Chapter 5 Elsie
Elsie
I wrote to Violet’s children the next day, sitting in the staffroom at work watching out of the window as porters put new beds into the huts they’d built in the grounds of the hospital.
‘Your mother was worried you’d wonder why she wasn’t writing, so I wanted to let you know she is all right. I’ll write again when I know where she is and you can send her all your news,’ I wrote.
I checked my watch. I had a while before my shift began; I’d come to work early in an attempt to avoid Jackson. I didn’t want to be rude to him, but I didn’t want to see him either.
I put the letter into an envelope and sealed it, then I wrote the address on the front, checking it carefully to make sure I’d not spelled the unfamiliar Welsh words wrong.
I intended to post it on my way home, so I put it into my locker for now.
Then, still with time to kill, I wandered over to the window, watching the activity below.
The new huts would give us another two wards, judging by the size of them.
I wondered if we’d get more nurses to cover them, or if we’d all be spread even thinner.
‘They’re for soldiers,’ said a voice behind me. I turned to see Nelly, her cheeks flushed.
‘Where have you been, Nell?’ I’d not seen her since yesterday. I gave her a good-natured shove. ‘I was worried.’
‘Were you?’ She clutched her chest dramatically. ‘Sure that’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me.’
I made a face. ‘Well, maybe not worried. Interested.’
Nelly stuck her tongue out at me. And I laughed, pretending to think. ‘Actually, interested is a bit strong. Mildly distracted maybe.’
‘So you don’t want to know where I was?’
I feigned indifference for about three seconds, then caved. ‘Well of course I do,’ I said, clutching her arm. ‘Were you with Dr Barnet?’
‘I was,’ she said. ‘He’s a dream.’
‘He’s a rat.’
‘I’m not marrying the fella. He’s just a bit of fun.’
‘Really?’ I said doubtfully, because the look in her eyes told me otherwise.
‘He says he’s never met anyone like me before.’
‘Since the last girl.’
She prodded me. ‘Ah stop it, will you? He’s a good man.’
‘With a terrible reputation.’
Nelly rolled her eyes. ‘He gave me a book.’
‘A book?’
‘Of poems.’ She looked triumphant. ‘Love poems.’
‘Bleurgh.’
‘You have a heart of stone, Elsie Watson.’
‘Is he coming to the dance?’
‘He’s swapped his shift,’ she said in triumph. ‘Because of me.’
I was a bit disappointed because I wanted to have fun with Nelly at the dance, not spend the whole night feeling like a gooseberry, but I didn’t say anything because movement down below caught my eye. ‘Look,’ I said. ‘They’re taking in the bedclothes. The patients must be arriving soon.’
‘Already? Can you see them? Are they soldiers?’
I laughed at her eager expression. ‘Aren’t you supposed to be swooning over Dr Barnet?’
‘Hedging my bets,’ she said, shoving me out of the way so she could see out of the window.
‘Nurse Watson and Nurse Malone?’
We both stood to attention as Matron appeared in the doorway. ‘Nice to see you here so early. Do you have some time before your shifts begin?’
‘We do,’ I said, nodding.
‘Then could you go down to the huts please? The patients are arriving and the beds aren’t yet made. It’s all hands on deck to get things ready.’
‘Of course,’ I said as Nelly added: ‘Absolutely.’
‘Thank you.’ She gave us both a small smile as we passed her in the doorway. ‘Airmen,’ she said. ‘There was a bomb at Biggin Hill.’
‘Lord, was it bad?’
Matron nodded. ‘Quite a few killed as far as I know. We mostly have the walking wounded though.’
I felt dizzy for a second thinking about the loss of those lives. Men cut down before they even got started living. I steadied myself on the doorframe and Nelly, bless her, obviously realising how I felt, took my arm and hurried me down the corridor.
‘Airmen,’ she said, as we went, fanning herself with her hand.
‘Nelly Malone, you are incorrigible.’ But I was laughing. I was so grateful to her for being there and letting me lean on her – physically and mentally.
‘They’ll be fun to have around.’
‘They’re injured, Nelly.’
‘Ah didn’t Matron say they were the walking wounded? They’ll be up for some fun, I’ve no doubt.’
She was right. The airmen were arriving as we were making the beds, tossing pillows and sheets to each other in well-practised fashion.
They were battered and bruised, there was no doubt.
I heard someone say they’d been dug out from under the rubble and it was clear they’d been through the wringer.
Some of them were on crutches, some had broken limbs – quite a few had both arms broken.
A few were quiet and still, lying on trolleys outside the hut while they waited for their beds to be ready.
They were accompanied by a handful of Red Cross nurses who were efficient and jolly and who, they assured us, would be looking after this bit of the hospital.
As Nelly had predicted, most of the patients were in good spirits. Shouting support as we threw bundles of bedding to each other and spread sheets smooth, and making cheeky comments whenever one of us bent over.
‘We’ll have none of that, thank you,’ said one of the Red Cross nurses firmly, removing a wandering hand from her behind. ‘You behave as though we were all your mothers or your sisters, or we’ll turf you out on the streets and see how well you fare left to your own devices.’
‘Sorry,’ the airman muttered, looking suitably chastened. I felt a bit sorry for him. He was so young, and one side of his face was in shreds – bandaged but clearly causing him a lot of pain.
‘Here, your bed’s ready,’ I said, pulling back the sheets and helping him up. The whole side of his body was bandaged but I could see blood seeping through. I caught the eye of the Red Cross matron and she gave me a little nod to show she knew.
‘Thanks, Nurse,’ the airman said. I plumped up the pillow behind him and resisted the urge to pull him into a hug.
These lads had given so much. Just like my Billy.
And they may have been in good spirits now, giddy with the adrenaline of being survivors.
But I knew that when darkness fell the nightmares would come.
Or the guilt of having made it out alive when so many others – so many of their friends – hadn’t.
So I didn’t hug the lad, but I smiled at him and he smiled back.
‘Did you write to those kids?’ Nelly asked me as we moved on to making up the next bed.
‘I did. I’ll post it on the way home tomorrow morning.’
‘That’s a good thing you’ve done there,’ she said, shaking out a sheet and deftly folding it under the end of the bed. ‘Getting that message will mean so much to them.’
‘Did you send someone a message?’ asked the cheeky airman. ‘Could you send one for me?’
‘You can send your own, you lazy oaf,’ I said.
‘I can’t,’ another airman said. He was being helped into bed by one of the Red Cross nurses. He had both arms in plaster and one leg was bandaged too. ‘Is that what you do? You write messages for people?’
‘No,’ I said. ‘I did it for one patient who needed to let her kids know where she was.’
‘But you could do it for me?’ he said. ‘Just a quick note for my mum? They’ll have told her about the bomb and she’ll be so worried.
’ He had a nice face, this chap. Warm and friendly, with furrows between his brows.
‘My uncle was killed, you see? Her brother. Last time round. She’ll be thinking the worst.’
I felt myself soften at the thought of his poor mother worrying, so I checked my watch. ‘I can’t do it now because my shift is about to start,’ I said. ‘But you’ll be here a while, I assume? I’ll come back and you can tell me what to write.’
‘Would you really?’ He gave me a beaming smile that made my stomach turn over in a rather pleasing way. ‘Promise?’
‘What’s your name?’ I asked.
‘Harry.’
‘I promise, Harry.’
‘What about me?’ Across the hut, another man was looking concerned. ‘Could I write something?’
‘Well, of course you can. That’s nothing to do with me,’ I said. He was one of the less injured men, with just cuts and bruises as far as I could see.
‘I know. But I’ll be going back before I know it, won’t I?’
‘And?’
‘And when the bomb hit, I thought about all the stuff I’d not said.
All the things I wanted to tell my wife, and my dad.
Even my sister. I had so much I wanted to say to her.
I just thought maybe I could write it down for you and I don’t know, perhaps you could keep it safe.
Just in case …’ He rubbed his nose. ‘Nah forget it. I’m just being sentimental, that’s all. ’
I sat down on the edge of the cheeky airman’s bed, clutching a bundle of sheets. Nearby Nelly stood, watching me carefully. ‘No, you’re not,’ I said in a slightly shaky voice. ‘I think that’s a lovely idea.’
Suddenly there was a clamour of voices.
‘My house was bombed and I don’t know where my wife is. Can you get a message to her?’
‘I want to write down what happened before I forget everything. For my kids to read later.’
‘Can you get a letter to my girl?’
And then the sentimental chap spoke up, his voice clear over the hubbub. ‘Will you help us?’
‘What’s your name?’ Nelly said to him.
‘Davey.’
‘Davey, we’re really busy as you can imagine. But I promise, Elsie and I will do whatever we can.’
‘We will,’ I agreed. ‘Honestly.’
I met her glance over the bed and she smiled at me. ‘It’s important,’ she said.
*