Annie Groves - A Mother’s Blessing

‘Would you believe it?’ June complained. ‘Frank’s put in his letter that he’s worried about his mam being on her own. What about me?’

‘He knows that you’ve got me and Dad,’ Molly reminded her.

‘Yoo-hoo …’

Elsie Fowler edged her way through the convenient gap in the hedge that divided their small back gardens.

‘Seein’ as how I haven’t seen much of either of youse just lately, I thought as how I’d call round, like, with these,’ she told them, handing Molly a bunch of sweetpeas. ‘For yer mam for tomorrow,’ she explained gently.

Emotionally, Molly hugged her and thanked her. She had to remind herself that Elsie must miss her old friend too.

‘How are the boys?’

‘They’re fine, and you’ll never guess what? Remember our Eddie, our nephew what used to come and stay wi’ us when he were a kiddie, before his dad passed away and his mam took him back wi’ her to Morecambe to her family? Well, his mam died last winter, and he called round here last night to ask if he can lodge wi’ us. Took us right by surprise, he did. Not that we wasn’t glad to see him. He’s in the merchant navy now, I think I told you, and with both his mam and dad gone, it makes sense for him to be here in Liverpool wi’ us.’

‘Of course I remember him,’ Molly smiled. ‘He used to protect me when the others tried to put worms down my back. I’m sorry to hear he’s lost his mam, Elsie.’

‘Aye, well, it’s a mercy, if you ask me. She never got over losing our Jack, and she’d bin poorly for a good while, from what I heard. Not that she bothered to keep in touch wi’ us much once she went back to her own folk. Eddie now, well, I’ve allus had a soft spot for him. The spittin’ image of me own dad, he is,’ she added with a fond smile. ‘I told him he could bring his kitbag round here as soon as he liked, just as long as he doesn’t mind sleeping in our boxroom. Have you heard from Frank and Johnny yet?’

‘We got letters today,’ Molly told her, ‘but we don’t know yet when they’ll get any leave.’

‘I dare say they won’t be able to send word right away, but from what Sally Walker was saying, they should get some as soon as their training’s finished, so you’d best hurry and get that wedding dress made, young June.’

‘Well, we won’t be doing that tonight,’ June informed her, giving Molly a black look. ‘Our Molly’s off to join the WVS.’

‘Good for you, love! There’s two or three from the cul-de-sac joined up to it already, and I was thinking of doing the same meself, only with John and Jim working shifts on the gridiron an’ all, it’s a bit difficult.’

Molly looked quickly at her sister, hoping that Elsie’s endorsement might make June change her mind, but she could see from her set expression that she was not going to allow herself to be coaxed into that.

‘I won’t be there very long, June,’ Molly told her. ‘We can have a look at the pattern when I get back, if you like.’

‘There’s no need for you to go putting yourself out on my account. Anyway, I’ve changed me mind and I’m going to spend the evening writing back to me fiancé,’ she added pointedly, going back into the house.

‘Perhaps she’s right, and I shouldn’t join the WVS.’ Molly looked at Elsie unhappily.

Elsie snorted. ‘Tek no notice of your June. If you want my opinion she’s just feeling a bit put out, like, because you’re doing sommat wi’out her having told you to do it. She’ll come round. You wait and see.’

Molly reminded herself of Elsie’s comforting words later that evening in the church hall whilst her head buzzed with all the information she had just been given.

According to Mrs Wesley, who was in charge of their local WVS group, the basic training members of the WVS would have to undergo, and the list of duties they could expect to be called upon to provide, included co-operating with ARP wardens and local authority services; organising and undergoing lectures for women in first aid; anti-gas and fire-fighting skills; manning of incident enquiry posts; co-operating in invasion defence schemes; staffing ARP canteens; feeding civil defence workers after raids; being trained to drive emergency vehicles; assisting in staffing NFS and police canteens; making and sewing sandbags; and all aspects of evacuation, including escorting, sick-bay duties, running communal feeding centres, hotels and social centres. They were to provide staff for mobile office units and train as volunteers for emergency work, and a whole list of other duties so long that Molly was afraid she wouldn’t be able to remember them all. Following the example of the girl standing next to her, she had put her name down for as many of the training programmes as she thought she would be able to do.

‘Molly!’

She turned round, smiling as she saw a girl hurrying towards her in her uniform.

‘So you came then? I’m so glad. I’m Anne – we met at the gas mask collection, remember?’

Molly nodded. ‘I’m never going to be able to remember all that we’re supposed to learn to do.’

‘Yes, you will. I’ll help you,’ Anne told her stoutly. ‘I’m going to go and put my name down for the driving lessons – why don’t you do the same?’

‘Oh, I couldn’t,’ Molly protested. She hadn’t even been in a car, never mind thought of learning to drive.

‘Yes, you can,’ Anne overruled her. ‘Besides, it’s our duty to do as much as we can.’ She added more seriously, ‘It’s like Mrs Wesley just said: we’ve all got to remember that our help could make the difference between life and death.’

Molly looked at her uncertainly, uncomfortably aware of how June was likely to react to the news that she was planning to learn to drive.

‘I won’t take no for an answer,’ Anne warned her. ‘It would be marvellous if both of us could drive, and much more fun than unravelling old jumpers and making sandbags.’ Anne pulled a face, and suddenly Molly found herself relaxing and laughing whilst her new friend dragged her over to sign up for driving lessons.

‘I’m dreading this evacuation business we’ve got to help out with,’ she admitted to Anne later.

‘It will be a bit like jumping into one of the docks at the deep end,’ Anne agreed, ‘but it’s got to be done. We can’t have all those little ones at risk of being bombed, can we?’

The meeting had gone on longer than Molly had expected, and she hurried past the scout hut and across the main road after saying goodbye to Anne, who had explained that she lived in Wavertree. The garden suburb was considered ‘posher’ than Edge Hill, and it was obvious to Molly that Anne came from a better-off family than her own, and that she had had more experience of life. Anne’s father, Anne had told her, had an office job at the town hall, and her mother did not go out to work. Her family home was semidetached, and she had mentioned that she was a member of Wavertree’s tennis club. Molly knew that June would have said she was too pushy, but although she felt slightly awed by Anne, Molly couldn’t help but like her open friendly manner.

Thinking of her sister made Molly wish all over again that June had agreed to come with her. It would help keep her mind off worrying about her Frank. She knew June was a kind person, deep down, but she came across as abrasive to many, especially those who didn’t know her well. Maybe she would be able to persuade her to change her mind when she told her all she had learned, she decided hopefully.

The men were still working their allotments as she cut down the footpath alongside them, the scent of freshly watered earth mingling with that of their Woodbine cigarettes. Molly looked to see if she could see her father, but didn’t stop walking. She was mentally rehearsing what she was going to say to June to persuade her to change her mind about the WVS.