by Mary Arden
I laughed with her and then explained that I was a Wren, staying at Swallow Cottage and that I was looking for a shortcut to get to HMS Gannet.
The woman said her name was Donna Finnegan and asked me to come inside, so I rested my bike against a nearby tree and followed her into the cottage. I could see that the floor had been recently scrubbed, so I took off my muddy shoes and left them by the door. One of the younger children handed me a pair of slippers and then took me by my hand and led me towards a huge old-fashioned kitchen range. Donna told me to sit down and make myself comfortable. As I looked up at the ceiling, I saw that there was no bulb and realised that the house probably had no electricity and that the family had to use paraffin lamps and candles when it was dark. I felt as though I had suddenly been transported back in time a hundred years.
Donna then went through a door at the back of the room where I could hear her pumping water to refill the kettle. When she came back she was carrying a round loaf of bread, which looked more like a huge scone, a dish of butter and a jar of honey.
When she asked one of the older boys to get some logs for the fire, I presumed that all the children were given daily chores to do to help their mother.
I asked the younger children if they had any toys, and they scampered off in different directions, before running back to show me what they had. There was a box of hand-carved farm animals, a wooden train set and some wooden dolls dressed in knitted clothes. I then asked one of the older children if she had any colouring chalks or a paint box, but she just shook her head sadly. I will have to do something about this, when I have time to do some shopping, I thought.
The buttered soda bread and honey was delicious, but the tea was so strong it made my eyes water. As we ate, I asked Donna if there was a school nearby for the younger children, she said that there was but it was ‘too far past the tar for them to walk.’ She then told me that her older children were at school and doing quite well with their reading and writing, but that they still fell behind the other children in their class, because whenever they were offered work on the farm they took it, as the family needed the money.
Donna told me that her husband, Declan, was a carpenter and thankfully he had been very busy ever since the war had started, putting in cupboards and shelves at the married naval officers’ homes, and that he had also been helping out at the American base nearby, but there it was, ‘All passes and ‘keep-your-mouth-shut’!’
Before leaving, I then asked her where the barrel of tar was. She looked blankly at me, so I explained that Mrs Donaghue had told me that I had to go to the tar before going on to the airbase. Donna chuckled and said, ‘Oh you mean the tarmac road! We locals call it the tar.’
After saying goodbye, the two elder children guided me to the tarmac road and from there I found my way to the airbase. I then decided to spend the next hour exploring some of the local villages. I noticed several pubs, but didn’t like to go into one on my own, so ate my sandwiches sitting on a wall, before heading back to my billet.
Once I was back at Swallow cottage, I decided to have a shower and wash my hair before changing into my uniform and getting the evening transport to Gannet for supper. I was happy to discover that there was a film on that night, but it was a love story and it made me miss Duncan so much that I cried all the way through it. I still felt upset when I got back to my room later that night, and spent a sleepless night worrying about what he might be doing on his ‘op’. I just prayed that wherever he was, he would be safe.
I had to do three NV tests a day for the next four days the following week. It was exhausting but I managed to get them all done. As the next squadron wouldn’t be flying in until the weekend, I asked if I could take the Friday off to go shopping in Londonderry. When I got permission, I was told that the locals preferred to call it Derry.
I was delighted to discover that the Derry shops were full of things that were no longer available in England. I bought some wool, so that I could knit a few things to give as Christmas presents, and I also bought some drawing books and crayons to give to the Finnegan children. I then wandered into a grocer’s shop hoping to find some treats to send home. The grocer’s wife must have noticed me looking at everything, as she asked me if she could help. I told her about the shortages on the mainland and she beckoned me to follow her to a room at the back of the shop. She then smiled and said, ‘Now tell me what you need.’
‘Everything, from tea, sugar, tins of meat or salmon, and anything else you can spare,’ I said.
Just before I left the shop, the woman suggested that if I brought some cardboard boxes with me, like the ones that the pilots threw away after buying their flying boots, she would put the supplies in them and send them to my mother for me.
I rang my mother that evening to tell her what I was planning to do and she was delighted but warned, ‘It might be a better if you pay cash each time, darling, not a cheque—just in case and Oh, the next time you go to Derry, do try and find out if there is one of those lovely Irish linen stores there. Perhaps you could do the same thing with them and arrange for sheets and pillowcases to be sent to me? I will put some extra money into your account to cover the costs.’
As it was now much colder than when I had first arrived, I decided to go to the Stores at lunchtime to get myself a heavyweight overcoat. I also bought a skirt that was one size larger than I usually wore, as I seemed to have been putting on weight recently.
The next time that I went past the Finnegan’s house on the way to work, I stopped off to see Donna and gave the children the drawing books, crayons and the box of paints that I had bought in Derry. When I gave the oldest boy, a couple of model aeroplane kits, I was rewarded with the biggest smile I’d ever seen.
The evening before I was due to leave for HMS Shrike, I rang my mother and she sounded over the moon, as my first ‘food parcel’ had just arrived. Before going to bed, I took a look at myself in the mirror and noticed that I was putting on even more weight, so decided to put myself on a diet.
The next morning, much to my surprise, Lieutenant Commander Mansfield from the transport office was standing outside my billet and told me that he was there to make sure that I got to to HMS Shrike without any problems. After checking that my bicycle and bags were stored safely in the back of the van, he told me to climb up beside the driver and as we drove off, instead of returning my salute, he blew me a kiss.
On the way to HMS Shrike, the driver told me that many of the FAA squadrons were based there when they weren’t on board their carriers, and that that there was also an anti submarine tactical school there, so it looked like I would be kept pretty busy.
When we arrived, the driver kindly carried my suitcase to the billeting office door, and then after propping my bicycle against a tree, he smiled and said, ‘See you on the return trip!’
I took a deep breath before knocking on the office door, and thought to myself, Oh well, here we go again.
When I opened the door, I was relieved to see that the woman behind the desk was a Wren Officer and not a PO. At least I wouldn’t be ticked-off for not having replaced my HMS Gannet hatband with an HMS Shrike one before I‘d even had time to find the Stores.
‘You are in Nissen hut B,’ she said handing me a key and pointing to some buildings out of the window on her left. ‘And you can leave your bicycle out of sight behind the hut.’
When I unlocked the door I immediately began to relax, as the hut felt more like a Wendy-house than a Nissen hut. It had pretty floral curtains in the windows with matching bedspreads on the four beds. I went to look for the ablutions block, which I found through a door at the back of the building. I couldn’t help giggling to myself when I saw knickers and stockings drying on the water pipes and was delighted that this was allowed, as it would make life much easier. I had a quick wash and then went to put my cases under the bed before going to find the Wrens’ mess.
As I opened the mess door, I saw a queue of girls waiting to be served. On the menu there was Iris
h stew with dumplings, followed by ginger sponge pudding. My diet would have to wait.
After a quick cup of coffee in the NAAFI, I got my bike and went to find the Sick Bay. When I got there, I asked a Wren writer where I could find the chief SBA. She looked at her watch and told me that he would be in his dispensary.
‘Are you the new Tester?’ she asked smiling, and when I nodded she pointed at another door and said, ‘If you need anything our office is in there.’
I knocked on the dispensary door and was told to come in. When I entered I saw a rather jolly-looking man sipping a cup of tea. He smiled, and said ‘Ah, you must be Leading Wren Ogilvie, welcome to Shrike!”
After telling me a little about the airbase, he then warned me about one of the Junior doctors called Fergal Kelly, who he thought was a very strange man, as he had a real ‘thing’ about cleanliness, ‘Apparently he made the other Tester mop the corridor down after just one day’s testing, complaining that the pilots’ shoes had germs on them. He’s also a Nosey Parker, Mary, so make sure you lock your filing cabinet and office door when you are not there.’
I thanked him for his advice and then went to find my new office. It was immediately obvious to me that Joanna did things in a different way to how I had been taught and I couldn’t for the life of me work out her filing system, which wasn’t alphabetical as I was used to. I also wondered why the bottom drawer of her desk was locked. I rattled it in case it was just stuck, and then nearly leapt out of my skin when I heard a man’s voice say, ‘Joanna hides the key under the typewriter!’
I looked up and saw two young men in white coats grinning at me.
‘I’m Lieutenant Ingram, Geoff to my friends, and this is the junior doctor Sub Lieutenant James Nicholson also known as Doc Nick. I’m the clever one but he’s better at playing rugger than me,’ he chuckled.
We shook hands and then Geoff found the key to the drawer and opened it for me. Inside it there was an electric kettle, four mugs, some tea, a tin of Nescafe, a bag of sugar lumps and half a packet of biscuits. Mystery solved.
‘Nick and I are usually offered a mug of tea at about three thirty,’ Geoff grinned.
‘Well, if I am not too busy catching up on tests I’ll continue the tradition,’ I assured them both, feeling pleased that I already had two new friends.
‘I gather you are a married woman, which is very unfair on us vulnerable single men!’ Nick said putting on a hangdog expression.
‘It was a case of doing it now or not until after the war, so we chose now.’ I told them, and then they left, promising to return for their tea later on.
The next thing I had to do was to report to Senior Surgeon Commander Lockhurst. When I found him, he obviously had no idea who I was, so I quickly introduced myself. He then nodded slowly and said, ‘Oh, of course! You’re the new Tester replacing that other poor girl whose brother has just been killed.’
I explained that I had just done three weeks at HMS Gannet, which was my main base, and would now do two at Shrike, and this would be the routine from now on depending on which squadrons were in and needed testing first. Before leaving his office I asked his permission to contact Commander Flying direct to organise the tests, as that would save time and mean that he wouldn’t have to do it himself. He told me to do whatever I thought was best.
When I got back to my office, I saw a naval officer poking about in one of the stationery cupboards. I presumed it must be the ‘Nosey Parker’ doctor and wished that I had locked the door.
‘The room is dusty, and the sill is disgusting,’ the man snapped.
Ignoring his bad temper I put on my ‘Lady Mary’ voice and said, ‘Yes, I quite agree!’
My reply made him stop in his tracks, so I continued while I still had the advantage, ‘I do appreciate that our unit is in a Sick Bay and therefore needs to be spotlessly clean, so I will see to it before I leave this evening.’ The surprised look on his face was so comical that I had to bite my lip to stop myself laughing.
‘Yes well, see to it then,’ was all he could say before he stalked out of the office. He hadn’t bothered to ask who I was, or introduced himself, but it wasn’t really necessary, as it was obvious that had just had my first encounter with Dr Fergal Kelly.
The day went by quickly as I had so much to organise and was just about to start cleaning up the office when Geoff and Doc Nick turned up for a cup of tea.
‘Oh my goodness, is it three thirty already?’ I asked them.
‘Yes Mary, have you had time to bake a cake for us?’ Doc Nick joked.
‘Ha, ha! Very funny, I have hardly had time to sit down today,’ I replied.
It was well past five before I was satisfied that there were no spiders still hiding behind the lamp for ‘Nosey Parker Fergal’ to find. I locked the office and then went back to my hut. I put my rug on my bed, Duncan’s photo on my locker and my alarm clock and torch next to it, and then I went to have supper.
After some pre-war quality bangers and mash, I went to the shop inside the NAAFI and bought some writing paper and a few postcards. I then found a telephone and rang both sets of parents. Still no news from Duncan, much to my disappointment, but Father John repeated his mantra ‘no news is good news,’ and told me to keep writing to Duncan anyway. When I spoke to my mother, she told me that they had received a letter from my brother, Peter, who had said that he looked very thin but was alive and well, which was wonderful news.
Later that evening, I was just about to put my hot-water bottle into my bed when my three roommates turned up. I liked them at once. One of them asked me who the handsome man in my photograph was, but just as she was admiring the picture, the lights went out. At first I thought the lights must have fused, but then I remembered that I was in a Nissen hut, so the lights went off automatically at the same time every night.
The next morning I went into the mess for breakfast and could smell kippers, which made my tummy heave. I hoped that I wasn’t about to go down with something, as that was the second time I’d felt sick since arriving at Shrike.
When I got to my office, I was surprised to find the Commander Flying waiting there for me. He said that he would be more than happy for me to organise his pilots’ tests with him direct.
After the afternoon tests were finished I went back to my office and found ‘Nosey Parker Kelly’ rummaging through my desk drawer. I was livid and wondered how on earth he had got in, as I had locked the door before I left. To calm myself, I took a deep breath and said, ‘Can I help you, Sir?’ He looked a bit taken aback and said that he needed some paper clips, so I suggested that he try the Writers’ office, as I didn’t use them. After he left, I went straight to Chief Gentry and asked him if he would change the locks to my office.
The next day the Chief gave me a new key, and then showed me where the SBAs normally kept the spare key, which was in a cupboard marked ‘Arsenic’!
As there were no re-tests that Saturday, I decided to go into Derry to look for The Irish Linen Store. When I eventually found it, the manager, Mr Patrick, showed me some of the various qualities of bed linen he stocked. He told me that it was widely acknowledged to be the finest in the world. After I told him what my mother was after, he told me to leave it to him and that he would post her a list of all their stock, so that she could order anything she wanted direct with him and that he would make sure she got it before Christmas.
When it was time to go back to HMS Gannet, I was relieved that a van was sent to take me rather than a lorry, as I was a bit worried that the petrol fumes would make me feel sick. For some strange reason, any unpleasant smells were now making me feel queasy. I decided that when I had more time I would go and see the Wrens’ doctor for a check-up. Perhaps I was in need of some iron pills again, I thought.
‘Welcome back! Everyone has missed you!’ Chief SBA O’Connor said when I got back to my Gannet office, and then he handed me a note from Commander Flying, which read, ‘Leading Wren Ogilvie, this is an SOS! Several squadrons will be flying in a
nd out of HMS Gannet until the week before Christmas. You will need to do ‘at least’ four tests a day to make sure everyone is tested before they go out on ‘ops’. Ring me as soon as you arrive back.’
I rang Commander Flying straight away and told him that I would be happy to forego my weekends if necessary, to ensure that all the pilots were tested. He was very grateful and said that he would make sure I had extra time off once the tests were completed.
After supper that evening I rang Duncan’s father for a chat and told him that I hadn’t received any news from his son yet. He then said, ‘We haven’t either, Mary but remember no news.’
‘Is good news. Yes I know,’ I said trying to sound cheerful, but I missed Duncan so much that I wanted to cry, so kept the rest of the call as short as possible without being rude.
When I was back in my comfortable bedroom at Swallow Cottage, I began to wrap up the Christmas presents I’d bought for my family in Derry, and then started to knit my father a pair of socks. I was just about to prepare for bed when there was a knock on my door and Eliza came into my room holding a pile of letters that were held together with an elastic band.
‘These came for you last week, Mary, but I didn’t dare send them on to you at Shrike, in case you got back here, before they got there, if you see what I mean.’ With my hands now shaking like a leaf, I pulled the elastic band off and looked for anything that Duncan might have sent. Amongst the envelopes I saw not just one, but two letters from him, and immediately burst into tears, much to Eliza’s concern.
‘Whatever’s wrong Mary?’ she asked.
‘I’m so happy!’ I wailed, ‘I haven’t heard from my husband, since I’ve been in Ireland and these two are from him.’ Eliza said she would give me some privacy and after she had left the room I starting reading his letters.
Duncan’s first letter was full of love, telling me how much he missed me, that he would be finishing what he was doing fairly soon, and then he would be sent to a shore base somewhere to train to become a Commander Flying. He then added, ‘I’ll be able to see you quite often while I am training, as I’ll not be going on any other ‘ops’ until spring!’ I was overjoyed and proud of him for getting another promotion.