Keep Calm and Carry On, Children

by Sharon K Mayhew

  “I have a can of corned beef, Wilfred, but I can’t heat it up,” Mum said.

  “That’ll be fine, Janet.” Daddy let out a sigh.

  The electricity and gas had been off since the first night of the blitz. Who knew how long it would be before Mum would be able to cook for us or even make a cup of tea?

  I heared Mum moving around the kitchen. Then she sat down.

  “We’ve bin preparin’ for the war for months,” Daddy said. “But it’s much ‘arder than I expected.”

  I knew what Daddy meant. It seemed that all of London was on fire. Nanny’s house had been bombed. Luckily, she was at work when it happened. She worked for Mister Churchill. The first night of the Blitz she cooked dinner for him and the group of men he was meeting with. Mister Churchill rushed into the kitchen unannounced and demanded Nanny and the other staff must get to the shelter. Within three minutes of Mister Churchill sending everyone out of the kitchen a violent shock shook the building. Mister Churchill saved Nanny’s life. The kitchen, pantry and some of the offices at Number 10 Downing Street were destroyed by a bomb.

  “I was just thinking.” Mum tapped her fingernails on the table. “What’s your mum going to do? Will she be moving in with us?”

  “No, Mister Churchill is letting her stay at The Houses of Parliament until it’s safe for her to go home. Even that rotter, Hitler, wouldn’t dare bomb Parliament.” I peeked around the corner and almost said it would be nice if Nanny stayed with us, but I saw Daddy. His hands shook, and he clenched his jaw. He looked as if he might explode. “Right now we ‘av to figure out what to do with the girls.”

  For a moment, all I could hear was the clank of Daddy’s fork on his plate.

  “We should ‘ave sent ‘em when they started Operation Pied Piper,” Daddy said. “The bloomin’ Germans ‘av bombed out most of London, and now I’ve been conscripted into the army.”

  I stifled a gasp. Daddy had been conscripted. He would be going to the war. What would happen to all of us without him? Would he be flying bombers or fighting on the ground? And just what did he mean about Gina and me?

  “I know. I don’t want to do it, but the headmistress sent a note today saying any children still here should go to Euston Station with their belongings first thing in the morning. From there they will be leaving for the countryside.” Mum sighed dejectedly.

  How could they send us away? I didn’t want to go to the country. I didn’t want to leave Mum and Daddy. Surely, they wouldn’t do it. They would miss us too much. What if something happened and we got lost from them, forever?

  “I don’t see ‘ow we can keep them ‘ere. It’s not safe. I’m goin’ to be leavin’ for France. You’re goin’ to ‘av to take my place at the munitions plant and deliverin’ coke, so you’ll ‘av enough money to survive this God-forsaken war.” Daddy made a loud snorting sound.

  I felt as if I had swallowed a skipping stone. “Don’t do it,” I shouted as I ran in the kitchen. “Don’t make us leave. Gina and I don’t eat much or take up much room. We’ll be good while you’re gone, Daddy. We won’t be a bother. I can help Gina with her reading and do the cooking while Mum is at work. Please don’t send us to live with strangers.”

  Mum put her arms around me. “It’ll be all right. You and Gina will spend some time in the countryside. It’ll be like you’re going on holiday. Imagine all the fun you’ll have. You’ve never been to the countryside before. Taking a little holiday from the war will be good for both of you.”

  I felt all the sooty air coming out of my lungs. I thought I might collapse. “I don’t want to go, and neither will Gina. We don’t like the countryside,” I shouted and pushed Mum away. “We won’t go! We aren’t leaving you here by yourself, Mum.” I stood firmly in case anyone tried to make me leave the room.

  “You don’t ‘av a choice in this,” Daddy said. “It’s our job to keep you safe. And London’s not safe for you and your sister. It won’t be safe ‘til we teach Hitler a lesson.” Daddy took a deep breath and his eyes narrowed. “You’ll be goin’ on the train in the mornin’, and that’s that.” He put his hands in his pockets and turned away from me.

  Mum wiped her face and sniffed. “Right, we need to find the list of what you must bring with you on your adventure.”

  “It won’t be an adventure, Mum. It’ll be horrid, simply horrid!” I shouted and dashed out the back door. I didn’t have time to decide where I was going to go because the air raid sirens shrill filled the air, again.

  WHRRRRR, whrrr, WHRRR, whrrr

  “Run for the shelter, Joyce!” Daddy yelled. “I’m gettin’ Gina.”

  I ran towards the shelter. Explosions rang out from all directions. I hurried as fast as I could. I didn’t wait for help to get in. I slid into the shelter as soon as I got to it. I looked up, waiting for everyone else to arrive. The ground shook, the air was turning brown, and I smelled smoke. What if no one else came? What if that last explosion had been a bomb on our house? What if…I gasped for air.

  “Mum! Daddy! Where are you?” I screamed at the top of my lungs.

  “I’m coming!” shouted Mum.

  She slid down into the shelter and pushed me against the dirty wall. “Duck and cover in the corner!” Mum groaned as she pulled on the roof. “I can’t move it anymore, it’s too heavy.”

  We ducked and covered. The air stood still. It was suffocating. Dust rolled in on top of us. Mum started coughing.

  I felt a lump swelling in my throat. “Where are Daddy and Gina?”

  “I don’t know. I’m sure they’ll be fine,” Mum said, although her voice betrayed her concern.

  I wasn’t sure if I should believe her. Her whole body shivered beside me. The ground shook again. The explosion that followed was deafening. The roof toppled over the edge of the shelter and landed between us. Mum screamed, and I burst into tears.

  Would it ever end? Where were Daddy and Gina? Was Mum hurt? What would happen to us now?

  Chapter Seven

  September 9, 1940

  8:00 PM

  “Mummy!” I screamed. “Are you all right?”

  She had been thrown across the shelter. The explosion rocked the ground around us and knocked loose the iron roof. It landed on top of Mum, trapping her. I heard her groaning. “I’ll get you out.”

  I tugged on the roof and lifted it up a little bit. I laid on my tummy and peeked through a gap. She had a nasty gash above her left eye. Blood dripped down the side of her face, along her cheek and into her dust-covered hair. I reached into my pocket and found my hanky. Luckily, I hadn’t used it yet.

  “Here, Mum. Take this.” I stuck my hand and the hanky through the opening.

  “I’m all right, Love. Thank you for the handkerchief. I’m sure the cut looks worse than it is. Give me a second, and I’ll try to move the roof.”

  I needed to help, but I didn’t want to do something wrong and hurt her more. I looked around my side of the shelter. I wished we had put a mat, a torch, and a toolbox down there.

  “I’ll be fine. My forehead’s stopped bleeding. Let’s figure out how to get out of this mess.”

  I glanced around again. There were a couple long pieces of wood and a brick on my side of the shelter.

  “Do you remember when we went on holiday to the Blue John Caverns?”

  “Yes, but what on the earth made you think about that?” she replied.

  “Remember that giant quartz stone we found with a bit of Blue John in it? Daddy made a seesaw with it and a plank of wood. There’s a brick and a couple of pieces of wood on my side. I can make a lever, like Daddy’s seesaw, and push up the roof a bit so you can crawl out.”

  “Bri
lliant idea, Love. Just be careful to not knock yourself in the head.”

  I moved the brick next to the roof and tried to shove the wood under the edge of the roof. It wouldn’t budge.

  “How’s it coming along?” Mum asked.

  “I have to find the right spot to put the brick. I had it too close, and couldn’t get the plank under the roof.”

  I moved the brick around and tried again, still with no success. Then it hit me. I should stick the wood under the roof first, then push the brick under it until so I could pull down on the board and lift the roof up.

  “Stay back,” I shouted. “I think it’s going to work this time.”

  I pushed on the end of the plank and the roof lifted a tiny bit.

  “Do you have anything on your side to wedge in the opening?” Perspiration coated my face and back.

  “I can’t see very well, but I think there are some broken bricks on this side. They may work.”

  “When I push on the plank and lift the roof as high as I can, you stick one of them in the gap. Then I’ll move my brick and the plank to lift the roof higher and make a bigger opening. Are you ready?”

  “As ready as I can be.”

  I groaned as I pushed the plank down with all of my strength. The roof edged up a bit.

  “Now!” I shouted.

  Mum shoved a brick in the opening. I moved the wood and the other brick farther into her side of the shelter.

  “When I lift it again, stack another brick on top of the first one.” I put all of my weight on the plank and lifted the roof up.

  “Now!” I shouted again.

  Mum stacked up another brick.

  “It’s still not big enough for you to get out. We need something bigger to balance the wood on. There’s nothing useful on my side. Do you have anything on your side?”

  “There’s a piece of a cinder block. It’s almost as tall as the two bricks.”

  “Let’s try and dig a bit of a tunnel under the roof. Then you can slide it to me. I’ll be able to lift the roof higher, and you can slide under it on your stomach,” I said.

  I began pulling the soil back. Mum’s hands were doing the same thing on her side. When the soil got too hard to move with my hands, I switched to a broken piece of brick.

  “Can you get under it if I’m able to lift the roof a bit higher?”

  “I think so,” Mum said. “It’s a good thing I’ve never eaten sweets.”

  She pushed the cinder block through the tunnel.

  “This’ll work. You’ll be able to get out, I’m sure of it,” I said.

  I shoved the cinder block behind my brick. I used all my strength to push down the wood and raise the roof. Perspiration ran in my eyes. My arms trembled. I had to rescue her.

  “Now!”

  Mum slid through the pathway into my side of the shelter. When her feet cleared the roof, I dropped the plank, and the roof plopped back on the ground.

  Mum wiped the mud off her hands and legs. She looked as though she’d been on the losing end of a mud pie fight.

  “You’ve been very brave, Joyce,” Mum said. “I can’t believe you were able to rescue me by yourself. Your daddy’s going to be so proud of you!”

  A sharp pain stabbed me in my side. I had forgotten about Daddy and Gina. I hugged Mum, and my nose began to run. Mum rubbed my back while I attempted to stop sniffling. A knot formed in my throat. I tried to swallow it away, but it wouldn’t go away.

  “It’ll be all right, Love,” Mum whispered. “We’ll find them. I’m sure they made it to safety.”

  Chapter Eight

  September 10, 1940

  6:00 AM

  We climbed out of the shelter. I turned towards our house when I heard Daddy shouting. He and Gina ran and jumped over the rubble to greet us. My heart raced as I ran to them.

  “Where were you?” I asked as I clung to Daddy.

  “We got stuck in the ‘ouse. We couldn’t get to the shelter in time, so we ‘id under the stairs in the pantry,” Daddy said.

  Mum swooped up Gina. She gave her a kiss and a cuddle.

  “You’re all dirty, Mummy!” Gina said and pushed Mum away.

  “You’re not so tidy yourself, Dearie.” She laughed, kissed Gina again, and rubbed her mucky hair on Gina’s thin arm.

  “Ick, you need a bath!” Gina squirmed around trying to escape Mum’s hold.

  “That’d be lovely, if we ‘ad a bath and runnin’ water,” Daddy said.

  We all laughed. We were covered with filth. Mum looked like a snowman dusted with grey confectioners’ sugar.

  “Let’s see what’s left of our house.

  We walked towards our house. Part of the kitchen wall had been blown off. The back door lay splintered on the ground. You could see into the sitting room. The upstairs hadn’t been damaged. Our bedrooms would be fine. I loved my bedroom, even though Missus Madden currently used it. It had bookshelves built into the wall. I didn’t have many books, so I kept pretty rocks and the photograph of Nanny and Grandad on them.

  “Right,” Daddy said. “Everyone be careful. Mary, we need to put the black-out curtains over the ‘oles in the walls before it gets dark again. Covering that big ‘ole ‘ll be a challenge.”

  Mum nodded. “You two stay here while I get a spot cleared for you in the sitting room.”

  Gina and I stood and waited by the front door. People scurried around, dragging things to the curb. The fire brigade rushed up the road. The air was gray. Loud noises filled the air, but it didn’t sound like London. Not my London…

  “I don’t like it here,” Gina said.

  “I know it’s scary, but at least we’re with Mum and Daddy.”

  Gina wiped her forehead and put her hands on her hips. “I want to go on holiday!”

  “Everyone in London wants to go on holiday, but they can’t. No one can! It’s the war, Gina, no one likes it.”

  “I don’t want the war!” Gina stomped her foot and crossed her arms.

  “No one does,” I grabbed Gina’s hand. I wanted to scream at her, but she was trembling. “We’ll be all right. I think we’re going on a trip soon.” I had to be sensible about being evacuated. Gina needed me to be fearless. Going to the countryside would be safer than being here. At least Mum and Daddy would have one less worry.

  Gina looked up at me and smiled. “Is a trip a holiday?”

  “No, a trip’s not a holiday, but it might be better than the war.”

  Gina’s hand stopped shaking, her eyes brightened up, and she grinned at me.

  “Well then,” she said. “I want to go on a trip.”

  I tried to smile back at Gina, but I wasn’t successful. Where would we be going? What would the people be like? Would we be able to stay together? I hoped we would have a nice host family and hopefully, we wouldn’t have to stay there very long.

  Chapter Nine

  September 9, 1940

  5:00 PM

  Daddy gathered extra black-outs. He hung them over the hole in the kitchen wall and over the doorways. Then he rolled down the blackouts in the windows. Mum dashed upstairs to do the ones in the bedrooms.

  Daddy lit the oil lamp which gave the room a gentle glow.

  We heard a loud knock. Daddy pulled back the blackout curtain. It was the warden. He wore a tin hat and brown uniform. His eyes were sad, his jaw clenched, and his cheeks were bright red. He asked to speak to Daddy in private. They stepped outside. I snuck over to the window and listened.

  “I’ve got a bit of bad news for ya,” he said.


  “Blimey, more bad news. Hitler is tryin’ to destroy our spirit isn’t ‘e?”

  “It’s about Missus Madden. She was near Covent Garden Market when the raid started. I’m sorry to say she didn’t make it to the shelter in time.”

  Daddy didn’t say anything for a few seconds, neither did the warden. I couldn’t stop myself. I pulled the blackout away from the edge of the window and peeked. Their faces were as gray as the dust that coated our house. It was hard to believe. She was gone. She watched Gina and me sometimes, and she played Tiddlywinks with us. The war kept taking people away from us. And if it was happening to us, it was happening to everyone.

  “I’m ‘opin, the boys can continue to stay with you and the Missus.”

  “Course they can. They’re good blokes.”

  I went back to the settee and sat. A sharp pain pierced my side. Gina snuggled up to me and asked what was wrong.

  “I hate the war. I’d like to tell Mister Hitler to bugger off.” I shouldn’t tell her what I overheard. After all, she was a little kid, one who should’ve been playing dolls or swinging outside, not coping with danger and tragedy.

  Gina’s eyes widened. “You’ll get in trouble for talking like that.”

  Daddy came in and looked for Mum. We sat and waited. It’s hard to know what to do during a war. Our old routines didn’t work anymore. No popping down to the shops to get milk and eggs whenever we pleased. No playing outside or even going to school.

  Mum and Daddy came downstairs. Mum wiped her nose with a hanky. Daddy sat on the settee. He breathed in and out slowly and loud enough that everyone heard him. I already knew why they were upset, but Gina didn’t, and they didn’t know I knew.

  “Right, let’s get some supper ready for when Alexander and William get home,” Mum said with a heavy sigh.

  “Can we help?” I pretended to sound cheerful, so she wouldn’t suspect I knew about Missus Madden. I vowed not to listen in on any more conversations. My side hurt, I had a knot in my throat, and my lungs were full of dust. If I heard one more piece of bad news, I might turn into a babbling mess.