Lime Street for all the Navy reservists going for the trains to Chatham and Portsmouth. And you’d think they were all off to a picnic, the laughing, joking and cheering out of them! Well, they’ll soon find out it’s not. I had a belly full of it fighting the Boers but you can’t tell them, they won’t listen. It’s all “King and Country” and wanting to take a pop at the Hun.’ He shook his head and moved on up the street.
‘Well, that certainly sounds serious if the Navy has been called up. I think we can say goodbye to a day out on Monday,’ Alice pronounced gloomily.
Maggie appeared in the lobby behind them. ‘I’ve made a pot of tea. Are you two coming in or do I have to bring it out here to you?’ She frowned. What on earth were they doing, sitting on the steps of the house? They were young women now with decent jobs, not children in short petticoats and pigtails.
‘We’ll come in, Aunty Maggie. It’s not much cooler out here. Old Ned said the Navy reservists have been called up so it looks as if there really is going to be a war,’ Mae informed her.
Maggie thought of John and the thousands of miles of ocean between him and home. ‘Well, I don’t suppose there’s much any of us can do about it. The damned Kaiser’s been spoiling for a fight for months and now it looks as if he’s going to get one. We’ll just have to wait to see what Mr Asquith has to say about it all,’ she replied stoically. She’d expected as much for things had become too serious to ignore.
The girls followed her inside to have their tea but the conversation faltered, for each of them was deep in her own thoughts.
On Tuesday 5 August the announcement that war had been officially declared was met with an outpouring of patriotism and excitement throughout the country. Overnight, recruiting posters appeared all over the city declaring ‘YOUR KING AND COUNTRY NEED YOU!’ and ‘A CALL TO ARMS’.
That evening after work Eddie and the twins met up as usual on the corner of Albion Street. Jimmy and Harry both worked in Ogden’s Tobacco factory where their father Bertie was now a foreman. Eddie was an engineering apprentice at Cammell Laird’s shipyard over the water in Birkenhead where the workers’ annual week’s holiday had been summarily cancelled.
‘Have you seen the posters?’ Jimmy asked excitedly as Eddie got off the tram – he always arrived later, having the furthest to travel.
‘You can’t exactly miss them,’ Eddie replied. ‘So, what are we going to do? It says they want men aged nineteen to thirty to go and join up but I’m not going to pass up the chance of this adventure. I’m going to join up. What about you two?’
‘Good idea, Eddie,’ Jimmy agreed eagerly.
‘We’re only eighteen, they might not take us.’ Harry was doubtful.
‘What’s the matter with you? It’s the biggest opportunity of some real adventure that we’ll ever have!’ Eddie demanded.
‘I know but we’re not the right age.’ Harry was still reluctant. Over the years Eddie had always been the instigator and ringleader in their escapades, which had often resulted in disaster followed by punishment of some kind.
‘You’re not scared, are you, Harry?’ Jimmy demanded. He was as keen as Eddie about joining up.
‘Of course I’m not! I’m just as eager as you are but I don’t want us to look fools if they turn us away. What would . . . everyone think of us then? We’d look right idiots!’
‘You mean what would Mae think of you?’ Jimmy put in.
Harry ignored him.
‘They won’t turn us away. We won’t tell them our proper age; we’ll tell them we’re nineteen. We will be next year anyway,’ Eddie reminded them.
‘There’ll be thousands of other lads lying about their ages. No one is going to miss out because of a few years,’ Jimmy encouraged his brother.
‘We’ll go tomorrow after work,’ Eddie stated firmly. ‘Everyone is saying it’ll be over by Christmas so we don’t want to
‘Well, that certainly sounds serious if the Navy has been called up. I think we can say goodbye to a day out on Monday,’ Alice pronounced gloomily.
Maggie appeared in the lobby behind them. ‘I’ve made a pot of tea. Are you two coming in or do I have to bring it out here to you?’ She frowned. What on earth were they doing, sitting on the steps of the house? They were young women now with decent jobs, not children in short petticoats and pigtails.
‘We’ll come in, Aunty Maggie. It’s not much cooler out here. Old Ned said the Navy reservists have been called up so it looks as if there really is going to be a war,’ Mae informed her.
Maggie thought of John and the thousands of miles of ocean between him and home. ‘Well, I don’t suppose there’s much any of us can do about it. The damned Kaiser’s been spoiling for a fight for months and now it looks as if he’s going to get one. We’ll just have to wait to see what Mr Asquith has to say about it all,’ she replied stoically. She’d expected as much for things had become too serious to ignore.
The girls followed her inside to have their tea but the conversation faltered, for each of them was deep in her own thoughts.
On Tuesday 5 August the announcement that war had been officially declared was met with an outpouring of patriotism and excitement throughout the country. Overnight, recruiting posters appeared all over the city declaring ‘YOUR KING AND COUNTRY NEED YOU!’ and ‘A CALL TO ARMS’.
That evening after work Eddie and the twins met up as usual on the corner of Albion Street. Jimmy and Harry both worked in Ogden’s Tobacco factory where their father Bertie was now a foreman. Eddie was an engineering apprentice at Cammell Laird’s shipyard over the water in Birkenhead where the workers’ annual week’s holiday had been summarily cancelled.
‘Have you seen the posters?’ Jimmy asked excitedly as Eddie got off the tram – he always arrived later, having the furthest to travel.
‘You can’t exactly miss them,’ Eddie replied. ‘So, what are we going to do? It says they want men aged nineteen to thirty to go and join up but I’m not going to pass up the chance of this adventure. I’m going to join up. What about you two?’
‘Good idea, Eddie,’ Jimmy agreed eagerly.
‘We’re only eighteen, they might not take us.’ Harry was doubtful.
‘What’s the matter with you? It’s the biggest opportunity of some real adventure that we’ll ever have!’ Eddie demanded.
‘I know but we’re not the right age.’ Harry was still reluctant. Over the years Eddie had always been the instigator and ringleader in their escapades, which had often resulted in disaster followed by punishment of some kind.
‘You’re not scared, are you, Harry?’ Jimmy demanded. He was as keen as Eddie about joining up.
‘Of course I’m not! I’m just as eager as you are but I don’t want us to look fools if they turn us away. What would . . . everyone think of us then? We’d look right idiots!’
‘You mean what would Mae think of you?’ Jimmy put in.
Harry ignored him.
‘They won’t turn us away. We won’t tell them our proper age; we’ll tell them we’re nineteen. We will be next year anyway,’ Eddie reminded them.
‘There’ll be thousands of other lads lying about their ages. No one is going to miss out because of a few years,’ Jimmy encouraged his brother.
‘We’ll go tomorrow after work,’ Eddie stated firmly. ‘Everyone is saying it’ll be over by Christmas so we don’t want to
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