The Bomb Girls

by Daisy Styles

  Emily looked into Alice’s radiant face and said knowingly, ‘You’ve met someone.’

  Alice nodded.

  ‘I’m sooo in love, Em!’ she cried. ‘He’s called Robin Fairfax and he’s brave and clever and very good-looking. I can’t wait for you all to meet him.’

  Rushing forwards, she embraced Elsie and Lillian too.

  ‘Is he loaded?’ Lillian teased.

  Alice’s eyes sparkled. ‘Yes, he’s that too!’

  Lillian, Elsie and Emily had finished their shift for the day so they were free to spend all night chatting and laughing with Alice, who they’d missed dearly.

  ‘So why did they move you to Cornwall?’ Lillian asked.

  Before she left Helford, Alice and Robin had carefully prepared answers to difficult questions.

  ‘It’s important you don’t put your friends in an awkward position; make it simple,’ he’d said on their last evening sitting by the river. ‘Say you were sent here to attend a crash course in advanced French.’

  ‘That’s a good idea,’ Alice had said, running kisses down his neck and under his shirt. ‘Shall I tell them that my favourite place for lovemaking is right here on the banks of the river?’

  Robin had buried his face in her fine, silky, blonde hair.

  ‘I’ll miss you, darling.’

  ‘I’ll miss you too, my love.’

  ‘So why waste time talking about it?’ Robin had laughed softly as he pulled Alice down beside him.

  ‘At least I won’t have to talk French all the time in Pendle,’ Alice had joked.

  ‘I’m there for an advanced crash course in French,’ Alice said, repeating Robin word for word.

  ‘And then what? Where next?’ Emily asked.

  Alice shrugged.

  ‘I have no idea,’ she answered in all honesty.

  Long after midnight, tucked up and cuddling hot-water bottles in the bedroom that they used to share together, Alice dared to broach the subject she knew Emily was avoiding. In the darkness, with a soft rain spattering against their window, she said, ‘Have you heard from him?’

  Emily didn’t need to ask who.

  ‘Not a word since he sent me the letter,’ she replied. ‘Mum says he’s been home on leave but he’s not been up here to see me.’

  ‘It’ll take time, Em,’ Alice said gently. ‘He’s a proud lad, always has been.’

  ‘And I’m an idiot, always have been,’ Emily groaned.

  ‘You lost your head; I know what that feels like since I met Robin. I’m crazy about him.’

  ‘Like I was crazy about Bill till I met sweet-talking Freddie, who couldn’t wait to get my knickers off.’

  Alice let a few minutes pass before she said, ‘Have you seen Freddie?’

  ‘I tried to see him when I delivered your letter to Henri,’ she admitted. ‘He wasn’t on the airbase but I did see him when I was walking over the moors.’

  ‘Did you talk?’

  Emily gave a bitter, hard laugh.

  ‘It was hardly the right moment, Al. He was with another woman; they were leaving the old stable where he took me.’

  ‘Oh …’ Alice’s voice trailed away.

  Wretched Emily burst into tears.

  ‘Lillian got it right. He was never interested in me! He’s a player and he’ll go where he can get it.’

  Alice jumped out of bed and gathered Emily into her arms, then sitting beside her she rocked her friend slowly back and forth until her sobs had subsided.

  ‘You and Bill are meant for each other,’ she soothed.

  ‘And we would be with each other if it wasn’t for stupid me!’ Emily wailed.

  Alice remained silent; it wasn’t the best moment to agree with Emily when she said that Freddie had been the biggest mistake of her life.

  When Agnes arrived with her daughter she was beaming with pride. Their reunion in the Keswick hospital had been a joy, their train journey south full of laughter and excitement, and now here she was, standing holding her daughter’s hand, about to share her for the first time with the four women in the world she loved the best.

  ‘I’d like you to meet Esther,’ she said with a choke in her voice.

  Emily, Lillian and Elsie had rushed back to the digs after they’d finished their shift, keen to meet the little girl they’d heard so much about, but Esther, overwhelmed by shyness at the sight of them, hid behind her mother’s skirts.

  ‘It’s all right, cherub,’ said Agnes as she guided Esther to stand next to her. ‘Emily, Lillian and Elsie are my best friends.’

  Esther peeped out and solemnly eyed the girls, who were enchanted by her long, dark curly hair, huge brown eyes and skin as pale as alabaster.

  Typically it was Elsie who knew instinctively how to approach the shy, serious little girl.

  ‘Would you like a sweetie, pet?’ she said as she offered Esther a toffee.

  The little girl’s eyes grew even bigger at the sight of the treat, and limping on her calliper she slowly approached Elsie, who hunkered down to be on the same level as Esther.

  ‘Thank you for coming all this way to be mi bridesmaid,’ Elsie said as she gently kissed the little girl on the cheek.

  ‘Are you the beautiful bride?’ Esther asked shyly.

  ‘Well, I’m hoping to be tomorrow, pet!’ Elsie joked.

  Lillian swept Esther up into her arms.

  ‘Come on; let’s try on your bridesmaid’s dress!’

  After visiting her mum in town Alice joined the girls later and they had a happy, giggly, girlie night drinking nips of sherry, although Elsie and Esther stuck to lemonade, whilst they all tried on their dresses.

  ‘I’m a princess!’ cried Esther as she limped round and round in a circle, swirling the skirt of her blue dress around her.

  ‘You’re the most beautiful princess I’ve ever seen!’ Lillian said with tears in her eyes.

  The tears soon flowed unchecked as Esther threw herself into Lillian’s arms and hugged her tightly.

  ‘Thank you, William,’ she said, sweetly mispronouncing her name. ‘Thank you for making me beautiful!’

  ‘The pleasure’s all mine, darling … and you can call me William anytime you want!’ Lillian added as she burst out laughing.

  Agnes, Emily, Elsie and Lillian hadn’t been allowed time off work just because Esther was in town. They’d had difficulty enough getting a day off work for the wedding, though Elsie had been granted a weekend’s leave for her brief honeymoon. So for a few days Esther had been obliged to fall into the factory’s routine. She’d been dispatched to the Phoenix nursery, which she tolerated because as soon as their shift was over the girls collected her and took her back to the digs, where she slept in the same single bed as her mum. During Esther’s brief visit the digs rang with the delightful sound of her excited laughter.

  When Emily took Esther out on to the moors to pick thyme and sage for the wedding-breakfast ham she was astounded by the child’s determination to walk unaided. Half skipping and half limping, Esther made her way to the top of a small tufty mound where she picked sprigs of thyme.

  ‘Mmmm, it smells nice and sweet,’ she said. ‘Can I eat it?’

  ‘Yes, but not too much; we don’t want you dashing to the toilet during the wedding,’ Emily teased.

  Esther burst into a fit of giggles.

  ‘I might spoil my bridesmaid’s dress,’ she said as she hiccupped with laughter.

  Emily gazed at Esther and smiled; she was the most adorable child she’d ever met. Behind her solemn curiosity was a mischievous, happy spirit with a bravery the likes of which Emily had never before seen in a child. As Emily stroked the little girl’s long dark curls, she saw a lanky man in army uniform striding up the hill to the digs.

  ‘TOMMY!’ she gasped.

  Grabbing Esther with one hand and holding the basket of herbs in the other, she ran as quickly as she could towards Tommy, who grinned shyly, showing the gap between his two front teeth.

  ‘Hiya, cock!’ he said.


  Forgetting formalities, Emily laid a hand on his shoulders.

  ‘Where are you going?’ she panted, breathless after her sprint down the hill.

  With his eyes alive with anticipation, Tommy replied with a bit of a swagger, ‘To see mi fiancée!’

  ‘You can’t!’ Emily cried as she gave him a gentle backwards nudge.

  ‘Why not?’ he asked as he resisted her nudge. ‘I’ve just come home from Africa and I’ve not seen Elsie for months!’

  ‘It’s bad luck!’ Emily retorted.

  ‘Bad luck to be back home and alive and wanting to see the woman I love!’

  Emily took a deep breath as she steered him away from the digs.

  ‘What I mean is it’s bad luck to go in there – you might see Elsie’s dress and spoil the surprise,’ she explained.

  Hearing the word ‘dress’, wide-eyed Esther tumbled to what was going on.

  ‘You’re the handsome prince!’ she cried.

  Liking the romantic description, Tommy ran a hand through his short, mousy-brown hair and threw back his skinny shoulders.

  ‘You could say that, lovie!’ he replied. ‘I’ve come ’ere seeking mi princess!’ he added proudly.

  ‘I’ll go and get her,’ Esther replied excitedly. ‘I’m her flower girl. I’m sure it’s all right for you to see her for a few minutes, though Lillian might be painting her toes red at the moment!’

  Emily gave her a playful shove and sent her on her way.

  ‘Hurry up, Tommy’s not got all day,’ she chuckled.

  Thrilled as she was to see Tommy, she couldn’t help but watch Esther scamper away. Nobody would ever think she was sick, thought Emily, as the little girl hopped and skipped down the cobbled path to their digs.

  Before Elsie arrived, Emily quickly turned to Tommy.

  ‘How are things out there?’ she asked anxiously.

  The happy smile fell from Tommy’s face as he blurted out, ‘Bloody awful! It’s better now Montgomery’s in charge. He’s a bloody legend. Him and his Desert Rats are pushing further and further north.’

  Emily’s heart dropped like a brick. Was Bill part of that battalion leading the big push?

  ‘I don’t suppose you’ve seen Bill?’

  Tommy avoided her penetrating blue eyes as he answered non-committally, ‘He’s all right.’

  Then he quickly changed the subject, saying, ‘Bloody scorching hot out there, well into th’undreds, day after sodding day –’

  He stopped short as a high-pitched scream pierced the air.

  ‘TOMMEEEE!’

  Radiant with happiness, Elsie, with her arms flung wide, was hurtling up the lane towards them.

  ‘Tommy … Tommy … Tommy!’ she cried over and over again before she landed in his arms and burst into tears of joy.

  ‘Oh, my love,’ she sobbed before Tommy stopped her mouth with his kisses.

  On Elsie’s wedding morning the girls washed, dressed and made themselves up in a flurry of excitement, but not before Elsie walked out on the moors with Esther very early in the morning to pick wild flowers for her bridal wreath and bouquet. As the skylarks wheeled over them and the first swallows swooped by, they laughed as they gathered ox-eye daisies, cow parsley and wild anemones. Elsie held back, encouraging Esther to go ahead and discover the flowers herself. Carrying an overflowing basket, they returned to the digs to find Lillian in her knickers and bra standing over Agnes with hot curling tongs.

  ‘You won’t recognize yourself by the time I’ve done with you, Agnes,’ Lillian promised.

  Agnes looked at the hot curling tongs in dismay.

  ‘What have you got in mind?’ she asked anxiously.

  Lillian winked.

  ‘Put it this way: move over, Rita Heyworth!’

  Sitting having her hair done on the morning of Elsie’s wedding, holding her daughter in her arms and watching her friends wriggle into their salmon-pink silk dresses, Agnes smiled as she realized she hadn’t felt so happy in years.

  At 11 a.m., Malc, who Elsie had asked to give her away, swooped up in his big old Austin to collect the bridal party.

  ‘Hop in, Canary Girl,’ he said as he and Lillian exchanged a forgiving smile.

  Tommy and Elsie were married in the local Catholic church. The aged Irish priest made the Latin nuptial mass interminably long, but nobody cared. It was a simple joy to be brought together as a community to bless the wedding of two young people so much in love. Elsie, in her ‘fashion on the ration’, simple home-made gown glowed with radiant happiness whilst Tommy, dashing in his Lancashire Fusiliers uniform, couldn’t stop smiling. Elsie wept as she gripped Tommy’s hand in hers and made her vows in a voice that, for a girl so shy, was loud and assertive, as if she was announcing to the world that the drudgery of the past was over and a new wonderful life with the man she loved was beginning.

  After the constant round of hardship, hunger and the drab greyness of their everyday working lives it was a pleasure to sit in a church drenched in rich colours reflected down from the stained-glass windows and to inhale the sweet smell of home-grown roses. It was also a pleasure to see people dressed in their Sunday best instead of uniforms and overalls, the costumes of war.

  Emily’s wedding breakfast, laid out on rows of trestle tables in the church hall, was a sight for sore eyes. For almost a minute before everybody sat down, there was a hushed silence as the guests’ eyes feasted on fresh ham, home-made pies and ice cream.

  ‘Bloody ’ell, lass,’ said one appreciative guest after another to Emily, ‘you should open a shop or write a recipe book, at least!’

  Emily smiled happily as she sliced up the rhubarb and ginger tarts, topping each slice with a blob of vanilla ice cream.

  ‘I couldn’t have put this meal together without the Phoenix girls donating their food coupons for Elsie’s wedding,’ she replied.

  ‘She’s worth it!’ laughed Tommy as he raised his pint of bitter in a toast to his new wife.

  As Emily helped Mrs Carter and her friends wash dishes in the small kitchen attached to the church hall, she considered the suggestions that had just been thrown at her.

  Nice ideas, but I’ve not got the money to open a shop and certainly not the time to write a book, she thought to herself.

  She was interrupted by an excited Esther, who came skipping up and grabbed her soapy hands.

  ‘Come on, Em!’ she cried. ‘The prince and princess are dancing!’

  Emily and Esther ran into the hall, where Tommy and Elsie led the dancing to the sound of their favourite song by the Andrews Sisters, ‘Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree’.

  The bride and groom left the party at four o’clock to catch a train to Blackpool, where they planned to spend two nights together before Tommy returned to active service in North Africa.

  Back in the digs after the wedding party there was a distinct air of deflation. Whilst Alice packed her case for a dawn start the following day, Agnes, afraid of upsetting Esther, tried to pack her daughter’s case behind her back. Sensing mounting tension, Emily and Lillian took Esther, still in her bridesmaid’s dress, for a walk on the moors.

  ‘Why can’t I stay and live with you for ever?’ Esther asked the girls on either side of her.

  Lillian and Emily exchanged a knowing look.

  ‘One day, you and your mummy will live together for ever,’ Emily assured Esther.

  ‘And Daddy too?’ Esther persisted.

  Tears stung Lillian’s eyes.

  ‘God! How do we answer that?’ she muttered under her breath.

  Determined to stay upbeat, Emily replied firmly, ‘And Daddy too, of course!’

  And so the following day, whilst Lillian and Emily returned to the cordite line, Alice went south, back to Helford, and Agnes, with a heavy heart, went with little Esther north to Keswick.

  As the conveyor belt rolled out shell cases ready to be filled with explosive and detonators, Emily grew pensive. When would she see Alice again and why hadn’t she asked her a l
ot more questions about her future?

  CHAPTER 16

  Lillian’s Yank

  As victories were won in North Africa, the news boosted morale at home, for surely defeat would have an impact on the Germans and increase Britain’s chances of winning the war and bringing the boys back from the front.

  At the Phoenix morale was further enhanced by the sudden influx of American servicemen in the area. Not only had a squadron of US airmen moved onto an airbase nearby, but charismatic Yanks were now arriving at the factory every week, to deliver consignments of amatol and collect loaded bombs and rockets.

  ‘God! I feel like I’ve died and gone to heaven,’ said one of the munitions girls as she eyed up a handsome Yank in the canteen.

  Lillian gave an appreciative wink, but since the explosion caused by her on the cordite line, for all her talk about ‘fellas’, she had seriously backed off. Malcolm’s relationship with Emily, Elsie and Agnes was relatively easy and he had seriously helped all of them when needed: Elsie’s wedding, Agnes’s compassionate leave, Emily’s frequent taking over of the canteen kitchen, to which he turned a blind eye. But his relationship with Lillian was cool, and it went both ways. Neither of them wanted to overstep the line again, and although Malc’s eyes lingered over Lillian’s hourglass figure at times, both were keen to move on. On top of this, Lillian had undergone a profound change when it came to men. Formerly she’d gone for rich, influential boyfriends who could make her life easier, help her through the irritating hardships of the war, but since the blast she had kept herself to herself.

  ‘What’s come over you?’ Elsie teased.

  ‘I’m saving myself for Mr Wonderful!’ Lillian laughingly replied.

  Then one day, as the strains of ‘When They Begin the Beguine’ drifted out from the factory wireless, Mr Wonderful did indeed walk into the Phoenix and into Lillian’s life, in the form of Gary.

  ‘The minute we caught sight of each other the world stood still,’ Lillian later told her incredulous friends.

  Lillian was instantly drawn to the sheer physical presence of the tall, blond, well-built, tanned American who moved through the room with ease and confidence. His smile was relaxed and friendly, his east-coast accent totally sexy, but for Lillian it was him, the man himself, who mesmerized her. It felt like a magnet had been planted inside her chest and she was being drawn inexorably towards him. Nothing on earth could have stopped Lillian from sitting down at the table where Gary sat smoking a Lucky Strike.