Silence returned. Graham sat and brooded, worrying about what their parents would say when they got home. By this time his bumps and bruises were beginning to throb and he also worried that his mother would make a fuss over them.
Then, to Graham’s mingled relief and regret, his mother appeared. She came in with another officer and when she saw him and Kylie she shook her head and looked anxious. She was not allowed to speak to them and was also led forward. Then it was Kylie’s turn to be questioned. She stood up and gave Graham a very definite smile and then poked her tongue at the guard before scuttling through the doorway. The guard started to look annoyed but then grinned. That set Margaret smiling and Graham smiled back. The moment the guard looked away Margaret lowered her left eyelid in a definite wink. That made Graham feel even better and he smiled some more, only having to wipe it off his face as the sailor turned back.
He was last to be questioned and was led forward to a cabin where a lieutenant commander and two policeman sat on one side of a table and his mother on the other. Behind the two uniformed policemen sat another naval officer and the middle-aged civilian in the grey suit. Graham met the man’s eye and felt his stomach churn with anxiety again. I might be in real trouble, he thought.
As Graham seated himself beside his mother she gave him a sympathetic but worried smile and squeezed his hand. Then the interrogation began and the questions instantly took the smile off his face. To his amazement the police seemed to think he had started the incident.
“Those youths said that you began pulling down the flag and they moved to stop them,” one policeman said.
“That isn’t true!” Graham cried.
He looked at the row of faces—two police, two navy officers and the stony-faced middle-aged civilian and felt his stomach tighten then churn with queasiness. He then described exactly what he had done. He was very glad his mother was there.
The lieutenant commander looked up from the notes he had been taking. “You have used a lot of nautical and naval jargon in your description. You seem to know a bit about ships. Why is that?”
Hearing that made Graham feel better. “Because I am very interested in the navy,” he replied, adding, “And I want to join when I am older.”
The lieutenant commander nodded and wrote this down. “All right, good. Thank you. That will be all. If you gentlemen are finished we can send him on his way?”
The senior policeman nodded. “Yes. We have his name and address if we need to follow up. OK lad, off you go. Take him out please. Thank you Mrs Kirk.”
An Able Seaman who had been standing behind Graham touched his arm and pointed to a side door. “This way please.”
For a moment Graham stood there with his mind racing. Is that all? he wondered. Then he nodded and went through the now open door. His mother followed after a few quiet words from the lieutenant commander. Graham and his mother were led along a passageway to another cabin where he found Margaret, Kylie and Peter waiting.
The Chief Petty Officer guarding them spoke briefly to Graham’s guard and then said, “You kids can all go now. You will leave the ship and not return.”
That hurt. Graham felt a spurt of irrational resentment. I have tried to do the right thing and help the navy and now I am being banned from visiting the ship! He knew that the ship was only open for visitors that day and would leaving the next day but it still rankled.
The friends were led out on deck and disembarked via the aft gangway. As they stepped off the gangway and began walking towards the exit another group of demonstrators appeared from the shops across the wharf. These had placards and were chanting slogans. Graham noted the long-haired youth with the pony tail and his blonde girlfriend and also Janet’s sister.
The sailor guarding the gangway moved to stop them and Graham felt a strong urge to turn back and help him but was stopped by his mother. “Stay out of it Graham,” she said. “You are already in enough trouble.”
So Graham could only stand and watch and that made him both upset and angry as the demonstrators shouted and jostled the sailor. His cap was snatched off and thrown into the sea and he was abused and spat on. More sailors appeared at the top of the gangway and began hurrying down to help the sentry. At that the demonstrators turned and quickly walked away, dispersing and melting into the crowd that had gathered.
What unpleasant cowards! Graham thought. He felt very sorry for the sailors, especially the one who’d been standing at the bottom of the stern gangway handing out information pamphlets. As the children watched another sailor took his place and began welcoming the people who were waiting on the wharf but were now plainly unsure whether to come on board or not.
Mrs Kirk shook her head. “Come on children. Let’s go home. This is no place to be,” she said.
As the friends made their way across the wharf Graham looked around to see if he could see the scruffy youth and Edmonson. There was no sign of them. The demonstration appears to be over, Graham thought, noting several uniformed police moving onto the space between the ship and the buildings.
Then Graham looked around for Thelma and Janet. He saw that they were on the wharf down past the stern of the ship—and they were talking to some of the demonstrators. These included Janet’s sister, the bearded man and the big-breasted blonde. It was obvious that the girls knew the people. With a sharp pang of jealousy Graham noted that Thelma was talking earnestly to a youth. With dismay Graham realized he knew the youth.
That is Jerry Denham from Year 12! he thought. The sight cast him into even deeper gloom. Oh, how can I compete with a Year 12? he thought. Worse still he had defended the navy. What will Thelma think of me now? he worried.
Feeling distinctly dejected Graham followed his mother and friends across the wharf. After a few paces he stopped and looked back up at the destroyer, savouring the sight of the grey mass of steel with its clutter of aerials, boats, pipes, signal lamps, boxes and other fittings. To his mild annoyance Margaret stopped beside him.
They were joined by Stephen and Max. Max raised an eyebrow. “What happened?” he asked.
“What happened to you more like!” Graham retorted.
Max shrugged. “There were so many sailors rushing to the fight that I didn’t think you needed me,” he explained.
Graham glanced at Stephen who adjusted his glasses as though they were sufficient excuse for not joining in. Peter then described the interviews.
“Did they believe you?” Max asked.
Graham shrugged. “I don’t know. They didn’t say.”
Peter nodded. “I think they believed our version of events. Anyway, it was four against two in the story telling,” he commented.
Stephen again adjusted his glasses. “What did Edmonson and that other jerk say?”
Peter shook his head. “No idea. They questioned us one at a time in another room. Where are they anyway?”
Stephen pointed along the wharf. “Over there with Janet and Thelma and that mob,” he said.
Once again Graham glanced towards Thelma and saw that she was looking at him. So were most of those with her. I hope she doesn’t notice Margaret, he thought. A feeling of mild discomfort swept through him as the demonstrators returned the scrutiny.
Graham looked away and as he did he noticed Cindy talking to two sailors over near the entrance to the wharf. She is a real flirt! he thought. He felt relief when Max called her to join him. “Time to go home,” he said.
Cindy nodded and pouted but then said goodbye to the sailors and walked over to join them. As she did her eyes briefly met Graham’s but she gave no hint of any secret between them.
Mrs Kirk stopped at the exit and looked back. “Come on you children. We are going home.”
“Good idea,” Peter agreed. “I think we have seen enough today.”
Graham didn’t agree and as the others began walking away he turned to have one last look at the destroyer. Kylie looked back and called in an exasperated tone: “Come on Graham, you’ve seen enough of the battleship!�
��
“It’s not a battleship!” Graham responded testily. “Battleships are much bigger; ten times as big—no more!”
Max stopped and called back, “How would you know? You’ve never seen one!”
“I’ve seen pictures of them,” Graham replied defensively. He was a little hurt by Max’s thrust. If there was one thing on earth Graham wished to see it was a battleship. He had read dozens of books about them and was fascinated by the steel monsters. “I’d really like to see one,” he added.
“Fat chance of that,” Peter observed. “There aren’t any anymore.”
“Yes there are!” Graham cried. “The Americans still have some.”
Peter shook his head. “Not in service. They have all been decommissioned and are museums,” he replied.
“Not all. I think some are still in mothballs,” Graham answered.
“Mothballs!” Kylie tittered. “Do they have a problem with silverfish and cockroaches?”
Graham was not amused. He sniffed and said, “Probably. And rats. They seal the ships up to preserve them in case they need them again. The US Navy has still got one or two of its four Iowa-class battleships in their Reserve Fleet, I think.”
Peter nodded. “The last I read was that they have only two still in reserve: the Wisconsin and Iowa. The Missouri and New Jersey have been sold and turned into museums or memorials,” he said.
“Didn’t the British have a lot?” Margaret asked. “We saw that in a video in History the other day.”
Graham nodded. “Yes, they did but they’ve all been scrapped for half a century or more now,” he replied. He almost sighed aloud with regret at the thought. Into his mind came a film he had seen, an old black and white Newsreel, which showed a line of British battleships in line astern. He had found the sheer majesty and power of that scene awe-inspiring.
As they began to move Max said, “The last British battleship was the Vanguard. It was scrapped way back in the 1960s,” he said.
Graham looked at him in mild surprise. He hadn’t expected Max to know something like that.
“Come on,” Kylie said. “Let’s go home. I’m hungry.”
They resumed walking along the wharf towards the entrance. Graham came last, his eyes still feasting on the ship; with glances to see where Thelma was. To his disappointment he could no longer see her. The demonstrators all seemed to have vanished too. He shrugged and turned his attention back to the destroyer. Margaret walked beside him but said nothing. As they reached the entrance they had to wait while a group of people in navy uniforms came through the doors from the other direction.
Navy Cadets!
Graham stared at them in envy. That was his immediate ambition. As soon as he was thirteen he was going to join the Navy Cadets—and his birthday was only six weeks away!
“G’day gang!” called a voice. It was a boy from their class: Andrew Collins. Graham managed a reply but his voice was choked up by surprise and envy. Andrew was already a cadet. Graham ran his eyes down from the grey sailor’s baseball cap, over the grey and black mottled camouflage uniform to the black leather boots. How he longed to wear that uniform! Or, better still, one of the Petty Officer’s or officer’s uniforms with the peaked cap.
Thelma would be impressed then, he thought. Graham imagined himself dressed that way. Into his mind came a photo on the side table at home of his father in a naval uniform. I’ll look good, he told himself with pleasant conceit.
Stephen eyed the navy cadets and nodded with approval. “There are a couple of good lookers in that mob!” he commented, indicating several girls in uniform. “I might join.”
Graham looked and saw that Stephen was right. Some of the girls were very pretty. He had recently reached the age where girls interested him very much so he studied them carefully.
Max nudged him. “I like the look of that one with the black hair,” he commented.
“No Max,” Stephen said. “You can have the fat one. Strewth! Isn’t she huge! You watch the stern of the ship go down when she goes up the gangplank.”
Kylie gasped. “Stephen! Don’t be awful!” she chided.
Graham stood and watched the cadets file on board the destroyer. They were met by an officer and several ratings and were obviously going to get a special guided tour. To see all the things we weren’t allowed to, Graham thought enviously. Regretfully he turned and followed the others.
Chapter 3
PLASTICINE PEOPLE
At the front car park Mrs Kirk told the children to go straight home. She could not give them a lift in her car as they had all ridden their bicycles. Graham badly wanted to stay, both to see the destroyer and to see Thelma but knew he could not disobey. I’m in enough trouble already, he thought. So he joined the others, unlocked his bike and began pedalling. After four blocks Peter and Stephen called farewells and turned right along Lake Street. About 20 minutes later, Graham, Kylie, Margaret, Max and Cindy reached the corner of the street fronting the Kirk’s house. Max and Cindy turned left while the others turned right. “See ya later!” Max called.
Graham nodded a reply and then met Cindy’s eyes. She gave a mischievous grin and also said goodbye. This time Graham was more enthusiastic. She is a real flirt, he thought. For a few moments he eyed her female shape as she pedalled away. A very shapely bum, he noted with approval. He would have liked to watch for longer but did not dare lest Kylie and Margaret notice his interest.
At the front gate of home Graham dismounted and said to Kylie, “I hope we aren’t grounded after that fight.”
Kylie shook her head. “I don’t think we will be. I think mum believes us,” she replied.
Feeling sore and anxious, Graham wheeled his bike around the side lawn and placed his bike under the back of the house next to his mother’s car and went up the back stairs followed by Kylie and Margaret. Mrs Kirk was already home and in the kitchen. With her was Graham’s big brother Alex. Mrs Kirk looked up from what she was doing to give Margaret a greeting. Graham saw that she was sifting flour for a cake or scones.
To test her mood Graham said, “Can we have some afternoon tea mum?”
Mrs Kirk looked at him and frowned. “No. It is much too close to tea time. You should have come home straight from school. Now let me look at your face.”
Graham swallowed and moved to let her look. As he did Alex grinned. “What happened to you little brother?” he asked.
“There was a fight,” he admitted.
“A fight! Who with? Why? What happened?” Alex asked. He and Graham had often fought and Alex was frequently in trouble at school for fighting so it was something he understood.
“A kid from school. It was nothing,” Graham answered.
Kylie shook her head. “Oh it was so! It was with two anti-war protestors who tried to take down the flag on a destroyer,” she said.
“Ensign,” Graham muttered, annoyed that she had used the wrong term.
His mother waved him to silence. “Never mind that. Stand still while I check these bruises,” she demanded.
Reluctantly Graham stood while his mother fussed and tut-tutted. Then he described to Alex what had happened, Kylie adding bits he omitted.
“Why did you do it?” Mrs Kirk snapped.
Graham squirmed and shrugged before saying, “Because I didn’t want the navy flag—ensign—pulled down by two ratbags,” he replied.
“And why were you at the wharf? Who said you could go there?” Mrs Kirk demanded.
Graham shrugged. “You weren’t home so we thought it would be all right,” he answered.
Mrs Kirk sighed and looked up at the ceiling then glared at him and pressed her lips into a firm line. After a few seconds she said, “Graham! I know you have been in a bit of trouble lately but it doesn’t help if you don’t tell me. I don’t want any sneaking. There must be trust.”
“Yes mum.”
“Don’t go places without asking permission please,” she snapped. “And that goes for you too Kylie, and you Alex,” Mrs Kirk sa
id.
“Yes mum,” they chorused.
Graham now voiced another anxiety that had been gnawing at him. “What do you think dad will say?” he asked. He was quiet sure that his mother would tell him.
Surprisingly Mrs Kirk smiled. “I think he will say what I am also thinking: that any child of mine who fights to keep his country’s flag flying deserves a medal. I think he will be proud of you all.”
Graham glowed inside at that and for a moment he met Margaret’s eye. She positively beamed hero worship back and he had to smile and then look away.
Mrs Kirk then said, “Margaret, I think you had better go home now. It is getting late. It will be dark soon. You are not in trouble and you are welcome anytime but I need to speak to these children in private.”
Margaret nodded and looked embarrassed. “Yes Mrs Kirk. Goodbye Kylie, Goodbye Graham,” she whispered. She cast a lingering look at Graham and then turned and walked towards the front.
Kylie called after her, “See you tomorrow!”
“Yes.”
After Margaret had gone Mrs Kirk got them to retell the story and then she shook her head and looked thoughtful. “Well, I hope there are no repercussions,” she said. “Now Kylie, you go and have your bath while I doctor Silly Boy.”
So Kylie had her bath and then Graham was sent to have his. After that, wanting a bit of peace and quite to recover in, he went downstairs to the Ship Room, a large enclosed area under the house. The house was a typical ‘Old Queenslander’ set in its own allotment with gardens at the front and lawns all around. The back of the block was taken up by vegetable gardens, a fowl run and a big mango tree.
The timber house was on high wooden posts with the living areas upstairs. Downstairs under the front veranda were a fernery where Captain Kirk cultivated orchids and ferns when he was home, and an aviary. Behind them, under the main part of the house were the Ship Room, tool room and store room. Behind them were a carport and laundry.
The Ship Room took up almost half the area. It was a large room about 10 metres square, interrupted by six of the house posts set in the concrete floor. Graham had become the sole user of this room largely by default: no-one else wanted it at that time. For the last three years it had developed as his private domain where he kept his model ships and played games with his ‘Plasticine People’.
The Boy and the Battleship Page 3