sure.”’
‘I’m very much afraid he’s right,’ Rose said, but as she went upstairs a little later to change out of her uniform, she pushed all thoughts of a possible air raid out of her mind. Instead, she found herself humming the song ‘Whispering Grass’, which had just been playing on the wireless. She was meeting Alice in the centre of town and then they would catch a tram out to Abbeydale Road. Rose smiled. That was one of the good things about being clippies: they’d have no tram fares to pay.
‘Wow, just look at this place,’ Rose said, as they stepped onto the mosaic floor of the foyer. ‘I’ve never been here before.’ When they took their places in the plush mahogany seats covered in green velvet, Rose stared around her, open-mouthed at the cream and gold decoration on the walls and ceiling. ‘No wonder they call it the Picture Palace .’
‘It’s lovely, isn’t it?’ Alice said as the lights faded and they settled down to enjoy the film. They were soon engrossed in the story, thoughts of the war and all its sadness forgotten for a precious hour or two.
‘Myrtle, help your mam with the washing up, there’s a good girl,’ Grace said as she turned the wireless off after the news finished.
‘But, Gran, I’ve still got my biology homework to do.’
‘Biology, indeed! What on earth good is that going to be to you, I ask?’
‘It’s human biology,’ Myrtle retorted, not afraid to answer her grandmother back. ‘It could come in very handy – if you have a heart attack. Miss Adamson says that, with the war and everything, we should all know a bit of basic first aid. We’ve all been given a copy of the British Red Cross First Aid Manual . And I’ve asked if I can sit an examination in the subject. It’s fascinating.’
Grace glanced at her, an amused smile on her lips. She loved all her family, but this granddaughter was someone special to her. Myrtle was the only one who could answer Grace back and get away with it. Mostly, that is, because there were limits even for Myrtle. ‘And does it tell you in this famous manual how to do the washing up?’
Myrtle laughed. ‘Oh, Gran.’ But with good humour she got up and went into the kitchen. ‘Where’s the tea towel, Mam?’ Grace heard her say. ‘I’ll dry.’
But the pots didn’t get dried, nor even completely washed, for at that moment the sirens began to wail.
They were on High Street heading out of the city centre, when they heard the sirens. Bob stopped the tram.
‘Oi, you aren’t stopping here, are you? I’ve got to get home to my kids.’
‘Just a minute, madam,’ Peggy said, ‘while I have word with the motorman.’
Peggy hurried down the aisle to where Bob was standing, his left hand on the controller, his right still gripping the brake.
‘What ought we to do? Get ’em all to a shelter like Mr Bower ses?’
Peggy shook her head. ‘Keep going. I’ve got a car full and they’re all going to play merry hell if we just stop and dive for cover.’
‘All right,’ Bob agreed, ‘but let anyone off who wants to find the nearest shelter.’
Peggy nodded and hurried back to her post.
‘We’re carrying on, but if anyone wants to get off here and—’
‘Thank Gawd for that.’
‘Just get on with it. We’re a sitting duck here.’
No one alighted and Peggy rang the bell for Bob to move on.
They heard the bombs falling, whistling through the air and then an explosion.
‘By ’eck, that were a bit too close for comfort.’
‘Watch out for the next one. It might—’
Whatever the man had been going to say was lost in a blast of noise and the splintering of glass. Several passengers shrieked in fear as the tram rocked and came to a halt as the one travelling in front of them stopped too.
Peggy was thrown to the floor of the platform and everything went black.
Twelve
‘Quick, Mother, get down the cellar,’ Mary cried. ‘Myrtle, make sure the doors are locked and turn all the lights off. I’ve
‘I’m very much afraid he’s right,’ Rose said, but as she went upstairs a little later to change out of her uniform, she pushed all thoughts of a possible air raid out of her mind. Instead, she found herself humming the song ‘Whispering Grass’, which had just been playing on the wireless. She was meeting Alice in the centre of town and then they would catch a tram out to Abbeydale Road. Rose smiled. That was one of the good things about being clippies: they’d have no tram fares to pay.
‘Wow, just look at this place,’ Rose said, as they stepped onto the mosaic floor of the foyer. ‘I’ve never been here before.’ When they took their places in the plush mahogany seats covered in green velvet, Rose stared around her, open-mouthed at the cream and gold decoration on the walls and ceiling. ‘No wonder they call it the Picture Palace .’
‘It’s lovely, isn’t it?’ Alice said as the lights faded and they settled down to enjoy the film. They were soon engrossed in the story, thoughts of the war and all its sadness forgotten for a precious hour or two.
‘Myrtle, help your mam with the washing up, there’s a good girl,’ Grace said as she turned the wireless off after the news finished.
‘But, Gran, I’ve still got my biology homework to do.’
‘Biology, indeed! What on earth good is that going to be to you, I ask?’
‘It’s human biology,’ Myrtle retorted, not afraid to answer her grandmother back. ‘It could come in very handy – if you have a heart attack. Miss Adamson says that, with the war and everything, we should all know a bit of basic first aid. We’ve all been given a copy of the British Red Cross First Aid Manual . And I’ve asked if I can sit an examination in the subject. It’s fascinating.’
Grace glanced at her, an amused smile on her lips. She loved all her family, but this granddaughter was someone special to her. Myrtle was the only one who could answer Grace back and get away with it. Mostly, that is, because there were limits even for Myrtle. ‘And does it tell you in this famous manual how to do the washing up?’
Myrtle laughed. ‘Oh, Gran.’ But with good humour she got up and went into the kitchen. ‘Where’s the tea towel, Mam?’ Grace heard her say. ‘I’ll dry.’
But the pots didn’t get dried, nor even completely washed, for at that moment the sirens began to wail.
They were on High Street heading out of the city centre, when they heard the sirens. Bob stopped the tram.
‘Oi, you aren’t stopping here, are you? I’ve got to get home to my kids.’
‘Just a minute, madam,’ Peggy said, ‘while I have word with the motorman.’
Peggy hurried down the aisle to where Bob was standing, his left hand on the controller, his right still gripping the brake.
‘What ought we to do? Get ’em all to a shelter like Mr Bower ses?’
Peggy shook her head. ‘Keep going. I’ve got a car full and they’re all going to play merry hell if we just stop and dive for cover.’
‘All right,’ Bob agreed, ‘but let anyone off who wants to find the nearest shelter.’
Peggy nodded and hurried back to her post.
‘We’re carrying on, but if anyone wants to get off here and—’
‘Thank Gawd for that.’
‘Just get on with it. We’re a sitting duck here.’
No one alighted and Peggy rang the bell for Bob to move on.
They heard the bombs falling, whistling through the air and then an explosion.
‘By ’eck, that were a bit too close for comfort.’
‘Watch out for the next one. It might—’
Whatever the man had been going to say was lost in a blast of noise and the splintering of glass. Several passengers shrieked in fear as the tram rocked and came to a halt as the one travelling in front of them stopped too.
Peggy was thrown to the floor of the platform and everything went black.
Twelve
‘Quick, Mother, get down the cellar,’ Mary cried. ‘Myrtle, make sure the doors are locked and turn all the lights off. I’ve
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