Wings of the Morning Page 9

  They hugged each other again and Annie headed back to her hut, packed her bag and hitched a lift to the railway station. All she knew was that she had to go to Stoke-on-Trent, where someone would be waiting to take her to her new posting in Cheadle.

  She had plenty of time to think during the journey and was excited at the prospect of doing the work for real, but also apprehensive, hoping she was good enough. Six months had been a very short time to learn everything about being a wireless operator, and mastering Morse code, and she hoped she wouldn’t make any blunders. It was going to be strange not having Dora around, but she’d soon make friends with the girls already at Cheadle. And there was another good thing about her posting; the journey from Cheadle to Wales should be fairly easy. She hadn’t seen the house yet, but it sounded cosy.

  As promised there was a truck waiting for her at the station. Annie was too excited to take much notice where they were going but she’d studied a map beforehand and she knew there was moorland not far away. As she loved walking there would be plenty of interesting places to discover in her spare time. Papers were checked as they arrived at the camp, and she was escorted to a hut. She unpacked her bag and looked around. It was rather spartan like most of the billets but it would be comfortable enough.

  She had stowed away her things in a tall cupboard by the bed, and was wondering what she should do next when a pretty WAAF walked into the hut, checked Annie’s badge, and held her hand out.

  ‘I’m Jean. Welcome to Cheadle Intercept Station. If you’re ready, I’ll take you to the ops room. I’ve been ordered to take you there as soon as you arrive.’ Jean gave Annie a curious look. ‘They’ve been waiting for you. Are you someone special?’

  ‘Me?’ Annie was surprised. ‘You must be mistaken.’

  ‘No, they’ve been anxious for you to get here.’ Jean led her to the operations room and Annie gazed around wide-eyed with excitement. It was a large room and filled with men and women, headphones clamped over their ears. No one looked up as Annie came in; they were all concentrating on the job they were doing. The officer-in-charge introduced himself as Group Captain Jones, and then led Annie to an empty place.

  She looked up at him, awaiting instructions.

  ‘Each day you will be given a certain frequency to work on.’ He wrote something down on the pad in front of her. ‘This is yours for today. Take down any Morse code messages you hear, then ring the bell and someone will take it from you to be deciphered.’

  She took a deep breath. ‘I understand, sir.’

  He held out the headset to her. ‘We have received good reports about your abilities, and I hope to God that’s correct because we badly need you.’

  ‘I won’t let you down,’ she said quietly. Praying that she was right to sound so confident. This was her first time doing the job for real; her heart was fluttering badly. She told herself that she must remember her training and concentrate as hard as she could.

  He nodded grimly and strode away.

  It wasn’t until Annie was relieved four hours later that she realized just how hungry she was. She took the headphones off and smiled, feeling elated. She had managed to pick up several messages. She had no idea what was in them, of course, as everything was in code, but it was interesting work, and there was always the excitement of wondering if it was something really important.

  Jean was waiting outside the door for her. ‘I’ll take you to the mess.’

  ‘Thanks.’ Annie smiled at the girl. ‘Are you a wireless operator as well?’

  ‘No,’ she said and laughed. ‘I’m not clever enough for that; my job’s in the office and running errands.’

  Annie fell into step beside her. ‘Do you know a cipher officer by the name of Graham?’

  Jean shook her head. ‘The name’s familiar, but I don’t think he’s here.’

  Annie was disappointed; she had thought there was a good chance of Jack being stationed here, and she would love to see him again. She’d missed him dreadfully; the fact that she hadn’t had a letter or phone call from him had been upsetting. He’d said he wouldn’t be able to contact her, but that was hard to believe. It was obvious that he had cut her out of his life, and that hurt.

  ‘Hello, Sam,’ Jean said, as they sat opposite him. ‘This is Annie, and she’s asking about a cipher officer called Graham.’

  Sam shook hands with her. He was a striking-looking man; around thirty or more, she guessed. His hair was a sandy colour and eyes a deep grey.

  ‘What’s his first name?’

  ‘Jack, Jack Graham.’

  His gaze held hers but it was hooded, blank. ‘Sorry, never heard of him.’

  He was lying, but why? However, a lot of these people were engaged in very secret work, so she didn’t probe any further. She knew there was another place called Bletchley because they’d considered sending her there, but changed their minds at the last minute. She’d heard it referred to as Station X. Very cryptic, but Jack was most likely there.

  ‘Never mind.’ She smiled. ‘He recruited me, that’s all, and I thought he might be here.’

  ‘She’s special.’ Jean winked at Sam. ‘They’ve been on tenterhooks waiting for her to arrive.’

  Sam’s cup clattered back into the saucer and he straightened up. ‘Of course, you must be Ann Webster, I should have realized …’

  ‘I wish someone would tell me what this is all about.’ She was becoming rattled by now. What was going on?

  The man on the other side of the table studied her intently, and then gave a very slight shake of his head. ‘You look too delicate – ’

  ‘I’m stronger than I look, but what’s that got to do with my job? And you haven’t answered my question.’ She understood the need for secrecy but someone should tell her what this was all about!

  ‘Ah, yes, why have we been waiting for you? Well, the answer to that is simple. You speak French and German, and you are a good operator; we are short of people with your qualifications. We are delighted to have you here, Ann Webster.’ He smiled, stood up and walked away, effectively putting an end to the conversation.

  Annie watched him in disbelief. The man wasn’t telling the truth, of that she was sure. However, half an hour later she was back on duty with no time to ponder the mystery, and it was midnight before she finished. They were on eight-hour shifts and they’d put her to work as soon as she’d arrived, not giving her a chance to settle in. Good job Jean had been there to show her around or she would have been wandering about lost. As she crawled into bed she was exhausted but quite pleased with herself. She felt as if she was doing something positive at last.

  Her mind raced around for a while, denying her much needed sleep, but eventually she began to relax, listening to the other nine girls in the hut fidgeting. One right down the other end was snoring, but the sounds didn’t disturb her. It was surprising how quickly she had become used to sharing a barren hut with lots of girls she’d never met before. She often remembered the fun they’d had on their first day in the WAAF when she had met Dora. What a good friend she had turned out to be.

  As she drifted off to sleep, her thoughts lingered on her family, as they always did at the end of each day, and she prayed silently for Bill, Charlie, Will, Paul and all the pilots, not forgetting every other member of her family. Her loved ones were scattered around fighting for their freedom. It was clear now that Germany hadn’t invaded because they were trying to destroy the air defences first. If they succeeded then God knows what awaited this country and its people.

  In the seconds before sleep claimed her she thought about the man she’d met today. He was strange and she had been shocked when Jean had spoken to him in that casual way. You salute a group captain, not plonk yourself down at his table and call him Sam! It was unbelievable, but he hadn’t seemed at all perturbed. He was clearly right when he’d told her they needed operators, so perhaps she had made more of their conversation than she should have.

  She smiled to herself as she remembered her silly su
spicions. Sam, whoever he was, had no reason to lie to her.

  8

  ‘Look at that, do you see them?’

  ‘There’s hundreds of the sods!’

  ‘I see them,’ Reid said, estimating that they were outnumbered by at least ten to one, and there wasn’t anything in the manual to cover this situation.

  Someone gave a tight laugh. ‘Where do we start?’

  Reid took a deep breath. Oh what the hell! ‘They’re all yours, lads,’ he called, then shot through the middle of the formation, firing all the time. He hit one Dornier, then banked, missing another by feet, and hurtled out the other side. Turning, he saw one going down, two more on fire, and a Spitfire with smoke pouring out of it; the pilot was already floating down. The planes of his squadron were buzzing in and out of the German bombers like pesky flies; ones with a deadly sting.

  It was a wild battle, the third one that day. Reid, like the rest of his squadron, was numb with fatigue but determined to inflict as much damage as they could, whatever the cost.

  His ground crew were waiting for him as usual when he landed, and set to work immediately to get the Spitfire ready to fly again.

  Reid watched the planes straggle back. One was coming in without the undercarriage down, and a gaping hole in the fuselage. It shaved the trees, leapfrogged over a fuel truck and hit the field, tearing along sideways. He jumped on to a lorry heading for the plane. When they reached it he leapt on the wing before it had even stopped. Another man joined him and they wrenched open the canopy, dragging the pilot free.

  Reid swore fluently. ‘Bouncer! I might have known it was you.’

  His friend grinned. ‘Wow! That was what you’d call a bumpy landing,’ he exclaimed, wiping oil and dirt from his streaked face.

  ‘You crazy bastard, why didn’t you bail out?’

  ‘Wanted to save something of the plane if I could.’ He pointed to the fitters now swarming over it. ‘See, they’re already after it for spares.’

  ‘You’re more valuable than a few spare parts,’ he exploded.

  ‘That’s jolly decent of you to say so, Reid, but you know how I feel about throwing myself out of a plane with only a scrap of silk between me and the ground.’ He shuddered.

  ‘You’re going to get yourself killed one day,’ Reid muttered.

  Bouncer shrugged and looked totally unconcerned. ‘If Jerry keeps this up for too long, I think we all will.’

  Someone shouted and Reid looked up to see one plane coming in on fire, and they watched helplessly as it exploded before it hit the ground. Neither man said anything; they would find out soon enough who it had been. There was now another gap in their ranks, and another family to mourn the loss of a son or husband. Dear God, he prayed, please don’t let this misery be in vain. Make something good come out of the sacrifices.

  They hardly had time to grab a cup of tea before they were scrambled again. Two hours later, Reid slumped on his bed.

  ‘I’ve brought you a sandwich and a mug of tea, sir.’ The orderly was standing beside the bed.

  ‘Put it on the table,’ he muttered, and closed his eyes.

  ‘Take your boots off, sir. You’ll be more comfortable.’

  ‘Might have to scramble again.’

  ‘That’s unlikely, sir. It’s nine o’clock and the light’s failing.’

  ‘Good Lord, is it?’ Reid opened one eye. ‘What’s the date today?’

  ‘August 15th, sir.’

  ‘Ah, one to remember, eh?’ Then he was asleep.

  Annie stepped out into the night air and took a deep breath.

  ‘Hard day?’ asked someone beside her.

  She started. ‘Oh, I didn’t see you there, Sam?’

  ‘Just come out for a breath myself.’

  ‘I’ve been so busy I haven’t heard any news today, though I know something has been going on.’ The airwaves had been buzzing all day. ‘Do you have any details?’

  ‘Jerry’s been coming over in waves, but he’s suffered heavy losses.’

  ‘What about us?’ she asked anxiously.

  ‘Quite a few fighters have been shot down. I don’t have the exact figure yet, but it isn’t nearly as bad as the Germans. So they tell us.’ Sam sounded sceptical.

  Annie’s insides tightened at this news. Everyone was doubtful about the figures announced every night on the nine o’clock news. Our losses were always less than the Germans, but how accurate were they? ‘I’ve got a friend who’s a fighter pilot,’ she told him. ‘I hope he’s all right.’

  ‘What’s his name and where is he stationed?’

  ‘Pilot Officer Paul Lascells, and he’s stationed at Biggin Hill.’

  Sam ground out his cigarette with the toe of his shoe. ‘Stay here, I’ll go and see what I can find out. Won’t be long.’

  As he disappeared back inside she couldn’t help wondering, once again, who this man was? He was clearly a man with secrets, and expert at keeping them. He had a quiet air of authority about him and he was indeed an officer. But she hadn’t found out what he did or how he fitted into the set-up here. His attitude to everyone was very informal and friendly.

  He soon returned, but didn’t speak until he had lit another fag, then he drew deeply on it and smiled at her. ‘You can stop worrying; he’s all right.’

  ‘Thank heavens for that!’ She felt herself relax. ‘Thank you for checking.’

  ‘No trouble.’ He gave her a studied look, his eyes glinting in the gloom. ‘Means a lot to you, does he?’

  ‘Yes, I’ve known him a long time and he’s a nice man.’

  ‘Nice? That doesn’t sound like a lover talking.’

  ‘We’re friends, Sam,’ she said, surprised. It wasn’t like him to start asking personal questions.

  ‘Ah, no big romance, then?’

  ‘Not on my part.’ Annie tried to see his expression but his face was in shadow, and his voice gave nothing away. The questions were being thrown at her in a casual way, but she had the feeling that this wasn’t idle conversation. In fact, she was certain that Sam never did or said anything unless he had a good reason for it.

  He nodded as if satisfied with her answer. ‘I was told there are two Lascellses, and one is a squadron leader.’

  ‘That’s Paul’s elder brother, Reid. Is he all right?’ she asked quickly, feeling guilty for not enquiring about him sooner. She didn’t know him but he was loved and respected by Paul.

  ‘Yes, he’s survived this day as well, but they’ve had a tough time, and I fear this is only the build up for a more intensified attack on the country.’

  ‘A prelude to invasion?’ she asked.

  ‘Hard to say, but if the air force can hold out …’ He shrugged. ‘Who knows?’

  ‘And can they, do you think?’ She didn’t know why but she felt she could talk to Sam; the fact that he was an officer didn’t seem to matter. She wouldn’t dream of being this familiar with any of the others, men or women. This man was an enigma and she was deeply curious about him.

  He drew on his cigarette again, watching the smoke curling past his face. ‘I believe they can if this kind of intensive attack doesn’t last too long.’

  Annie’s heart reached out to all the pilots. They were in a frantic fight but they were giving the army time to regroup and rearm after Dunkirk. All the heavy equipment had been left behind on the beaches. All that stood between this country and the Germans were the exhausted pilots. ‘They must be so weary.’

  ‘No doubt.’

  ‘I heard that Croydon was bombed today; is that true?’

  ‘Yes, quite a few casualties, I believe.’

  ‘Do you think London will be next?’ It was her turn to quiz him; he was obviously well informed.

  ‘Yes, I think it will.’ Sam stubbed out his fag. ‘What time are you on duty again?’

  ‘Six hundred hours.’

  ‘Then I suggest you grab a few hours’ sleep, because I don’t think any of us are going to get much rest during the next few weeks.’
<
br />   Annie yawned. ‘You’re right. Goodnight, Sam, thank you for checking on the Lascellses for me.’

  A light flared briefly as he lit another cigarette. ‘Night. And by the way, you are doing a good job.’

  ‘Thank you.’ She started to walk away, then stopped and turned to face him. ‘Why does everyone call you Sam?’

  ‘That’s my name.’

  She gave an exasperated sigh. ‘I know that, but I’ve never heard anyone call you sir, and yet you are an officer. And you seem to know a great deal, so just who are you?’

  ‘No one you need be concerned about, Ann Webster. Yet.’

  Information was a precious commodity, and in a quiet way the wireless operators were in the front line as well. Annie’s hours on duty were long, and although she was fully aware of the seriousness of the war she was rather insulated in her operations room. There hadn’t been time for leave or even a night out at the local pub. When she did finally get to leave her post all she wanted to do was sleep. She’d hardly had time to see Jean, who had become a firm friend, but they did manage to grab a meal together now and again.

  Annie decided to make one more sweep of her frequency for that day when something came through her headset. It was very faint and interference from a radio station made it even more difficult, so she pressed her headset close to her ears in an effort to hear. The message started to come through but she could only get part of it. Damn!

  Sitting back, she snatched off the headset and rang the bell. ‘I couldn’t get it all, there was too much interference,’ she apologized to the officer who collected it from her, ready to be sent with the next despatch rider to the deciphering unit.

  Annie put the headphones back on and settled down again, hoping she was going to be relieved soon. She was dying for a cup of tea and her ears were ringing. Even when she took the headphones off she could still hear the bleeping of Morse code in her head.

  It was lunchtime the next day when Sam came and sat beside her. ‘We want you to see if you can pick up another message from the sender you found last night. Do you think you can find him again?’