of engines as the Mosquitoes took off on their mission. She crossed her fingers, silently wishing them a safe return.

  Elspeth was pale-faced and dark smudges underlined her eyes, but after a good night’s sleep she was deemed well enough to travel. After a long journey first by military lorry and then by train, they arrived back at Hamble late next day. Elspeth was told to report to the commanding officer. She gave Susan a hug. ‘Don’t worry, sweetie. I’ll put the record straight. You won’t lose your job.’

  Somewhat doubtful, Susan made her way to the factory and found Danny waiting for her outside the workshop. He grabbed her by the hand. ‘Are you okay, Susan? You must have been mad to go with that woman, but at least you’re home in one piece.’

  ‘How did you know we’d arrived?’

  His serious expression softened into a grin. ‘There are such things as telephones, love. It’s not the dark ages and everyone’s talking about what you did.’

  ‘Am I in big trouble, Danny?’

  ‘You might have been killed and all you’re worried about is losing your crummy job.’ He dragged her into his arms and hugged her so tightly that she could hardly breathe. ‘We thought you were a goner.’ He released her almost instantly and his eyes flashed with anger. ‘Have you any idea how that affected poor Roz? She’d just heard the news that Patrick had bought it, and then she discovered that you’d gone on a joyride with that crazy woman. If we’d known you were actually piloting the bloody kite it would have been even worse.’

  Susan pulled away from him. ‘Elspeth’s many things but she’s a damn good pilot, and she taught me well. I didn’t want to take over but she was really ill. It all came right in the end, except that now I’ve got to face the super. Is he really mad?’

  ‘Hopping,’ Danny said bleakly. He opened the door and ushered her into the building. ‘Go on. Get it over. He can’t kill you.’

  She was almost as nervous as she had been when taking off in the Mosquito. Susan made her way to the manager’s office and knocked on the door.

  ‘Come in.’

  His expression was not welcoming, and when she left a few minutes later her worst fears had been realised. She was considered a security risk in the factory and her services were no longer needed. She would have to sign up for war work elsewhere. There were plenty of munitions factories in need of workers.

  ‘One thing you can be certain of, Miss Banks,’ the manager said in icy tones, ‘is that you won’t be allowed anywhere near aircraft for the duration of the war. Your action could have killed both you and the ATA pilot as well as wrecking a costly aeroplane. You were irresponsible and foolhardy to say the least.’ He thrust a pay packet into her hands. ‘Good
bye, Miss Banks. I don’t expect to see you anywhere near the workshop until the war is over, and hopefully not even then.’ He bent his head over his work and she found herself summarily dismissed. Outside she pinched herself to make sure she was not dreaming. She had only done what was absolutely necessary. Now she was to be banished from the aerodrome. Her dream of flying her beloved Spitfire was at an end.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Susan walked into the pub kitchen and was almost bowled over by a bundle of golden fur. Forgetting all his training, Charlie leapt up at her licking her face and yelping ecstatically. It took her a minute or two but eventually she managed to calm him down, and was immediately accosted by Roz who flung her arms around her and sobbed on her shoulder. ‘Where were you when I needed you, Susan? Why did you go off with that bitch, when you must have known that my heart was breaking?’

  Bob had been sitting at the table drinking tea but he rose to his feet and put his arms around both of them. ‘Leave the poor kid alone, Roz. It’s not her fault. From what Danny said our little Susan’s a heroine. She flew a bloody great military plane all by herself.’

  Roz drew away, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. ‘I know, Dad. But she could have been killed, and I needed her here with me and Jennifer.’

  Susan could see from her friend’s swollen eyes that she had done her share of weeping over the past twenty-four hours and now she felt even guiltier for her impulsive decision to stand by Elspeth. ‘It was a spur of the moment thing. Elspeth was in a state because …’ She broke off abruptly. ‘I’m so sorry about Patrick.’

  Bob cleared his throat noisily. ‘Susan’s back with us now, love,’ he said gently. ‘That’s the main thing. You two mustn’t fall out; you’ve got to support each other.’ He dropped his arms to his sides and turned away from them ‘It’s a terrible time.’

  Roz gulped and swallowed. ‘I’m sorry, Susan. It’s just that everything is so beastly. I don’t know how I’m going to manage without Patrick. I can’t believe that I’ll never see him again. It’s too cruel.’