The Girl from Mile End. Ch 19.

WAAF=Women's Auxiliary Air Force. MT=Motor Transport. ACW2=Aircraftwoman 2nd Class. LACW=Leading Aircraftwoman. LAC=Leading Aircraftman. SWO=Station Warrant Officer. CO=Commanding Officer.

Chapter 19

I looked at Bobby standing there in a Wild West cowboy outfit, complete with a big hat, holster, and what I assumed were fake guns.

         “Elsie, what a nice surprise,” he said.

         I couldn’t help myself and I burst out laughing.

         It seemed to be contagious as Bobby laughed as well.

         “What the hell are you doing, Bobby?”

         “It’s the country and western afternoon at the football club. They have it once a month.”

         “I thought you were working this afternoon?”

         “Not till half past three.”

         There was a knock on the door and a young lady walked in dressed as a squaw complete with a feather to the back of her head and war paint stripes across her cheeks. “Oh, I didn’t know you had company,” she said.

         “Elsie, this is Annette,” Bobby said. “She lives in the rooms opposite.”

         “So you are, Elsie,” she said. “It’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard so much about you.”

         “Good things I hope,” I said.

         “Of course. Are you coming to the Wild West Hoedown with us?”

         “No, I don’t think so,” I said.

         “Come on, Elsie,” Bobby said. “It’s great fun; you’ll love it.”

         “I’m not really in the mood, and I have to get back to the depot soon,” I lied. With the news about Kathy I was not really in a party mood.

         “We better get a move on,” Annette said.

         We walked down to the street. “Don’t forget our date on Sunday,” Bobby said. He kissed my cheek and they walked off one way and I went the other way.

         I thought I might as well walk the wall as my sergeant had suggested. As I walked around the wall I started thinking about Annette. She was very attractive and I wondered if I should be worried. But they lived in the same house and were only going out as friends. If they had anything serious going between them she would surely not have been happy about him dating me on Sunday. No, I have male friends, so there’s nothing wrong with him having female friends. But still it played on my mind. I’m on my own and he is out to a Country and Western party with an attractive young woman who lives just across the hall from him.

         I got to the part of the wall that towers above the river. I looked ahead and saw the Queens Park Bridge. The thought of Kathy jumping from it horrified me and I felt bad because it was me who introduced her to Mark. I turned and walked away from the wall and decided to go back to Northgate Station for the train back to camp.

         It was mid day when I got back and I went into the mess for my lunch. As I was walking in, Colin and Mark were walking out. I decided to confront Mark and I stopped in front of them. “Do you know Kathy tried to kill herself this morning because of you?”

         “Nothing to do with me,” Mark said.

         “Nothing to do with you. You made her pregnant and you say it’s nothing to do with you?”

         “I didn’t make her pregnant. One of the dozen or so airmen she dropped her drawers for made her pregnant, not me.”

         How dare he say that about that lovely young girl? I have never felt so angry in my life. My mind was in a turmoil. I suddenly thought of the Girl from Glasgow punching Corporal Coutts on the nose back in my training days. Why not, I thought. I punched him with a force that surprised me as much as it did him. He didn’t go over but I had busted his nose and the blood was pouring down.

         Unfortunately, two RAF Police corporals were in the mess and they dashed over. One took Mark to sick quarters and the other took me to the guardroom. I was charged and put in a cell. I was worried about what would happen to me. Would I be thrown out of the WAAF, sent to a military prison or worse. I hated being in this cell. I have never been locked away before and it frightened me as my mind feared the worst. An hour later I was let out to stand before the RAF Police sergeant.

         “Right, Godsalve, court marshal has been considered but has been dismissed. I have spoken to the Station Warrant Officer and you are to stand before the Station Commander tomorrow morning at 0900 hours. You will report to the SWO’s office not less than fifteen minutes before that time. Do you understand?”

         “Yes, Sergeant.”

         “Your MT Officer and your Section Officer have been notified. Now get the hell out of here and keep away from Airman Wallace or you will be back in the cell.”

         I made my way to the section. I was worrying about appearing before the station commander tomorrow but I was more worried about what my sergeant would say. I tried to sneak past the control room but he walked out as I was approaching.

         “Godsalve.”

         “Yes, sergeant.” Here it comes, I thought.

         “You have been a silly girl. But knowing what has gone on, you’ll get no crap from me, for two reasons. One, I admire the way you have shown support for your friend, and two, I can do without a bloody nose.” The sergeant laughed.

         In all the time I have been here this is the very first time that I have seen the sergeant laugh. “Thank you, sergeant,” I said.

         I walked into the driver’s room. Jane and Eve were in there with a few of the other drivers and they all cheered and started singing, “for she’s a jolly good fellow.” It choked me up and a huge grin lit up my face.

         The next morning I was marched at breakneck speed along the corridor to the Station Commander’s office. The SWO knocked on the door and waited for the enter command. He opened the door. “LACW 167 Godsalve, sir.” He stood back and I was escorted in by two of the RAF Police corporals.

         I was not unknown to the Station Commander as I had been his driver on many occasions. I was surprised to see my Section Officer sitting in there, but perhaps it was normal if a WAAF was on a charge.

         “Assault is a very serious offence, Godsalve,” he said. “I have read the report. Do you want to accept my punishment or do you wish to go to Court marshal?”

         A silly question but part of the procedure, I suppose. “I will accept your punishment, sir.”

         “You are confined to camp for seven days and you are to spend the evenings working in the airmen’s mess. Usually in an offence like this I would reduce the LAC’s to AC2’s but due to your exemplary service record you can keep your rank.” He turned to my Section Officer. “Have you any comments, Marion?”

         “Yes, sir,” she said. “I could use a night duty WAAF in the admin office for a week. It would help me if I could have Godsalve instead of sending her to the mess kitchen.”

         “All right, that’s the WAAF admin room instead of the airman’s mess. Do you accept my punishment, Godsalve?”

         “Yes, sir, thank you, sir.”

         I was glad that was over, the worst thing was being confined to camp for seven days. I would miss my date with Bobby and I had no way of letting him know.

         That night I got to the WAAF admin office at five o’clock.

         “Right, Godsalve, this is a sheet that sets out information you may need. The most important, the front door is to be closed at ten o’clock. Let the WAAFs in unrecorded until eleven. After that if they have not got good reason, they are to be entered in the late arrivals book and I will take any action as I see fit in the morning. The office is to be cleaned up ready for the next day. The telephone is for service calls only. Don’t let any unauthorised people use the telephone and remember that all calls from here are monitored. Over here, she walked to a door and showed me a small room with a single bed. You can go to bed after midnight but remember that you may be woken by the bell at any time. If you are, put the names in the late arrivals book regardless of the reason. I have spoken to the MT Officer and you are to be here at 1700hrs to take over from the ACW2 whether I am here or not. Any Questions?”

         “Is any action being taken against Mark Wallace, Ma’am?”

         “There is no evidence that Wallace has done anything wrong. But I have friends in the right places and LAC Wallace will soon be on his way to Europe.”

         I knew that this was going to a very boring week. I had my book and even cleaning up the office is better than just sitting here. The only good thing; every time a WAAF comes in or goes out they would give me a friendly acknowledgment. It seems that I have become very popular after punching Mark on the nose.

         The worst thing about the boredom is that my mind wanders to upsetting thoughts. I am worried about Kathy, of course but there are also other things on my mind. I am missing Bobby and won’t see him for a week and he might get the wrong idea when I don’t turn up for our date. Then there is Annette. He assured me she is just a friend, but could that change if I’m not around. It was to be a long night.

         At a quarter past twelve the bell started to ring. I got out of bed and went to the door and looked through the spy hole. It was Jane and Eve and I opened the door. “Where have you two been till now?” I said.

         “We went to a ballroom in Covent Garden. It was brilliant but we had to rush to get the last train back here. You’ll have to come with us next time.”

         “I’ll look forward to that, “I said, but I was not all that keen. “You best get to bed in case someone comes.”

         “Will you have to book us, only we will get charged again if you do?”

         “What, have you done this before?”

         “Only once.”

         “I’ll accidently forget to put it into the book. Now good night, I want to go to bed even if you don’t.”

         “You’re a good friend,” Eve said, and the girls giggled off to their room.

         I was woken up at four in the morning. I had to open the door for two girls who were going to work at the underground bunker and it was not worth going back to bed as the Tannoy would be playing at five and I would have to open the doors up.

         I had breakfast and got to the section at eight o’clock. I was hoping for a job so that I could divert to Bobby’s house and if he was in I could explain and if not, I could leave a message with the landlady. I was in the driver’s room with Mick and two other drivers when the office corporal walked in.

         “Can you do the run to Bentley Priory, Mick?”

         “I’ll do that, Corporal,” I said.

         He gave a laugh. “No you won’t, Elsie. You’re confined to camp.”

         “But I thought that was only when I was off duty.”

         “Well, it’s not. You are only allowed to drive on the camp, they won’t even let you past the guardroom.”

         “That’s not fair,” I said.

         “Well, you shouldn’t go around punching people on the nose then.”

         “You watch I don’t punch you on the nose,” I said, and everybody laughed including the corporal and me.

         That evening I was at the admin office at five o’clock as instructed. The Section Officer was at her desk.

         “You disappoint me, Godsalve.”

         “Ma’am?”

         “Do you think that two girls from MT climbed into the building through a window last night?”

         “I shouldn’t think so Ma’am.”

         “Well, your two friends from MT were booked in at the guard room at five past midnight last night. Yet they are not recorded in the late arrivals book here. Explain to me how you think they got into the building?”

The Girl From Mile End. Ch20.  (18+) The girls celebrate VJ Day. #2291722 by Bruce.