A Band of Steel

by Rosie Goodwin

  Later that day, Winston Churchill told the people of England, ‘This proof of the growing power of Britain’s Bomber Force is also a herald of what Germany will receive, city by city, from now on!’

  ‘Perhaps this will be the turning-point,’ Ezra muttered to his family and they could only pray that he might be right.

  Adina got her second glimpse of the handsome prisoner of war one hot July day. Beryl had called round for her on Sunday afternoon and they had decided to go for a walk which led them to the imposing gates of Astley Hall on the outskirts of the town.

  Many of the young women from the town had taken to congregating there although Adina was not aware of the fact as Beryl led her there like a lamb to slaughter.

  ‘Who are all those girls talking to?’ she asked as the high walls topped with vicious rolls of barbed wire drew closer.

  ‘Oh, probably the Germans,’ Beryl replied innocently. ‘They get to go pretty much where they please nowadays, so long as they’re in fer a certain time at night. Seven o’clock’s their curfew time, I believe.’

  Adina blushed as Beryl made a bee-line for two young men who were standing slightly apart from the rest, and then blushed an even deeper shade of red when she realised that one of them was the handsome blond man she had seen one day on the way to school with Ariel.

  ‘Got a light?’ Beryl asked coquettishly as she held a cigarette to her scarlet lips. The soldier standing next to the blond man almost fell over himself in his haste to light it for her as his eyes looked her up and down appreciatively.

  ‘Thank you,’ she said with a flutter of her thickly mascara-coated eyelashes as he blew the match out.

  ‘It is my pleasure, Fräulein,’ he assured her with a cheeky smile.

  Adina shuffled from foot to foot wishing that the ground would just open up and swallow her as her friend began to flirt shamelessly. It was as she was standing there not quite knowing what to do with herself that the fair-haired man came to join her.

  ‘It is a beautiful day, is it not?’ he asked politely.

  Not trusting herself to speak, Adina nodded. He was so tall that she found herself having to look up at him, and she couldn’t help but think how handsome he was. She guessed that he was slightly older than her, at least in his mid-twenties. She also saw that he had dimples when he smiled and deep blue eyes, and when he looked at her admiringly her heart fluttered.

  Beryl and the other German were deep in conversation now and as Adina glanced towards them the stranger asked, ‘Would you like to walk for a while? It seems that our friends have forgotten all about us.’

  A refusal hovered on Adina’s lips. She had never walked unchaperoned with a young man before, but then what was the option? She had no wish to stay there and play gooseberry to Beryl, and what could be the harm in a stroll?

  ‘All right then,’ she agreed in her native tongue, making him raise an eyebrow. Turning to Beryl she told her in English, ‘I’m going for a walk, I won’t be gone for long.’

  Beryl flapped her hand towards her, never taking her eyes from the young man she had targeted, so they fell into step as they headed away from the tall imposing gates. The man at her side actually spoke very good English although he had a distinct German accent.

  They wandered along the leafy country lane in silence for a time until eventually they came to Seeswood Pool, where he paused.

  ‘Shall we stroll around the lake?’ he asked, and again Adina nodded as they turned off the lane and headed for the water.

  Eventually they stopped and sat down at the edge of the lake, enjoying the feel of the warm sunshine on their faces.

  The young man had said barely a word since they had left the gates of the Hall, and curious now, Adina asked, ‘What is your name?’

  ‘Karl Stolzenbach,’ he answered.

  When he offered no more information she went on, ‘And where are you from?’

  ‘My home is – or was – in Hitzacker near Bremen before the war.’

  ‘Oh.’ Adina became quiet for a while before asking, ‘And what was your job?’

  ‘I was a blacksmith,’ he informed her, and when he saw her blink in surprise he smiled, showing a beautiful set of straight white teeth. ‘A blacksmith does do other things than shoe horses,’ he grinned. ‘I worked with metal and I made many things – cooking utensils, gates, tools; anything that was made from metal basically. And the metals were varied. I worked with steel, brass, iron, copper and bronze mainly.’

  ‘How interesting,’ Adina remarked. ‘Was your father a blacksmith?’

  ‘Actually no, my parents owned a farm. I had a wonderful childhood but . . . I do not know where they are now. Apparently the farm has been burned down and my grandparents were killed. I can only pray that my parents managed to escape and are safe somewhere.’ He looked so sad that Adina had to resist the urge to reach out and touch him. She knew how awful it felt to lose a brother and leave her own grandparents behind, so could only imagine how heartbreaking it would be not to know if your parents were dead or alive as well.

  ‘I had no choice but to join the war,’ he went on now. ‘One day I was happily working in the forge, and then before I knew it I was crewing anti-aircraft guns. And then after more training I was issued with a rifle and sent to the front. But now what about you? You are not English, are you?’

  Adina shook her head. ‘No, I too am from Germany, although I am Jewish. My family fled from Cologne and came here when the Nazis started to persecute the Jews. Had we stayed there we would no doubt have perished in a camp by now.’

  He nodded in sad understanding. It seemed that both of them were deeply embroiled in a war they wished to have no part of.

  ‘And what are your family doing now?’ he asked.

  ‘My father has opened a small shop,’ Adina informed him. ‘And we are fortunate to have our own living quarters at the back and above it. Before the war, my father was a banker and we had a beautiful house, so we were lucky to have enough savings to escape whilst there was still time. My brother, Dovid, joined the British Army not too not long ago, but we recently received a telegram to say that he is missing, presumed dead. We also heard that my grandparents, who had refused to come with us, had been sent to a concentration camp.’

  Seeing the tears that had started to her eyes, Karl’s heart went out to her. She was yet another victim of the war, just as he was, but worse still was the knowledge that he might have faced her brother on the battlefield as an enemy. Two young men who were forced into fighting for a war they did not believe in. It was unthinkable.

  Suddenly they were at ease in each other’s company and standing, he held out his hand and pulled her to her feet. ‘Come,’ he urged with a gentle smile. ‘Our friends will think we have forgotten them.’

  ‘I doubt they will even have noticed we have been gone, if I know Beryl.’ Adina hastily took her hand from his, confused at the feelings that were coursing through her.

  ‘You have not told me yet what your name is,’ Karl now remarked.

  ‘It’s Adina Schwartz, but my friends call me Dina,’ she told him shyly, suddenly reluctant to look him in the eye. She could only imagine what her father would say if he ever found out she had been speaking to a German prisoner of war, let alone going for a walk with one. He would most probably lock her in her bedroom and throw away the key. He would not approve of her lapsing into her native language again, either.

  Karl matched his steps to hers as they set off back up the lane to Astley Hall, and when it finally came into sight, Beryl and Karl’s friend were still there chatting animatedly.

  ‘Hadn’t we better start back?’ Adina asked Beryl when they drew abreast of her.

  Beryl clucked with disappointment. ‘But we’ve only just got here, haven’t we?’ she answered waspishly.

  ‘Actually, it’s almost six o’clock. You’ve been standing here for nearly two hours.’

  ‘Never!’ Beryl glanced at the cheap watch on her wrist. ‘Well, it just goes to show �
�ow times flies when yer havin’ fun, don’t it?’ She gave the man she had been speaking to a cheeky wink and then linking her arm through Adina’s, she began to lead her away, saying over her shoulder, ‘I’ll see you around then. Another time, eh?’

  Adina smiled shyly at Karl who gave her a polite little bow and then they rounded a corner and the entrance to the Hall was lost from sight.

  ‘I gather from the smile on your face that you’ve had a good time,’ Adina remarked.

  ‘Huh! Not on yer nelly,’ Beryl retorted churlishly. ‘The German geezer were all right but you should ’ave seen some o’ the Americans that passed us as is stayin’ in the Hall. Phew, I wouldn’t mind sinking me teeth into one o’ them, I don’t mind tellin’ yer.’

  ‘I didn’t know any Americans were staying there,’ Adina answered.

  ‘Oh yes. They’re actually in the Hall itself an’ most of ’em are officers,’ Beryl told her. ‘The Germans are in Nissen huts in the grounds. Phyllis from work is goin’ out wi’ one o’ the Americans an’ she ain’t never short o’ stockin’s, jammy devil. I’m goin’ to hook me one if it’s the last thing I do – you just see if I don’t. By all accounts they go down the Co-op Club on a Friday an’ Saturday. Are you up fer it, one Saturday night?’

  ‘I suppose so,’ Adina said uncertainly, wondering if her father would allow her to go and whether she really wanted to. She doubted that any of the American officers would be as nice as Karl. He had been a true gentleman and had kept his hands to himself, apart from helping her up from the grass. But then it was no good thinking about it now. She would probably never see him again. She was shocked to discover that the thought made her feel sad and gave herself a mental shake. What was she thinking of? Karl was a German and she was a Jew. It was just about the worst combination you could get. She decided that it would be better to forget all about him – but over the next few weeks she found that it was much easier said than done.

  Chapter Eight

  January 1943

  ‘I tell you it’s the best job I’ve ever had,’ Beryl chattered happily as she plastered some Pond’s cold cream onto her face. She and Adina were sitting in Beryl’s little bedroom in Deacon Street, and downstairs they could hear the hum of the wireless set her parents were listening to in the scullery.

  Beryl had recently got herself a new job at Woolworth’s and was loving every minute of it. She had just washed her hair and now Adina was twisting pipe cleaners into it so that, come morning, it would be a mass of waves. Adina was secretly glad that her own hair had a tendency to curl as she couldn’t begin to imagine how uncomfortable it must be to sleep in the things. Not that it seemed to bother Beryl; she was so used to them that she had become oblivious to the discomfort.

  Rationing was now stricter than ever, but since working in her new job, Beryl was getting more than a few perks, make-up being one of them. A few treats were also coming her way from her new American boyfriend – if the silk stockings laid across the back of her bedroom chair were anything to go by.

  She had been courting Captain Tyrone Hughes for three months now and was totally besotted with him. Adina could understand why. Tyrone was a very attractive man and although the courtship had severely curtailed the time she got to spend with Beryl, still she didn’t begrudge her friend her happiness. And Beryl was happy. Anyone with half an eye could see that. She was positively glowing.

  ‘Tye’s takin’ me out dancin’ to the Locarno in Coventry on Saturday,’ Beryl now told her as she stared at her reflection in the dressing-table mirror. ‘Do you reckon you could have that dress you’re makin’ me finished by then?’

  ‘I don’t see why not,’ Adina replied amicably as she twined the last pipe cleaner into the back of Beryl’s hair. ‘I’ve only got an hour or so’s work to do on it and I’m sure I could fit that in somewhere.’

  Suddenly feeling guilty, Beryl stared at her friend in the mirror. ‘An’ what will you be doin’ wi’ yourself Saturday night?’

  ‘Oh, reading I dare say,’ Adina told her airily. ‘I went to the library yesterday so I’m well stocked up.’

  ‘Readin’ . . . on a Saturday night?’ Beryl was horrified. ‘Why would you want to sit in readin’? Wi’ your looks you could have any bloke you fancied. I can’t understand why you never saw that German bloke we met up at Astley Hall again. It was more than obvious that you liked him.’

  ‘Don’t be so silly,’ Adina scolded, dropping her eyes. ‘I have seen him out and about in the streets a few times on his way to jobs and he always waves to me. But we just kept each other company for a while that afternoon, that’s all there was to it.’

  ‘Well, it’s a damn shame if you was to ask me,’ Beryl huffed. ‘He were a nice bit o’ stuff, he were.’

  ‘Yes, he probably was, but he was also a German,’ Adina pointed out. ‘And in case you’ve forgotten, I am a Jew. Can you even begin to imagine what my father would say if I were to start seeing him? He’d probably lock me away for ever.’

  Beryl chuckled. ‘I still say it’s a shame. I reckon you’ve got a soft spot fer him.’

  ‘Oh rubbish! And now if you’ll excuse me, it’s time I was off. If I’m going to get that dress finished for you for Saturday night I’d better get a move on. My father doesn’t like me out after dark on my own anyway.’

  She pecked Beryl on the cheek and she descended the steep staircase.

  ‘Goodnight, Mrs Tait. Goodnight, Mr Tait,’ she shouted politely through the open door leading into the scullery.

  ‘Goodnight, luv,’ the couple chorused as Adina let herself out into the entry. There was a sharp wind whistling up it and she felt her way along the clammy walls until she came to the darkened street. She had gone no more than a few steps when a voice hailed her.

  ‘Hey there. It is Adina, isn’t it?’

  As she peered into the gloom behind her, a shape approached – and she was shocked to see that it was Karl Stolzenbach. It seemed uncanny for him suddenly to be there when Beryl had mentioned him only minutes before.

  ‘Hello, Karl,’ she greeted him as he drew alongside her. ‘What are you doing here? I thought you had to be back at the Hall for seven.’

  ‘I do normally, but they sent me out to do a job at an old folk’s home and I’ve only just finished it,’ he confided.

  ‘Oh I see.’ She was glad of the darkness that would hide her confusion. She would have loved to invite him to her parents’ home for a cup of tea – just as a friend, she told herself – but of course, she didn’t dare. She shuddered to think what her father would say if she were to turn up with a German in tow, so instead they walked on in silence for a time as she struggled to think of something to say to him. It seemed that he had the power to make her tongue-tied each time she met him.

  It was he who eventually broke the silence when he asked pleasantly. ‘Off somewhere nice, are you?’

  ‘No. I’ve just been round to see Beryl and now I’m on my way home.’ She then hastily added, ‘Not that my house isn’t nice, of course. I just meant . . .’

  He laughed as her voice trailed away. ‘I think I know what you meant. It’s got to be nicer than the Nissen hut I live in. It’s freezing in there in this weather and the blankets they issue us with are so thin that they’re neither use nor ornament.’

  As she glanced down at the pavements sparkling with frost she felt sorry for him but she didn’t say anything, and after a while he took her completely by surprise when he asked, ‘Would you like to go for a walk again on Sunday afternoon?’

  She was further surprised when she heard herself say, ‘Yes, I’d like that. Shall I meet you at the gates of the Hall at two o’clock?’

  He nodded, and when they came to the corner of Edmund Street he took her cold hand in his and raised it gently to his lips.

  ‘Until Sunday then. I shall look forward to it.’

  As he walked abruptly away she stroked the hand he had kissed and gazed after him in open-mouthed amazement. Why on earth had she agreed to
meet him? And what on earth would she tell her parents? They always asked her where she was going, and now she would have to lie to them. But then she decided she would just not turn up, and if ever she bumped into him again, she would apologise and tell him that something had come up and she had been unable to go. That would be best all round. After all, what sort of future could they have if they got involved with each other? With her mind made up, she went on her way.

  The warmth of the cosy room at the back of the shop wrapped itself around her like a blanket when she stepped through the door to find her mother and father sitting at either side of the fireplace. Her father had his head buried in a newspaper and her mother was busy darning socks but they both looked up and smiled at her as she entered.

  ‘Goodness, you must be frozen through!’ Freyde exclaimed. ‘Why don’t I put the kettle on and make you a nice hot drink to warm you up?’

  ‘I’m fine,’ Adina assured her. ‘And if you don’t mind, I’m going to go up and finish the dress I’ve been making for Beryl. She’d like to wear it this weekend.’

  ‘Hmm, no doubt she’s off out with that fancy American again, is she?’

  Hearing the note of disapproval in her mother’s voice, Adina said in her friend’s defence. ‘She is, as a matter of fact, and actually Tyrone seems really nice.’

  ‘Most of them seem nice,’ her mother pointed out. ‘But one of our customers was telling your father only this morning that a young girl in her street is expecting a baby by one of the GIs, and he’s cleared off. I just hope the same doesn’t happen to Beryl. It’s so easy for young girls like her to have their heads turned.’

  ‘I think Beryl has a little more sense than to let that happen,’ Adina said quietly, and she hurried away upstairs.