The Factory Girls of Lark Lane: A heartbreaking World War 2 historical novel of loss and love

by Howes, Pam

  Sitting on the sofa with a cup of tea, Alice cherished every word of Terry’s letter for the third time. He was so sorry he couldn’t be with her to share her unexpected good news, but he was thrilled to bits at the prospect of being a father, even if it was a bit sooner than they had planned. He pleaded with her to take the greatest care of herself and not to take any chances at work or anywhere else for that matter. He asked her to let his mam know and to be sure to write back as soon as she could with updates on what the doctor had said if she’d been to see him yet. He finished with how much he loved her and how doubly precious she was to him now that she was carrying his baby.

  Mrs Lomax almost dropped her tea as Alice imparted her news. Her face lit up with a joyous smile and she put down her cup and saucer and jumped to her feet, pulling Alice up with her.

  ‘Isn’t this the best news we could hope for?’ she said, wonder in her voice. ‘Something to look forward to.’

  ‘Well yes,’ Alice said, her voice wavering slightly. ‘I would have preferred it if Terry were home though and we weren’t in the middle of a war, but there you go. We’ll just have to manage the best we can.’

  Mrs Lomax nodded. ‘And we will. Oh we will. We need to make sure you eat properly. I can get eggs from my friend at the farm, they’re ducks’ eggs, but they are good for you. And rabbits, he brings me rabbits, so stew and pies I can make to feed you up, and he lets me have fresh vegetables too from time to time.’

  Alice grinned as she recalled Bud and Chesney in the air raid shelter at Christmas singing ‘Run Rabbit Run’.

  ‘I’ll dig my knitting needles out and start making some clothes. We’ll have the best-dressed baby in the Lark Lane area.’

  Alice laughed. ‘Between you and Mam, it’ll have more clothes than we know what to do with.’

  ‘We must order a pram, from Lewis’s. Terry would want the best for his child if he were here. I know he would. It will be my treat. If you’re not busy on Saturday morning we could take the tram into the city and go and have a look at the choices. How does that sound? They will of course keep it in the storeroom until we’re ready to collect it nearer the time. It’s bad luck to have prams hanging around for too long. But it’s nice to go and choose one. Invite your mother to come along as well. We can have a bit of dinner in the Kardomah while we’re out.’

  ‘Thank you, I will do. We’ll see you on Saturday then. We’ll come here about eleven if that’s okay.’ She kissed her mother-in-law on the cheek and waved goodbye.

  Alice had a spring to her step as she walked back up Lark Lane, past the sorry site of the bombed-out Princess Laundry and into the butchers. She bought some best end of neck lamb pieces for the scouse and two rashers of bacon for tomorrow.

  ‘I don’t suppose you’ve got any real eggs?’ she asked hopefully.

  ‘For you, my queen, I can manage a couple,’ the butcher said, reaching under the counter for a tray of brown eggs. ‘One each for you and your mam, eh; will that do you?’

  ‘Thank you very much.’ Alice handed over the ration books and money and put her shopping into a bag. She said goodbye and called into the bakery for a standard white loaf.

  ‘Best enjoy it while you can,’ the baker’s wife said. ‘There’s talk of cutting down on bread and giving us a recipe for a National Loaf made with wholemeal flour. There’ll be no white bread available in time.’

  Alice rolled her eyes. ‘We’ll starve to death at this rate. Hardly any meat, no real eggs to speak of and now taking away our bread! It’s ridiculous.’

  The baker’s wife nodded and turned to the customer standing behind Alice, who was nodding her head in agreement.

  ‘Mind how you go, chuck,’ the baker’s wife said, ‘and say hello to your mam for me.’

  ‘Will do.’ Alice walked back to Lucerne Road, feeling a bit deflated after having felt so chirpy when she’d read Terry’s letter. Ah well, there were worse things happen at sea than brown bread. It would be better than nothing.

  She made a start on the scouse for tea and when it was bubbling appetisingly in the pan on the gas hob she set to and cut two thick slices of bread, sticking them under the grill. Mam would be back for her dinner in a few minutes so cheese on toast would be a nice treat, before the small piece of cheese left over from Sunday’s tea went mouldy. She crumbled the cheese into a basin, added a drop of milk, and salt and pepper, and mixed it all up together with a tiny bit of grated onion saved from the scouse. Alice realised at that point that the nausea she had been suffering for ages seemed to have eased off; last time Mam made the cheese mixture she’d shot upstairs to the bathroom when the smell had knocked her sick. Well not any more; all she felt today was starving. Mam let herself in at the front door as Alice rescued the bread before it burned, spread the mixture over the un-toasted side and popped it back under the grill to cook.

  ‘Smells good in here,’ Mam called out as she let herself in. ‘But how come you’re at home, love?’

  Alice frowned. ‘I’ve been to see the doctor, Mam, remember? I saw you in the shop earlier.’

  Mam nodded, but looked a bit puzzled. ‘Oh, of course you did. Dopey me. I’m getting a bit forgetful.’

  Alice laughed. ‘And that good smell is cheese on toast. Won’t be a minute, sit yourself down.’

  She handed her mam Rodney’s letter and smiled as her face lit up and her eyes filled.

  ‘Thank goodness for that,’ Mam whispered. ‘I know they say no news is good news, but it doesn’t stop me fretting when we don’t hear anything for weeks.’

  Edith sat at the table and read her son’s letter, tears streaming down her cheeks as she came to the end.

  ‘What does he say?’ Alice asked, placing a plate of cheese on toast in front of her and a cup of tea.

  ‘Well not enough, as he can’t say where they are of course. The food is rubbish; he’s full of a cold through having permanently wet feet. Two of the platoon were killed in front of him the other week. It sounds awful. My poor boy. When will it all end? Why can’t we all just get along and have peace? All this just because one foolish idiot wants his own way. If I could get my hands on Hitler I’d cut off more than his stupid moustache!’

  Alice patted her hand. ‘That makes two of us.’

  She told her mam of Mrs Lomax’s suggestion of pram-shopping and a treat in the Kardomah on Saturday. Mam’s face lit up.

  ‘That’ll be lovely. Something nice for us to do as a family, what’s left of us, that is.’

  7

  ‘What do you mean, there are no more prams under manufacture?’ Mrs Lomax addressed the young woman on the nursery floor at Lewis’s department store in the city centre. ‘I’ve never heard anything so ridiculous. What is the country supposed to use to put babies in?’

  ‘I’m sorry, Madam, but the Silver Cross factory in Leeds is now doing important war work and the metals that were used for pram chassis and wheels are now commissioned for shells and other ammunition. There is no metal to spare for anything else in the country at the moment.’

  The poor girl looked close to tears and Alice stepped in between her furious mother-in-law and the assistant.

  ‘The pram over there is rather nice, don’t you think?’ Alice steered Mrs Lomax towards a smart grey pram on a stand.

  ‘Well, it’s okay, but you can’t beat a Silver Cross model. And the chrome is always lovely and shiny too. That looks a bit dull by comparison.’

  The model, manufactured by Marmet, was perfectly adequate for pushing a baby in. The white interior was padded and comfortable to the touch and Alice liked the height of the handle. It was perfect for her. Terry might need to stoop a little when he pushed the pram, being at least six inches taller than her, but she would be the one doing most of that anyway. Okay, the metal was more of a painted finish rather than chrome, but it suited the style and colour of the pram just fine. Alice looked around. There was nothing else to choose from, just this one and a similar one with a hood at either end, for twins.

 
‘I really don’t think we have much choice,’ Alice whispered. ‘These look like the last two in the shop.’

  The assistant moved towards them. ‘It’s the last of that model. We can store it for you, if you like. I can’t say when we will have more in stock. It could be a long, long time.’

  Mrs Lomax sighed and looked at Mam. ‘What do you think, Edith dear?’

  ‘It’s very nice,’ Edith replied. ‘It’s really kind of you to offer to buy it for Alice.’

  ‘Very well. We’ll take it. Not literally, you understand. If you’ll store it for a few months that will be fine. I will pay you now.’ She followed the girl over to the till.

  ‘She’s a bit of a bossy one,’ Mam said. ‘But you can’t have what they no longer make. And we couldn’t afford that. It’d have to be a second-hand pram if it was left to us, chuck.’

  ‘I know, Mam,’ Alice said. ‘I’m very lucky. I’ll be so proud to push the baby in that lovely pram, shiny wheels or not.’

  Mrs Lomax came back over to them and smiled. ‘We’ll need to think about a cot soon as well. Although not as much metal goes into their manufacture, so hopefully there will be more choice.’

  ‘I have some money in the post office that Terry sent me,’ Alice said. ‘I can buy a cot with that when the time comes. But we won’t need a big cot right away, just a small cradle for the first few months, so we’ll sort that out another time.’

  They made their way downstairs and Mam stopped in haberdashery to buy some white wool and Mrs Lomax picked up some pale lemon. Alice chewed her lip as they pored over baby patterns for matinee jackets and booties. She could see her having a ‘battle of the grannies’ on her hands at some point, as each tried to outdo the other.

  In the Kardomah café, just off Stanley Street, they ordered sandwiches, scones and pots of tea. The sandwiches were thinly cut and Alice thought the beef paste was tasty, with slices of tomato to add extra flavour. Mrs Lomax had referred to them as sandwiches and not sarnies as she’d placed the order. The scones, although light and fluffy, had hardly any fruit in them, victims of the shortages, and Mrs Lomax pulled a face as there was no jam on offer that day either. Alice was just glad to sit down and eat whatever they put in front of her. She was starving. This baby had certainly perked up her appetite now the queasiness had gone away. She was definitely eating for two. She’d be waddling like an elephant in no time. She’d never squeeze into the air raid shelters at work if she carried on like this.

  ‘The clothes they make you wear at the factory, Alice, are they quite suitable for you now?’ Mrs Lomax asked.

  ‘They’re very baggy,’ Alice replied. ‘And our foreman Freddie said if I need a bigger size he can get one for me. So work clothes are fine, it’s just normal day-to-day wear that’s getting a bit tight now. Mam’s let a few seams out on a couple of my old dresses and I’ve got a skirt that we can alter too.’

  ‘We’ll get you a couple of nice maternity smocks while we’re down this way then. My neighbour said Blacklers have some in. She got her daughter one last week.’

  ‘Oh but there’s no need—’ Alice began.

  ‘There’s every need, my dear. If my Terry were here he’d be making sure you had everything you required. He’s not here so I’m stepping in. I want to help as much as I can. When my husband died he left me well provided for and now I want to make sure his grandchild is as well looked after as Terry was. Please allow me the enjoyment of indulging myself.’

  Alice smiled and patted her hand. ‘Of course and it’s a big help to us, as you know. Thank you.’

  ‘My pleasure. I’m so very excited about this baby, as I’m sure Edith is.’

  Mam nodded. ‘I’m thrilled to bits. I just wish both granddads were still around to enjoy it too.’

  ‘Do you fancy it then?’ Alice asked as she, Millie and Josie travelled to work the following Monday. She’d told them about the new pram, Josie now being in on her secret, and about being treated to two maternity tops from Blacklers; one of them, button-through, black and white gingham with a white Peter Pan collar, she was wearing now over a plain black skirt with an adjustable waistband, also a treat from her generous mother-in-law. And then she’d suggested they have a night out at the pictures.

  ‘That’s fine by me,’ Josie said. ‘Be nice to get out and relax a bit.’

  ‘I’m up for that,’ Millie said. ‘But it will have to be Wednesday, because Mam’s got customers tonight and tomorrow. She’s really busy this week. Think they’re all panicking in case we get bombed out and lose the house. What’s on, do you know?’

  ‘Rebecca is showing again. You know how much we loved it the first time as well as the book.’

  Millie rolled her eyes. ‘And Laurence Olivier,’ she said, smiling dreamily. ‘Well, in the absence of our own men, we need someone to drool over. You’re on.’

  Alice laughed. ‘Smashing. Any word from Alan yet?’

  Millie snorted. ‘Not a bloody dickey bird. It really upsets me. Jimmy writes as often as he can. I’m getting to know him well. He’s told me all about his family in Blackpool and his hobbies. He likes fishing, apparently. His dad has a boat at Fleetwood and that’s what the family do for a living, catch fish and sell it. Well, they did, before the war. All three of his brothers are in the army now.’

  ‘Has he got one going spare for me?’ Josie said with a wink. ‘I could do with someone to write to.’

  ‘I’ll ask him,’ Millie said. ‘Don’t know if they’ve got girls, but there’s no harm in writing, is there?’

  ‘I wrote Terry a letter at the weekend and Mam’s posting it for me today,’ Alice said, a catch in her voice. ‘He asked for one of our wedding photos, so I hope it doesn’t go astray. God, I miss him so much. Oh, here we go,’ she added as the bus driver began his morning whistling session. ‘Appropriate, eh?’ She smiled as everyone sang along to ‘Wish Me Luck as You Wave Me Goodbye’.

  ‘Come on,’ Big Freddie yelled as the girls came onto the factory floor. ‘Everybody, over here by the windows.’

  The workers crowded around him as he pointed proudly to the large four-engine plane that was lumbering slowly down the airport runway.

  ‘The maiden flight of our very own plane, ladies, with a one-hundred-and-four-foot wingspan riveted by you lot.’

  Alice watched in awe as the Halifax bomber took to the skies on its maiden test flight. The pride she felt swelling in her chest nearly choked her. Everyone cheered and a few of the girls burst into tears as it vanished into the clouds.

  ‘What a magnificent sight,’ Freddie said, overcome with emotion. ‘Light as a feather, until it’s loaded with bombs to take Hitler’s lot out. That plane is something to be proud of, ladies. Right, come on then, let’s get back to building another one before break time.’

  ‘That was a wonderful experience,’ Millie said. ‘I wonder which wing was ours, Alice. Oooh, I feel all overcome. Can’t wait to tell my dad.’

  As the morning progressed and Alice was engrossed in her work, a loud noise from the floor above shook the ceiling and dust and debris fell onto the workbench.

  ‘What the heck was that?’ she exclaimed, putting her riveting gun to one side.

  Freddie shook his head. ‘Sounds like an explosion. Internally though, not outside. Tools down, ladies, but stay here a minute while I go and check. If the sirens go off, make your way to the shelters right away.’

  He ran down the room and dashed out through the swing doors.

  Freddie was gone a while. Marlene, who was standing by the windows, yelled, ‘There’s an ambulance pulling up outside. Oh my God, someone must be injured!’

  They all watched as two attendants got out and carried a stretcher inside with them. Freddie appeared at the door, shaking his head. His face was ashen and his lips trembled as he called them all to his side.

  ‘There’s, er, there’s been an accident upstairs in shells,’ he began. He took a deep breath. ‘One of the girls up there was wearing earrings and one fell off ont
o the belt carrying the open shells to the next stage. As you know, wearing anything metal is forbidden, and hiding them under a turban is just plain stupid. The resulting explosion has caused very serious injuries, not only to herself, but the young lady next to her has been killed.’ He took a deep shuddering breath and continued. ‘Next of kin are being informed immediately and names will be released later.’

  Alice felt her legs giving way. She knew from the way Freddie had looked in her and Millie’s direction that the girl who’d died was Josie, their lovely red-headed friend who they’d just planned a visit to the pictures with that morning and who’d sung and danced with them at the Christmas revue.

  ‘Get Alice a chair before she falls down,’ Freddie instructed Marlene, who was standing by his elbow shaking her head in disbelief.

  Millie held Alice up and helped her to the chair. Freddie pushed her head gently down between her knees and held it there until Marlene appeared with a glass of water.

  ‘’Ere you are, gel,’ Marlene said, putting her arm around Alice’s shoulders and holding the glass to her lips. ‘I know you’ve said nowt officially yet but I’m guessing youse are in the family way. You need to look after yourself Alice, an’ that babby.’

  Freddie sighed and looked around at his sobbing workforce. He’d get no more work out of them for the next few hours.

  ‘Go down to the canteen, ladies. I’ll come with you and tell the staff you’re having an earlier break today and taking a bit longer over it. If they won’t let you have extra sugar for shock, ask for some connie-onnie instead. This isn’t a time for scrimping on stuff. Off you go. I’ll join you in a minute. You too, Marlene, love. I’ll see to Alice along with Millie here.’