miss out on all the excitement, do we?’
‘Where do we have to go to sign up?’ Harry queried. Despite his misgivings, the others’ enthusiasm was making him feel excited now too.
‘St Anne Street at half past seven. It’s the King’s Liverpool Regiment, so the poster I read said,’ Eddie informed them. ‘We’d better not mention it to anyone. I don’t think my mam will be very pleased and I bet yours won’t be either; they might even try to stop us. So don’t let on we’ll be going out tomorrow night and, Harry, don’t go saying anything about it to Mae.’
Reluctantly Harry agreed, though it was just what he wanted to tell Mae. Surely she would agree to walk out with him now? He’d be a soldier; he was certain she would be proud to be seen on his arm.
They went the following evening to St Anne Street and were astonished when they got off the tram to find crowds of men and boys waiting outside the drill hall, standing three and four deep.
‘I didn’t expect there’d be so many!’ Eddie exclaimed.
‘Most of this lot are office wallahs. Maybe they won’t want us,’ Harry pointed out to his companions as they joined the long line waiting to get into the hall. ‘Do you think we’ll have to go and sign up somewhere else? Did it say “Clerical workers only”?’ he asked, looking concerned. He felt uneasy amongst all these other lads who were better dressed and obviously better educated.
Jimmy looked at his brother with some scepticism while Eddie looked irritated.
‘No. Besides, your mam’s got a shop, hasn’t she? So say you’re in “Provisions”. I’ll say “Finance” – Mam lends money. That’s if they ask and I don’t know why they should: what does it matter what kind of jobs we’ve got?’ Eddie replied confidently.
The crowd packed into the drill hall where some officers in uniform stood on the platform. It was so crowded that the overflow spilled over into a basement. The Earl of Derby addressed the crowd, thanking them all for coming and responding so enthusiastically to the call. He gave a short speech about the honour and the spirit of Liverpool, which brought resounding cheers; along with all the rest, Eddie and the twins shouted themselves almost hoarse as they threw their caps in the air. Then they were directed to tables for attestation.
The recruiting officer scrutinised Eddie closely when he came to the head of the queue to present himself at the table. ‘Name?’
‘Edward McEvoy.’
‘Address?’
The Albion Street address was duly recorded and he began to feel a little apprehensive under the older man’s gaze.
‘Age?’
Eddie took a deep breath. ‘Nineteen last birthday, sir.’ For a second he didn’t dare breathe but then came the question ‘Religion?’ and he relaxed. ‘Church of England, sir.’
‘Right, repeat after me, “I, Edward McEvoy, do swear . . .”’
Eddie repeated the oath with great solemnity, wondering how Jimmy and Harry were getting on for they’d been directed to another table.
‘Go on over to the medical officers now and good luck, lad. You’re in the King’s Liverpool Regiment: don’t ever disgrace it.’
Pride surged through Eddie. ‘I won’t, sir,’ he promised. He was in! He was a soldier and would be going to join his mates and they’d all soon be going to war! It was an exhilarating feeling.
The twins too had been sworn in; if anyone had doubted their age it hadn’t been mentioned.
‘There’s plenty of lads here who aren’t nineteen,’ Jimmy said, nudging Eddie but looking round proudly.
‘What happens now?’ Harry asked, buoyed up on a cloud of patriotic excitement. He couldn’t wait to get back to tell Mae that he was in, that he was now Private Henry Mercer of the 18th Battalion, the King’s Liverpool Regiment.
‘A bit of a let-down, I’m afraid, lads. You go home and we send for you when arrangements have been made for your training,’ an officer informed them, having overheard
‘Where do we have to go to sign up?’ Harry queried. Despite his misgivings, the others’ enthusiasm was making him feel excited now too.
‘St Anne Street at half past seven. It’s the King’s Liverpool Regiment, so the poster I read said,’ Eddie informed them. ‘We’d better not mention it to anyone. I don’t think my mam will be very pleased and I bet yours won’t be either; they might even try to stop us. So don’t let on we’ll be going out tomorrow night and, Harry, don’t go saying anything about it to Mae.’
Reluctantly Harry agreed, though it was just what he wanted to tell Mae. Surely she would agree to walk out with him now? He’d be a soldier; he was certain she would be proud to be seen on his arm.
They went the following evening to St Anne Street and were astonished when they got off the tram to find crowds of men and boys waiting outside the drill hall, standing three and four deep.
‘I didn’t expect there’d be so many!’ Eddie exclaimed.
‘Most of this lot are office wallahs. Maybe they won’t want us,’ Harry pointed out to his companions as they joined the long line waiting to get into the hall. ‘Do you think we’ll have to go and sign up somewhere else? Did it say “Clerical workers only”?’ he asked, looking concerned. He felt uneasy amongst all these other lads who were better dressed and obviously better educated.
Jimmy looked at his brother with some scepticism while Eddie looked irritated.
‘No. Besides, your mam’s got a shop, hasn’t she? So say you’re in “Provisions”. I’ll say “Finance” – Mam lends money. That’s if they ask and I don’t know why they should: what does it matter what kind of jobs we’ve got?’ Eddie replied confidently.
The crowd packed into the drill hall where some officers in uniform stood on the platform. It was so crowded that the overflow spilled over into a basement. The Earl of Derby addressed the crowd, thanking them all for coming and responding so enthusiastically to the call. He gave a short speech about the honour and the spirit of Liverpool, which brought resounding cheers; along with all the rest, Eddie and the twins shouted themselves almost hoarse as they threw their caps in the air. Then they were directed to tables for attestation.
The recruiting officer scrutinised Eddie closely when he came to the head of the queue to present himself at the table. ‘Name?’
‘Edward McEvoy.’
‘Address?’
The Albion Street address was duly recorded and he began to feel a little apprehensive under the older man’s gaze.
‘Age?’
Eddie took a deep breath. ‘Nineteen last birthday, sir.’ For a second he didn’t dare breathe but then came the question ‘Religion?’ and he relaxed. ‘Church of England, sir.’
‘Right, repeat after me, “I, Edward McEvoy, do swear . . .”’
Eddie repeated the oath with great solemnity, wondering how Jimmy and Harry were getting on for they’d been directed to another table.
‘Go on over to the medical officers now and good luck, lad. You’re in the King’s Liverpool Regiment: don’t ever disgrace it.’
Pride surged through Eddie. ‘I won’t, sir,’ he promised. He was in! He was a soldier and would be going to join his mates and they’d all soon be going to war! It was an exhilarating feeling.
The twins too had been sworn in; if anyone had doubted their age it hadn’t been mentioned.
‘There’s plenty of lads here who aren’t nineteen,’ Jimmy said, nudging Eddie but looking round proudly.
‘What happens now?’ Harry asked, buoyed up on a cloud of patriotic excitement. He couldn’t wait to get back to tell Mae that he was in, that he was now Private Henry Mercer of the 18th Battalion, the King’s Liverpool Regiment.
‘A bit of a let-down, I’m afraid, lads. You go home and we send for you when arrangements have been made for your training,’ an officer informed them, having overheard
Similar Books
