The hotel was comfortable and quiet. It was an old Georgian building which had been converted to a hotel. At one time it would have been the town house of some aristocrat. Times had changed and this one had become a pleasant little hotel which was close to Buckingham Palace. I suspected that in peacetime it would have been popular. The bombing raids had meant that fewer people visited the capital.
I had a bath while Bates pressed my uniform and he gave me one of his special close shaves so that I left the hotel feeling as smart as paint! He was more than happy to go around the corner for a quiet meal in the local pub, The Grenadier. Food was the last thing on my mind.
My supposed stroll across the park proved to be almost a run and I reached the hospital at nine fifteen. I lit my pipe and smoked a whole bowlful. I tapped it out at ten to ten. I just had a few minutes to wait. As I had hoped she was the first one out of the doors and she threw herself into my arms. I heard the giggles from the other nurses as they passed us. I didn’t care.
“This is a surprise!”
She linked my arm and we followed the other nurses towards the nearby nurse’s home. “It was a reward for our work. It is only a week. Bates and I are staying at ‘The Mayflower’.”
She turned and kissed me, “That is just across the park!”
“I know. John picked it.”
“He is a treasure.”
I have to go to the Palace on Thursday for my gong.”
She stopped and looked at me. “How wonderful! You are clever.”
“Could you get the morning off and come with us?”
“If I tell matron that you are getting a medal at Buckingham Palace then I am sure she will give me permission. If not I will swap with Sally. She owes me tons of favours.” Her face darkened, “I am afraid I am working every day for the next week. Today is my last late shift though. The rest are all mornings. I start at six and finish at two.”
“Perfect!”
We had reached the Nurse’s Home where she had her room. “And I am afraid we have to be in by ten fifteen each night.”
I glanced at my watch. We had just ten minutes left. “We’ll have to make good use of the time we have.” I kissed her full on the lips.
“Bill! You will get me in trouble.”
I laughed, “You know, I don’t care! Why shouldn’t a fellow kiss his girl?”
She giggled, “You know you are a bad influence on me. I don’t care either.” She kissed me back.
The light from the door shone on us as it opened and a hatchet faces harridan glowered at us. “The door will be locked in two minutes, Nurse Porter!”
“Just coming.”
I kissed her again, “I’ll be outside the hospital at two. Decide where you want to go!”
She kissed me and went up the steps. “Anywhere so long as it is with you!”
As I walked back across the park I reflected that I had had but a few minutes with Beattie; I had not eaten and yet I was happy and content. I would make sure that every moment we had was worthwhile. That evening my sleep was disturbed by the distant explosions of German bombs. It was another reminder of the proximity of the war.
I visited General Soames in the building that would become, in the following year, the Air Ministry. I was treated far better than I had expected. Apparently the award of a VC to a pilot who was still alive was considered a rarity. Lanoe Hawker had been the last one! Our three passes and precise instructions were given to me along with a rapid course in court etiquette. As I left, the young lieutenant told me that there would be someone at the palace who would ensure that I didn’t make a mess of things.
John had gone off to see Somerset House and the fine buildings down by the Strand. I slowly sauntered around Trafalgar Square before grabbing a Ploughman’s and a pint at a little pub just off the Square. After my meal I wandered the streets and I found a good tobacconists just along Piccadilly where I spent half an hour with a most knowledgeable tobacconist who helped me to select a pound of good smoking tobacco. He made up a mixture of black shag, an aromatic leaf from the Dutch East Indies and a slow smoking Virginia. He even supplied a humidor to keep it moist. He gave me a great deal of his time and a most reasonable price.
“Thank you very much.”
“No sir, thank you. My son was killed at Arras and his mates told me what a good job you fliers did. I am sad that my son is dead but proud of heroes like you. God Bless you, sir.”
Once again I was at the hospital well before two. Beattie was the first out. In the daylight I could not get over how beautiful she was. She linked me and began to lead me to the Nurse’s Home.
“Why go to your quarters?”
“I need to get changed, silly Billy!”
“Get changed later. I want more than ten minutes with you before you disappear again!”
She giggled, kissed me and we headed off into Hyde Park. If you had asked me what we talked about I could not have told you. We both gushed out the words which told the other of what had been happening lately. Before I knew it dusk had fallen.
“Now I will need to get changed but I promise I will just take fifteen minutes, no more!”
I smoked a fine bowlful of my new tobacco as I waited for her. She was a picture worth waiting for when she came out. I took her to the Ritz. Part of it was because we loved the atmosphere but it was mainly because it evoked memories of Charlie and Alice when they were happy. We toasted them in a celebratory bottle of Champagne. It cost a fortune but I rarely spent the pay of a major anyway. I was remembering all my dead comrades as well as the sadly doomed relationship of my little sister.
As the evening wore on I began to feel frustrated. I wanted Beattie to be with me. She had promised, already, to be my wife and I was waiting patiently for that day, whenever it arrived. I looked at the couples who were dancing, the women with rings on their left hands and they looked happy. I would have to take her back to the Nurse’s Home and they would be sharing a bed together. I thought of Gordy and Mary and how happy they were and then I remembered Alice’s letter. I wanted no regrets and I took the plunge.
“Let’s get married on my next leave.”
“What?”
“I know I said I wanted to wait but I don’t or I won’t! We have to have banns or something read don’t we?” She nodded. “Well let’s get them done and then when I get a leave we can just get married.”
“But the war will still be on and it won’t be a big wedding.”
“I don’t care. Who wants a big wedding? I want you to be Mrs Harsker and I want to be able to hold you all night and not say goodnight at the door of your digs. That is all that I want. That and chance to be a dad and watch our children grow up.”
“You are sweet and I would love to but I don’t know how to go about these things.”
I looked at her in surprise. “But you are a woman!”
She laughed. “That doesn’t mean I know everything about getting married. If I had sisters or my mum was still alive then it might be different. All the girls I live with are single. The only married woman I know is Mary Hewitt.”
I slumped in my seat. “Sorry, you are right. I didn’t know how to do this sort of thing but…”
She sipped her Champagne. She suddenly sat upright. “I know, I’ll see the Chaplain in the hospital tomorrow. He will know what to do. Uncle is a nice chap.”
“Uncle?”
“That is what everyone calls him. I don’t know why. He is a lovely man. You will like him.”
It was a long lonely walk back across the park after I had taken Beattie home. John was sitting in the lounge catching up with the news by reading the Times. “Things are not looking good in Russia, sir. I fear they will be out of the war soon and then goodness only knows what that will mean.”
I smiled at my manservant. He was so clever and could do so much more than he did. I often wondered what he would do when the war was over.
“Did you have a good night, sir?”
I nodded, “Yes I told Miss P
orter I wanted us to be married on my next leave.”
He stood and grabbed my hand in his. “Oh good show sir! What wonderful news!”
I shook my head, “The trouble is neither of us know how to arrange such things.”
“Pish posh, sir. It must be easy. Why hundreds do it every month and they aren’t as clever as you and Miss Porter.”
“Well she is seeing the Chaplain tomorrow. He will know how to go about things.”
“There, you see, you are a pair of clever things.” He became serious. “Now don’t forget that your mother and father are getting on in years and they will need to be here for the wedding!”
“You are right, John, but I am not certain when my leave will be. This one was unexpected. We had thought we would have one in December but…”
He nodded. “What do you think of this hotel, sir?”
It seemed a bizarre question which was unrelated to our previous conversation. “Fine. I like it. Why?”
“I was talking to the manager, he is a nice chap and he was impressed when I said you were going to get your VC from the Prince of Wales. I bet he would hold a couple of rooms for us and we should have a week’s notice at least eh sir? And I can get in touch with your lovely sister and she could make the travel arrangements.”
“But it would be wrong to get their hopes up of a wedding Bates.”
He shook his head and wagged his finger, “Sir! I am surprised at you. I can be discreet. Leave the arrangements to me!”
He was as good as his word. Once we were back in France he took on all the details.
The Chaplain was a lovely man. Major Osborne was a career Chaplain. He had been wounded at the First Battle of Ypres and had a limp. I saw the pain of that battle etched on his face. Had the war not still been on I daresay he would have retired but he was the perfect person for us to talk to. He was an old soldier and understood our motives from the off. He was more than happy to get the banns read in the local church. “And if you don’t mind being married in our little chapel here than we can use that for the ceremony.”
For some reason, that seemed like Fate. The hospital was where we had first met and there was something almost perfect about the arrangement. It seemed to have symmetry about it. The next few days passed in a blur and even the investiture seemed dreamlike. I think Bates and Beattie were more affected than I was. Certainly they both cried. The Prince of Wales seemed a nice chap and asked some knowledgeable question about our buses. After the ceremony the three of us were photographed outside and I was happy about that. Bates would have a permanent reminder of his visit to the Palace. The chap who took it said that the photograph would appear in the papers like The Times and The Daily Mail. Mum and dad would be as proud as punch.
Bates took care of the bags and found us a carriage on the boat train while I said goodbye to Beattie. “I will get a message to you when my leave is to take place and John will make the arrangements for mum and dad. I am sorry that all the rest will be up to you.”
“Oh you are a silly Billy! That is no hardship. I shall see Mary and she is a whizz at such things. She did a marvellous job of her own wedding.” She kissed me. “You concentrate on staying safe! And I will concentrate on becoming Mrs Bill Harsker.”
Chapter 11
The reality we returned to was that the squadron had taken casualties. Lieutenant Thomson and his gunner had gone west while Lieutenants Carpenter and Duffy had both been wounded. They would have a leave with bandages to mark them as warriors. Randolph returned and Archie left leaving me in command for a week. I told Gordy about the wedding and he was delighted telling me that he would write to Mary immediately. My young pilots returned brimming with confidence but Owen Davies still refused to smile. The mess orderlies were in despair- he had no mess bill. When we paid our mess bills we normally included a tip. It ensured us prompt service and augmented the pay of the orderlies. A teetotaller from the Chapel did not please them.
Archie had left us a report of where the problems had occurred. The casualties had all come three days after the patrols had started. I knew why as soon as I read them.
“They were too predictable. They flew the same patterns at the same time for three consecutive days. Fritz is not stupid. I intend to mix it up.” I began to fill my pipe. “Headquarters just want us to stop the Hun coming over our lines?”
“As far as I can see, yes.”
I pushed my tobacco pouch over to Randolph as I lit mine. The aromatic smell of the new mix filled the room. “Then I think we use the box system Freddie and I used. That way Gordy and I can keep in touch with one another while covering a large part of the front.”
He filled his pipe and lit it. “This is damned good stuff. You must tell me where you get it from. Yes, well, you are in command, old boy.” He tapped a manila envelope. “Things will get hot around the middle of November though. It looks like we are going in with the artillery and the tanks. It seems some Johnny at Headquarters thinks it might work. Instead of a barrage which warns them we are coming they want a creeping barrage ahead of the tanks. We keep the artillery informed about the tanks progress and we use ground attack to keep the Hun’s heads down. It might work.”
“Our Bert is in the Tank Corps now.”
“Oh, sorry about that. I didn’t know. Still they are supposed to be a great invention and they are being used in greater numbers than ever before in this little shindig. He should be safer in one of those rather than burrowing under the ground.”
“They only travel at four miles an hour and you can bet that the Germans have been working out how to destroy them. They were used on the Somme, remember?”
“If we can make a breakthrough…”
“I suppose you are right. Now listen, Randolph, this has nothing to do with operations but I intend to marry Beattie on my next leave.”
He shook my hand, “Well done old chap.”
“The thing is I need as much notice as I can and I need to be able to tell Beattie. What do you suggest?”
“Well Archie will know a fortnight before the leave starts when it will be. He normally tells you chaps a week before in case anything comes up but I daresay he could make an exception. I have a chum at Headquarters. He could send a message to that hospital she works at. How about that?”
“You are a brick. Come on let’s go to the mess and celebrate.”
It was a party atmosphere that night. I couldn’t help noticing how much Jack, George and Roger had grown over the last month. They were all different men now. I just prayed that they would survive to the end of this war… whenever that day came.
Gordy was happy with my plan and we headed to Flesquières flying in two lines with the Camels above the Bristols. Once we reached our area then Gordy flew to the south east while we flew to the north west. After two miles we turned around. It meant we could keep an eye on each other and minimise the chance of being jumped. I would devise a different plan for the next day. We saw the German aeroplanes but they were close to Noyelles and they did not attempt to close with us. They flew in five flights of five stacked one above the other. The flight they used was a north to south one. We left each other alone but I knew that they would report on how we flew.
There were just three of us in the office as we mulled over the patrol. “What do you think Gordy? Should we shake a stick at these hornets?”
“Leave well alone I say. In a couple of week’s time we are going to need every bus we can get.”
“I agree. Tomorrow, though, we will fly in one line. Your lads can be at the back. The rear gunners will come in handy. Let’s see what they make of that. I did notice that they outnumbered us. They may decide to chance their arm. You know they have good intelligence. I am betting they know an attack is in the offing. Some Hun at staff will be demanding that they come and see our dispositions so we will keep a sharp eye out for them.”
We left half an hour later than the previous day. If the Germans were as efficient as they usually were then they would be there
ready to watch us and I wanted them wasting fuel if they did. If they decided to venture over in our absence we would still arrive in time to attack them.
I took us in higher than the previous day. It was irritating to have to wait for the Bristols to catch us up. We had a much faster rate of climb. The Germans were in position but this time they were venturing across No Man’s Land.
“German formations approaching the British lines. Over.”
My message would not help anyone unless they telephoned the trenches to warn them. In my experience the presence of RFC aeroplanes normally alerted the ground troops to danger anyway. We were slightly higher than the Germans and I led my long line of aeroplanes towards the amalgamation of Fokkers and Albatros. I saw that the squadron had a number of different types. There was the D III as well as a couple of D. IV. There was even an old DII which was struggling to keep formation.
As soon as they spotted us the first wave banked to attack. I felt more confident facing such an eclectic collection of fighters. I was faster and more manoeuvrable than all of them and I had twice the guns of half of them. The hard part would be facing the initial firestorm before I was through. The Camels and Bristols behind me were stacked up a little and when I dived they would each have a clear shot. By the time the Bristols came through their rear gunners would be able to sweep both sides. That was the theory. It never worked out that way in practice.
The older aeroplanes might have recognised the horse painted on my cockpit; I don’t know. But the pilots in the first wave all fired too soon and too inaccurately. Bullets zinged around my bus but none came close. I held my fire. I knew, myself, how nerve wracking it is to have an enemy come at you with silent guns. It exacerbated the tension. I waited until they were less than a hundred yards away. By that time the first aeroplane’s gun was hitting my bus but then the pilot pulled up his nose. I gave a short burst as his nose filled my sights. I actually saw pieces of metal flying off as my twin Vickers shredded his propeller and then ripped into the engine cowling. It fell sideways causing the next aeroplane to have to veer to port in order to avoid a collision.
1918 We will remember them Page 11