The Spitfire Sisters

by Margaret Dickinson

  ‘Philippa too?’ Henrietta asked.

  ‘No, ’fraid not.’

  ‘Why?’

  ‘Got to go, Granny, the line’s awfully crackly. See you Tuesday . . .’ And before Henrietta could ask any more awkward questions, Daisy rang off.

  The telephone stood on a small table in the hallway at the bottom of the main staircase. Henrietta replaced the receiver thoughtfully and returned to the parlour to face the rest of the family gathered together before dinner.

  ‘That was a strange call from Daisy.’

  Edwin looked up from his newspaper. ‘Why? Is she all right?’

  ‘I think so. She just said she’ll be home on Tuesday afternoon and that George is coming with her. But not Philippa. When I asked why not, she just made some hurried excuse and rang off.’

  ‘I shouldn’t worry, Hetty, my love. If there was anything wrong, George or Milly would let us know.’

  ‘Well, that’s what is concerning me. Why is George coming on his own?’

  ‘Pips has been ringing regularly as usual, hasn’t she, Robert?’ Edwin asked. Most weeks, she spoke to her brother and he relayed any messages to the other members of the family.

  Robert frowned. ‘Well, yes, but not at the same time every Sunday evening like she used to. It’s sort of any time and on different days. I hadn’t realized it until now. What do you think, Mother?’

  ‘That we shall find out on Tuesday, my dear.’

  ‘Daisy, I’d like you to meet Jane Miller,’ Paul said. ‘She’s the young woman I was telling you about.’

  ‘Oh, the one Jeff taught to fly.’ Daisy smiled as she shook Jane’s hand. ‘And who’s with the ATA now?’

  The woman was a little older than she was, in her late twenties or early thirties, Daisy guessed. She had fair curly hair and hazel eyes. She was not exactly pretty, but when she smiled her whole face seemed to light up and her eyes twinkled friendliness.

  ‘I’m pleased to meet you, Daisy. I hear you’re interested in joining our little band. There aren’t many of us at the moment, but we’re hoping to recruit more very soon. I understand from Paul here that Jeff Pointer taught you to fly too and that you already have a pilot’s licence.’

  Daisy nodded.

  ‘That’ll help, although you will still have to undergo the ATA training.’

  ‘Of course. I’d expect that.’

  ‘Right, I’ll see what I can do and let you know. Give me your address and telephone number, if you have one. I’ll talk to Pauline Gower about you. She’s the head of the women’s branch of the ATA. She’s the one who selects and tests recruits.’

  When Daisy had written down the details for her, Jane said, ‘Sorry to be in a rush, but I have to fly.’ She laughed. ‘Literally.’

  ‘She’s nice,’ Daisy murmured to Paul as Jane hurried away.

  ‘They all are. I know quite a few of the ATA girls. They’re a merry bunch. You’d fit in well, Daisy.’

  Jake met Daisy and George at the station and, when they arrived at the hall, the whole family were waiting for them in the parlour. As he walked through the door, George braced himself. He had spent a restless night rehearsing what he would say, yet now all his ideas fled from his mind. But the Maitlands were far too polite to bombard him with questions.

  Tea and coffee were served and the usual greetings and enquiries about health were exchanged. When they had all been served, a silence descended on the room. Now they were waiting for him to speak. Now they expected an explanation.

  George took a deep breath. ‘I can’t tell you very much. I’m sure you all understand why. Pips is away doing valuable war work. She is in this country and she is safe and well. I can’t tell you more than that.’ He glanced at Daisy. ‘That was what Daisy wanted to know and what I expect is uppermost in your minds. There is an address you can write to – Daisy has it. You will hear from her and she will telephone you whenever she can, but please, don’t ask her questions she won’t be able to answer.’

  ‘It seems all very cloak and dagger,’ Edwin laughed, ‘but we understand, George, and we won’t embarrass you by firing questions at you – or her, I promise.’

  Henrietta pursed her lips, as if physically trying to still the questions. At last she sighed. ‘Of course we’ll do as you ask, George, but will you promise me one thing?’

  ‘I will if I can.’

  ‘That if ever there is anything we really should know, you will be the one to tell us?’

  ‘Yes, I promise you that.’

  ‘Then I think we should all accept that Philippa is doing what she feels she must’ – Henrietta smiled wryly – ‘as she has done before, and respect her decision.’

  The atmosphere in the room seemed to relax, but it was Daisy who now caused a stir.

  ‘Um – I wasn’t completely honest about my trip to London.’

  All eyes now turned to her; all except George’s, for he knew what was coming.

  ‘I’ll just come straight out with it . . .’

  ‘When did you ever not?’ Robert murmured, only to be shushed by Alice.

  ‘I want to join the ATA.’

  The other members of the family – apart from George – glanced at each other mystified.

  ‘Don’t you mean the ATS?’ Henrietta said.

  ‘No, Granny. It’s the Air Transport Auxiliary.’

  ‘Flying!’ Three voices spoke at once. Only Edwin and George remained silent, but they exchanged a glance.

  ‘Is this because of Luke? Are you trying to follow his example?’ Robert asked.

  Daisy shook her head. ‘No, if anything I’m to blame for him wanting to fly. And certainly, we’re both to blame for Harry joining the RAF too. At least, that’s what Granddad Dawson thinks.’

  ‘But what about here?’ Henrietta said. ‘You’re doing so well and we work wonderfully together. Aren’t you happy here, Daisy? I thought it was what you wanted.’

  ‘I do, Granny. One day, I will be quite content to take over running the estate from you, but not yet.’

  ‘Well, I’ll step down now, if that’s what you want. You can have complete control.’

  Daisy shook her head. ‘No, Granny, that’s not it at all. I love working alongside you. But – but this is something different. I ought to do my bit—’

  ‘But you are. What can be more important than feeding the nation?’

  ‘Ferrying aircraft from the factories to the airfields where the RAF pilots need them,’ she answered promptly. ‘That’s what the ATA do and they’re recruiting women pilots.’

  They all stared at her again and Robert murmured, ‘Well, Mother, I don’t think even you can argue with that.’

  ‘Is it dangerous?’ Alice asked, her voice wavering.

  ‘Not really,’ George put in. ‘The aircraft won’t be armed and the women pilots won’t be delivering aircraft abroad like the men do.’

  There was a long silence whilst each member of the family struggled with their feelings before giving an answer. At last it was Edwin who said, ‘Well, my dearest Daisy, we didn’t stand in the way of your father or your aunt going to the front in 1914 and we won’t stand in your way either, though of course we can’t promise not to worry about you.’

  Daisy glanced at her parents. Neither of them had spoken. They were looking at each other, holding hands tightly. Then they turned to face her. There were tears in Alice’s eyes, but she said bravely, ‘Of course you must go, Daisy, but, please, take care.’

  Over dinner they all kept the topics of conversation to local matters, but they couldn’t escape from the talk of the war for very long.

  ‘D’you know, I feel as if I’ve been away for weeks instead of just for a weekend,’ Daisy said. ‘Has anyone heard from Harry yet?’

  Henrietta shook her head. ‘I ask Betty almost every day, but Peggy has heard nothing. He really is a little rascal not to write to his mother.’

  Daisy laughed. ‘I doubt he’s much of a letter writer, Granny. He’ll just turn up like a bad penny
whenever he gets leave. How is Granddad Dawson coping without both of them?’

  ‘Betty told me the other day that he’s taken on two young lads from the village, one to work under him in the wheelwright’s and the other with Sam in the blacksmith’s shop. And do you remember the evacuee boy at the Boxing Day party? The one who’s staying with Peggy and Sam and who stood at the side of the room for most of the time?’

  ‘Yes. What about him?’

  ‘Len got talking to him that day and ever since then, whenever he’s not at school, he goes down to Len’s workshop to watch them at work.’

  ‘And Granddad doesn’t mind?’

  ‘Far from it. Betty says he encourages him.’

  ‘Really? I thought he didn’t want anything to do with the evacuees.’

  ‘I think,’ Henrietta said slowly, ‘it’s because he found out that the boy’s name is Bernard.’

  ‘Ah, that would explain it. And how are those little twin girls whom Mrs Everton took? Dear me, I really must get out into the village more. With being so busy here on the estate and now that the boys don’t come riding any more on Saturdays, I seem so out of touch.’

  Henrietta’s face lit up. ‘Oh Daisy, you should see them. Mrs Everton has worked wonders. They’re well dressed and such pretty little girls. June and Joan, they’re called.’ Her face clouded for a moment. ‘The only thing that worries me is that Mrs Everton is besotted with them. How she’s going to be when they have to go back home, I daren’t think.’

  There was silence around the table for a few moments as they all finished eating.

  ‘Uncle George,’ Daisy asked, ‘I know you can’t say much, but can you tell me why on earth Russia invaded Finland at the end of November?’

  ‘Stalin says he needs part of Finland to defend Leningrad. They thought it would be a walkover, but they reckoned without the Finns’ ferocity.’

  ‘And where do you think Hitler will turn his attention next, then?’ Robert asked.

  ‘Sorry, that’s classified.’

  ‘Fair enough.’

  ‘I hope he won’t go for poor little Belgium again. They had more than enough last time.’

  Alice turned frightened eyes on Robert. ‘Oh no! What will happen to William and his family if he does?’

  As the women rose from the table, Henrietta said, ‘I hope you’ve all enjoyed your dinner because rationing of certain foods has already come into force and I understand that meat will be added to the list next month. The Government is stopping all slaughtering whilst it sets up a control scheme. Now, Alice – Daisy – we’ll go into the parlour. Join us when you’re ready, gentlemen.’

  As the door closed behind them, George said to Robert, ‘May I have a private word with you in your consulting room?’

  Robert glanced at him, for a moment startled by the request. ‘Of course. Will you excuse us, please, Father?’

  ‘Of course. In that case, I will join the ladies.’

  George seemed to hesitate for a moment before saying, ‘Perhaps it would be best if you came too.’

  ‘Really?’ Edwin frowned. ‘Is there something wrong, my boy? Medically, I mean.’

  ‘Oh no, nothing like that, but I think I should take you a little further into my confidence. I only asked for us to go into your consulting room because—’

  At that moment, Wainwright appeared in the room and George waved his hand towards him as if to indicate why he needed more privacy.

  ‘Ah, yes,’ Edwin said, rising from his chair. ‘I see. Wainwright, would you take the port and three glasses into Robert’s consulting room, and then you can clear in here?’

  ‘Very good, sir.’

  When they were seated in the room and the door firmly closed, George said, ‘First, I must impress upon you that this is top secret. You cannot tell anyone of this conversation – not even your wives. I suppose I really ought to get you to sign the Official Secrets Act before I say any more.’ He chuckled as he added, ‘But I’ll risk it. Have you heard of Bletchley Park?’

  Edwin and Robert exchanged a puzzled look. ‘No.’

  When George paused, Robert said quietly, ‘And that’s where Pips is?’

  ‘Yes. I recommended her for the work.’

  Both men gaped at him. ‘But you’ll hardly see her for the duration of the war.’

  A bleak look crossed George’s face. ‘I wasn’t seeing much of her even when she was in London. Not recently anyway. She’ll get time off and she’ll come home then, or we’ll meet up outside London. You see, there’s another reason I put her name forward. London will be a prime target for Hitler’s bombs. I wanted her safely out of the way.’

  ‘But you’ll still be there.’

  George shrugged. ‘As long as Pips is relatively safe.’

  ‘It’s always about Pips, isn’t it?’ Robert said softly. ‘You always put her first.’

  ‘Of course,’ George said, as if it was the most natural thing in the world. To him, it was. ‘I only wish I could think of some way to get Rebecca out of the city too, but I can’t. She’s determined to nurse and Matthew, well, of course he’s in the same line of work as me, though at the Foreign Office. And we can’t possibly leave.’

  ‘Well, thank you for telling us,’ Edwin said. ‘Of course, we give you our solemn promise not to say anything to anyone else, but please ask Pips to keep in touch with us whenever she can.’

  ‘And are you really all right about Daisy?’ George asked.

  ‘Yes – and no,’ Robert said. ‘Of course, I shall worry about her, but I’m proud of her too.’ He glanced at his father. ‘Now I know how Mother and Father felt in 1914 when Pips and I went to the front. But they didn’t try to stop us and nor will I try to prevent Daisy from doing what she feels she must.’

  ‘I feel responsible,’ George said. ‘After all, it was when she came to stay with us that she was introduced to flying.’

  Edwin and Robert both laughed. ‘Don’t blame yourself, George. If anyone was to blame for that, as you put it, it was Pips. Now, shall we join the ladies?’

  Twenty-Seven

  ‘Have you heard anything from Pauline Gower?’ Daisy asked on her weekly telephone call to Gill towards the end of the month.

  ‘Not a thing. I’m thinking of writing to her myself.’

  ‘So am I. Let’s do that, Gill. It can’t do any harm and she’ll see how keen we are.’

  ‘They might accept you because you already have a pilot’s licence, but I’ve got nothing – yet.’

  ‘How’s it going with Lord Bunny?’

  Daisy heard Gill’s chuckle down the wire. ‘Amazingly well. He’s arranged for me to have flying lessons locally with someone who’s a qualified instructor, so that I can get my licence. Dad’s going to pay for the lessons. My mum and dad have been so good about it all. What about yours?’

  ‘The same.’

  ‘Your granny’s not too mad at you for planning to leave her in the lurch?’

  Daisy giggled. ‘No, she understands.’

  ‘So,’ Gill said, as she ended the conversation, ‘let’s both write those letters.’

  Several weeks passed and still they heard nothing. Gill completed her training and applied for her pilot’s licence. ‘Now, we can go together,’ she told Daisy.

  ‘If we ever hear anything,’ was Daisy’s morose reply.

  ‘We’ll just have to be patient. The poor woman is probably inundated with nutcases like us wanting to fly her precious aeroplanes.’

  ‘Patience is not one of my virtues,’ Daisy retorted and they ended the call in a fit of the giggles.

  The whole country was shocked by Hitler’s swift advance through Western Europe. In April, his army invaded Denmark and Norway.

  Alice was tearful. ‘What will happen to William and his family if Hitler invades Belgium? Will they be taken prisoner? I mean, we won’t get any more letters now, will we? I won’t hear anything.’ William’s letters had been spasmodic of late and now Alice realized that she would probably not
receive any more.

  Robert put his arm around her and held her close. ‘We’ll ask George if he can find out anything for us. Besides, the Germans can’t take every Belgian prisoner.’

  Her eyes swimming with tears, Alice looked up at him. ‘But William’s British. They’ll think he’s a spy, or something.’

  ‘He’s lived there since the end of the last war, darling. He has a Belgian wife and family. Try not to worry. I think William will be quite safe.’

  On 10 May, a momentous day, the Dutch and Belgians fell to the German invaders and Winston Churchill became Prime Minister in Britain following Chamberlain’s resignation. He faced an uphill task, one that would involve some difficult and heartbreaking decisions, but his bulldog attitude and his patriotic speeches inspired everyone.

  ‘He’s the man for the job, no doubt about that,’ Robert said confidently when the news gave the Maitlands and all those around them hope for the future even though the war news only got worse.

  ‘The Germans have reached Amiens on the Somme,’ Robert said over the dinner table a few days later. His eyes met Alice’s gaze, as they both remembered the horrors they had witnessed.

  ‘Not again,’ Alice whispered. ‘What must the poor folk who live there be going through?’

  ‘It doesn’t bear thinking about,’ Robert said solemnly.

  ‘Now that is something else I could do,’ Edwin said.

  ‘No, you couldn’t. Not at your age. Old men running about with guns and bayonets. Don’t be ridiculous, Edwin.’

  ‘But it would give me a bit of exercise, Hetty, my love. And Conrad will be on hand. He’s going to be the captain, I think, because he served in the last war. And Sam is going to be his sergeant. I’ll be well looked after, I promise you. And I do so want to be involved in something useful.’

  Henrietta sighed and then asked, ‘What about Robert? Is he going to join this – whatever they’re calling it?’

  ‘The LDV – the Local Defence Volunteers. Didn’t you hear Anthony Eden’s broadcast just over a week ago asking for men not serving in the forces to form such units all over the country? The newspapers say there has been a magnificent response. But no, Robert doesn’t feel it’s for him.’ They were silent for a moment before Edwin added, ‘He’s going to offer his services as an air-raid warden in the village, though whether they’ll accept him or not, I don’t know.’