Heartwarming and emotional story of one girl's courage in WW2

by Fenella J Miller

  He appeared unmoved by her stare and replied as if they were the best of friends. ‘I have and we can. I have already rung half a dozen of them and the first is coming tomorrow morning for a two-hour lesson.’

  ‘So I can just carry on as usual then? Do you want me to continue to do the books and correspondence?’

  He nodded and flicked through the large leather-bound book in which all the appointments were made. ‘You don’t appear to have had any holiday or a complete weekend off since you started. From now on you can have Saturday as well as Sunday.’

  The last thing she wanted was to spend time at home. Mum would have her in a frock and paying calls on her friends before she could say Jack Robinson – or perhaps that should be Jack Reynolds now.

  ‘Thank you, but I have my regulars and I don’t intend to let them down. The Air Ministry was most insistent that the more civilians who can fly the better and that’s why the lessons are being subsidised by the government at the moment.’

  He leaned back in his chair and viewed her through narrowed eyes. ‘Please yourself. If you’d rather be here than at home that’s your business.’

  She thought he’d finished and was about to stand up when he waved her back into her chair. ‘I’m going to put your wages up and give you a bonus for every person that goes solo, starting today.’

  *

  If Jack had announced that he was a Nazi she couldn’t have looked more surprised. Uncle Joe had been ruthlessly exploiting the girl’s love of flying and he was glad he was in a position to put that right.

  ‘You don’t have to do that. I’m quite happy with what I already get. I don’t want to put the business in jeopardy…’

  ‘Is that what the old bugger told you? You should be paid more than double what you’re getting. You’re worth it.’

  ‘You don’t understand the arrangement we had. My brothers and I got free lessons in exchange for Dad leasing him the fields and barns for nothing. Then we worked here once we were qualified in exchange for free use of the aircraft. Joe insisted that I took some wages as well when things got busy a couple of years ago.’

  He frowned. ‘It’s worse than I thought then. Doesn’t your old man own the Swallow as well? Is he getting a percentage of the profits?’

  She looked puzzled. ‘I’ve no idea. Joe arranged it, I wasn’t involved. I expect it’s all above board.’

  He doubted that very much. ‘If you don’t mind I’ll speak to your dad and find out exactly what the arrangement is. When would be a good time?’

  ‘He’s far too busy to see anyone at the moment – it’s harvest time you know. Maybe in a couple of months he’ll be able to spare you an hour or so.’

  Why didn’t she want him to meet him? ‘Forget about it. I’ll give him a bell some time. Right, let’s leave it there, shall we? Your next pupil is just arriving.’

  She stood up and smiled, but there was no warmth in it. ‘Thanks for the rise. Actually, Joe puts most of my money in the bank for me. I don’t want it at the moment and I’ve no idea how much I’ve got in there. He just gives me a few bob when I need it.’

  ‘You could always look in your bank book.’

  ‘Bank book? I’ve never seen it – I expect Joe keeps it in the safe.’ The door banged and she was gone. How could someone so intelligent be so stupid?

  His uncle had been pocketing her wages and cooking the books. He doubted there was a bank account for Ellie. If his suspicions were correct then he would put things right with his own money. He might not like the girl but she didn’t deserve to be cheated like this.

  He spent the next hour carefully examining the contents of the safe and he was unsurprised to discover he was right. In fact, things were far worse than he’d expected. If he’d known the true state of affairs he’d never have agreed to become involved. He glanced at his watch. Even farmers went home for lunch so if he nipped up there now he could speak to her dad and get matters straight.

  Sid was in the hangar working on the older Moth. ‘I’m off out for an hour. Can you answer the phone?’

  ‘Sorry, I don’t go in the office. Ellie will be back shortly and she’s got no one else until two o’clock when her two solos are coming. I’ve got to get on – she needs this to be ready by then.’

  Jack nodded and continued towards his car. There was no point in arguing and he didn’t want to upset such a valuable member of staff. According to the wages book there were two ground mechanics, an apprentice plus two instructors and a receptionist working here. This was complete crap. Fond as he was of his uncle, the man was an out and out crook.

  He was using this business to filter his illegal cash. Joe wasn’t a fool – he’d have known that his dishonesty would be discovered so why the hell had he left him in charge? This was something he’d find out tonight when he went home.

  On the short drive over to the farm he decided he would employ the staff who should already have been working there and make sure everything was above board. If the police came to investigate he wanted to be certain his name wasn’t dragged into the dirt as well.

  As he turned into the yard a tractor chugged up and three hot and sweaty men jumped down from it. He didn’t need to ask which one Mr Simpson was. Ellie looked just like him.

  He ducked out of the car and strode across with his hand outstretched. ‘Mr Simpson, I’m sorry to disturb you. I’m Jack Reynolds, Joe’s nephew. I’ve taken over the airfield.’

  The older man didn’t look at all surprised to see him. ‘You’d better come in, lad, you can talk to me whilst I eat.’

  The kitchen was suffocatingly hot and there was no sign of a Mrs Simpson. One of the labourers pushed a kettle onto the heat and the other snatched up two sets of cutlery and put it on a waiting tray.

  ‘Go through. I’ll just have a bit of a wash, collect my lunch, and we’ll go into the study. It’s the third door on the left.’

  Jack did as he was asked and was relieved it was much cooler this side of the house. He wondered where the wife was but it was none of his concern. He pushed up the window at the far end of the room and a welcome breeze drifted in.

  The study had a well-used look. There were a couple of ancient armchairs in front of the fireplace, a wireless on the mantelpiece and a desk with a stack of papers on it. There were a couple of attractive watercolours on one wall, the other covered by overflowing bookcases. He didn’t have time to examine the titles as Mr Simpson elbowed his way through the door.

  ‘Take a seat, young man. I’ve brought you a cup of tea but can’t find you anything to eat. The wife has a migraine.’

  ‘I’ll get straight to the point, sir, my uncle has handed the business over to me because he’s about to be arrested.’

  ‘Guessed as much. Is my Ellie going to be involved?’

  *

  Neil and Greg arrived as the second solo flight was taking place – the first had been completed successfully and the delighted young man was hopping from one foot to the other as he watched his friend in the air.

  Ellie glanced across and waved but then turned her full attention to the circling plane. She always warned her students to expect the aircraft to feel much lighter with only one person in it and therefore it would travel faster. They had to do three circuits and landings and as long as one of these was perfect he would be cleared to continue solo.

  This didn’t mean they were fully trained and free to fly wherever they wanted. The next step would be to learn to navigate using a map and the landscape. They had also to learn to do a forced landing and deal with bad weather conditions before they were issued with an A licence.

  Watching a first solo flight must be how a mother bird felt when her fledglings left the nest. Ellie was always anxious until the first landing and take-off was completed successfully. The second would-be pilot was coming in now. She held her breath and her hands clenched. He was approaching too fast – no – he was going to be all right. He’d throttled back and the plane bounced safely across the strip.


  She gave him the thumbs up and he taxied round and took off smoothly. Her brother and his friend arrived at her side.

  ‘So far so good. He’s doing fine, little sister. Can we take the de Havilland up for a spin?’

  ‘I’m not sure. Things are different here now. Joe’s nephew, Jack Reynolds, is now the owner. I can’t give you the go-ahead without his permission. He went out a while ago but should be back soon.’

  ‘No problem. Do you think he’ll mind if we make everyone a cuppa? We got some sticky buns from the baker you like in Romford. More than enough to go around.’

  ‘In which case I’m sure Jack won’t object. You know where everything is.’

  Greg raised a hand in salute and smiled but didn’t add anything to the conversation. She returned her full attention to what was going on in the sky above her and was relieved when the flight was over. Her pupil had scraped through his solo and could now go onto the next step.

  Jack arrived as she was signing the pilot’s log book; he didn’t look too happy. Hopefully he’d keep his ill-humour to himself until the paying customers had gone.

  Greg had found a couple of old packing cases and put them outside the office to use as temporary tables. A tray of steaming mugs was on one and on the other were a couple of battered tin plates which held a dozen sticky buns. She hadn’t had time for lunch and her stomach growled loudly.

  ‘Are you going to have a celebratory cup of tea before you leave?’ Ellie asked the successful pilot.

  ‘Sorry, old thing, we have to dash. Some bigwig from head office is visiting the bank today and I’m expected to put in an appearance. See you same time next week – thanks for getting us this far.’

  He rushed off with his friend and she waved goodbye before heading for her belated lunch. Jack called her back. ‘Ellie, hang on a minute, I need to talk to you in private.’

  She waited for him to catch up. They were still far enough away from the office to talk without being overheard. ‘What’s wrong? I noticed you were looking grumpy when you arrived.’

  ‘I’ve been to see your father. He didn’t buy that plane over there, Joe did, but he asked if your dad would put it in his name.’

  This didn’t sound good at all. ‘Why would he want to do that?’ She had a pretty good idea but hoped she was wrong.

  Jack confirmed her worst fears. She’d been hoodwinked by her employer and for the past two years he’d been using her, and the airfield, to hide money derived from his criminal activities in London.

  She swallowed a lump in her throat. ‘When the aero-club opened I spent all my holidays down here. Mum disapproved but Dad took my side. I knew I’d persuade Joe and Dad to allow me to learn to fly. I can’t regret him being here but am horrified Joe has been using us.

  ‘So, let me get this straight – I don’t have anything in the bank? Nothing for a rainy day? I’ve been slaving away here for absolutely nothing?’

  ‘That’s about the size of it. Don’t worry about your wages as I intend to put that straight. When my uncle told me he’d started an aero club and was thinking of putting it in my name when I came back, I was touched by his kindness. I’m fond of him and my aunt, but what he did was unforgivable.’

  ‘I can’t believe Joe’s all bad. He’s been very kind to me and he taught my brothers and me to fly. How did an East Ender become a pilot? This whole thing’s very peculiar.’ Her stomach gurgled again quite audibly and he laughed.

  ‘Come on, you need to eat. You’re a skinny bird and can’t afford to miss your meals. I intend to fatten you up whilst I’m here.’

  She was about to take umbrage when she realised he was teasing her. ‘Thank you very much. It’s good to know you have my best interests at heart.’ She put a hand on his arm. ‘Please, don’t say anything in front of them. Mum would be mortified if anyone outside the family heard about this. She already thinks I’m a disgrace – if she ever discovers I’ve been working for a criminal she’ll throw me out.’

  ‘We’ll talk later. Don’t worry, Ellie, I’ll make sure nothing unpleasant happens to you or your family because of this.’

  Five

  Over the next few days Ellie got on with her job, and apart from the fact that Jack was now in charge, things were pretty much the same as always. He’d not said anything about his uncle and she didn’t intend to ask. The only difference was that she now had a bank book in which there was a satisfyingly large sum of money deposited – more than enough for a week of thunderstorms let alone a rainy day.

  She was so busy she scarcely had time to worry about the ever more unpleasant news about impending war. Mum had shown her a leaflet about the proposed evacuation of over three million children from all the major cities in the country. This would take place if war was declared but only a minority of the population thought this was likely. Her mother was one of the minority. Romford wasn’t part of this mass exodus but equally, it wasn’t considered safe enough to send city children.

  Keeping out of Jack’s way meant there were no more arguments between them. He had taken on a woman, Gladys Smith, to run the office and another full-time mechanic to help Sid maintain the three aircraft. With both of them taking pupils business was booming and she no longer felt guilty about being paid a proper wage.

  At the end of the month George, her other brother, got a twenty-four hour pass to celebrate being given his wings. Mum decided they would have a party and was busy baking and making for the occasion.

  ‘You must ask Mr Reynolds to come, Ellen. George would enjoy speaking to another pilot,’ her mother said on the morning of the party.

  ‘I can’t ask him at such short notice, Mum, he’ll think he’s being invited as an afterthought.’

  ‘Nonsense, he’ll be delighted to be included. It’s a great shame Flying Officer Dunlop and Neil can’t get another pass.’

  ‘Neil said that Greg is with Bomber Command, but he’s going to be a fighter pilot. He’s joining a squadron at Duxford – such a pity he can’t be at Hornchurch.’

  Dad was having a rare day off and looked up from the newspaper he was reading at the kitchen table. ‘Neil told me his friend came top in all the navigation stuff and they want those sort of blokes as bomber pilots. They could have to fly hundreds of miles…’

  ‘Please don’t discuss such things. No one at church thinks there’s going to be a war and I agree with them.’ Mum glared at her. ‘Don’t just sit there, young lady, do as you’re told. Go and make that phone call immediately.’

  Ellie exchanged a glance with her father. Mum refused to accept that anything was going to change but they knew different. Hitler wouldn’t stick to the truce and Britain would be forced to go to war if they didn’t want to be invaded. After all, everybody in the country wouldn’t have been issued with a gasmask last year if the government didn’t expect there to be a war.

  Although she had this weekend free, Jack would be working as usual. There were the usual clicks and whirs as the telephone operator connected her and then finally he answered.

  ‘Jack, my mother has insisted that I invite you to our party this evening. It’s to celebrate George getting his wings. I’m sure you’ve made other plans and we won’t be offended if you can’t come.’

  There was a pause before he answered. ‘Actually, I’m at a loose end tonight. I’d be delighted to come – I take it I have to wear a jacket and tie.’

  She couldn’t stop her giggle. ‘Good grief! It’s grander than that. Black tie, or at the very least a very smart suit. Mum wouldn’t let you in the house in a sport’s jacket.’

  ‘Bloody hell! Are you expecting the King?’

  ‘You’d think so, the fuss she’s making. However, all the grand folks in the neighbourhood will be there dressed up to the nines. She’s insisting that I wear my one and only evening dress. Dad is threatening to hide in the cowshed.’

  He chuckled. ‘Go on, tell me exactly what I’ve got to endure if I do come.’

  ‘We’ve got three village ladies coming to
wait, the cowman will be directing traffic and she’s even booked some sort of musical entertainment. It’s going to be absolutely hideous, if you’ve got any sense you’ll stay well away.’

  ‘I wouldn’t miss it. I could do with a laugh. Will there be plenty to drink?’

  ‘Mum’s teetotal.’ She heard his groan and laughed. ‘Don’t worry, Dad only agreed to have this party on the understanding there’d be plenty of alcohol.’

  ‘What time does it kick off? I don’t finish here until six o’clock. Although I’ve got digs in the village now I’ll still need an hour to get my glad rags on.’

  ‘It’s not a sit-down dinner, thank goodness, just a running buffet. The invitations that were sent out said seven thirty so you’ve got ample time.’

  ‘Righto. See you later. Thanks for the invite.’ The line went dead.

  If Jack was coming as well as George then it wouldn’t be so bad after all. The three of them could circulate for a bit and then disappear to the rose garden as she had with Greg and Neil a few weeks ago.

  A long, boring day stretched in front of her. She wasn’t even needed to assist with the preparations due to the paid helpers. Her dress was ready, she’d washed her hair and had a bath last night, and it was too hot and stuffy in her bedroom to hide up there with a book. The only place she was free of the petty restrictions of her mother was at the airfield.

  Her life had been miserable until she was twelve, when out of nowhere Dad had leased the fields and barns to Joe. It hadn’t gone down well with Mum, but this time Dad had insisted. Joe was an unlikely person to start an aero-club. He was a rough diamond, but nonetheless was an excellent pilot. She smiled as she recalled the hours she’d spent hanging around the airfield. Joe had taken her up several times and when Neil and George asked Dad if they could have lessons she had added her pleas to theirs.

  Mum had reluctantly agreed as flying was a skill she approved off – usually only the wealthy had anything to do with aircraft. Ellie had not been given permission but Joe taught her at the same time as her brothers. She was able to endure her hideous boarding school during term time because she had the escape of flying when she returned home. At school she was always the odd one out because she had no interest in society events, debutantes or the antics of the rich and famous.