大象传媒

Chapter 14

Can you use the phone.

After breakfast on the field, which consisted of a dollop of porridge, slice of luncheon meat and bread. The volunteers were lined up to receive their various duties Mary, Stevie and the two sisters were directed to help with the duties in the plotting tent which Molly was to learn about later that day. The rest apart from Molly were sent to various marquees, marked administration, stores and so forth. What can we do with this one Molly just caught the R.S.M words Can you use the phone? Molly gulped, she had never used one in her life No sir, but I can soon learn she was eager to do anything interesting and this was a challenge. However, Stevie who felt for Molly and her youthfulness suggested perhaps the cook needs help? Oh we have plenty of spud bashers at the moment until we are sorted out, we'll wait and see. Molly was led to a tent, which adjoined a much larger one. Stevie introduced her to the soldiers. Corporal Bruce and Lance Corporal Greig. Both greeted her with broad smiles and promised to introduce the new recruit to the intricacies of the switchboard. Steve left and Molly was shown to a chair in front of a long black box which had several wires attached to plugs, some of which were plugged into various holes on the front of the board. Her heart sank, she had wanted to do some thing useful but as the corporal and his assistant demonstrated the machine she hoped shed remember which wire went into that there hole there seemed to be so many. She was shown a white paper slip on which was printed time of message origin, time received etc., etc., all unfamiliar words to her. After an hour or so's tuition during which time the corporal and his assistant seemed to take down a couple of messages, the corporal removed his headphones and said Ah I can see you have got the hang of it, how about having a go? Molly gulped and nervously agreed fully expecting the corporal to sit beside her to keep watch over her. However, several minutes passed and the corporal who had been chatting about the things to come and what they must all be prepared for paused and said Of course we have been here such a short time in all is still in the state of hurriedly getting sorted out.
They were gradually being connected to (this being the main area headquarters) other (batteries, companies) dotted over the countryside manning the searchlights and guns trained on approaching enemy aircraft. 鈥淲e take messages and when the enemy start to send aircraft over we plot their course in there, the corporal nodded towards the large adjoining marquee.
Molly took one more message which finished with the comforting words just-testing, just-testing.
Corporal B said, Where on earth is L/C Wetherby? I say, we are extremely quite, carry on I will be back soon. With that he disappeared through the flaps in the tent. Molly felt like saying, Don't be long, but one didn't say those sort of things to ones superior. A call came through after a lapse of several minutes, Molly although nervous coped quite well, the words were quite clear and she managed the plugs and filling in the slip of paper to her satisfaction. Oh boy, this was going to be far better than shaking out laundry. This way she was going to do her bit shortening the war and protecting her country.
Buzz-Buzz the flap dropped down, Molly confidently placed the wire in the hole. Her heart missed a beat, What was that? An indistinct voice with a nasally accent came over the wire Command Headquarters here Command headquarters here, a squadron of Heinkels has crossed the coast and is heading in the direction the pounding of Molly's heart stopped her from hearing the rest. Oh my gawd what now, what now. Corporal X hadn't told her what to do in the event of an air-raid. She had to act quickly, get attention they could be approaching any minute the guns might not be ready, searchlights weren't needed, as it was daylight. Help! Help! She jumped off her stool and rushed towards the large marquee. Just as she lifted the flap and caught sight of figures standing around a table with there faces turned in her direction she felt the presence of C and C/L rushing into the tent pulling her back from the flap of the big marquee. L/C pulled her close to his side and put his fingers to his lips. All is well sarj All is well just testing, Molly just caught the corporals words above the pounding in her ears. What about the Heinkels heading this way? They didn't say they were just testing Molly's voice tailed away. The look on the faces of her two companions made her stop. Was that a twitching at the side of corps mouth. But they said High Command protested Molly. Dont worry, Lance corp is checking it out. Off you go now and get yourself some tea in the mess, its getting late. Later that evening wandering around the camp with a couple of other girls they watched as various little groups of soldiers having finished there detailed duties for the day were getting together and amusing the rest of the company by performing either singing a chorus accompanied by one of the chaps who had thoughtfully brought his banjo or guitar along with him. Gosh thought Molly, if she had been blessed enough to have the talent to play an instrument shed have doubted if the thought would have occurred to her to bring the instrument along. All she could visualise when she received her call up notice was an exiting long journey with the possibility of facing the enemy.
Just as a woman volunteer stepped forward from the little crowd which had gathered to give her rendering of Widdicombe fair she felt a tug at her coat. She pulled her coat together and buttoned it. She slipped her hands into her pockets and to her amazment as she withdrew her right hand she was clutching a bar of chocolate which had not been there when she had put it on. Perplexed she looked around. Every face was turned towards the performer even when her glanc travelled to the other side of the crowd and alighted on Corps and L/corp who were cheering and clapping with everyone else as the song came to an end.
Ah! Thought molly, as the next performer took the stand. They seemed so unconcerned and so happy even catching her eye and waving a little salute to her. Could that important telephone message have been a hoax, trying her out to see her reaction. Well they had seen her reaction all right when she jumped up off the stool and yelled at the top of her voice. The captains name she hollered for she had got to know was a decent understanding man. He would have saved the day and anyway the corporal and his underling could have been on the other side of the field for all she knew. She sensed a feeling of happy-go-lucky aura around the camp, everything and everyone was in a state of what comes next. Molly recalled her brothers who were in the regular army coming home with vivid details of the strictest discipline one could imagine. One false move and one was soon doing jankers. A term used for hard labour duties. However all the lads and lassies were volunteers and territorials so perhaps until things got straightened out little faults would be over looked. These thoughts did help alleviate a little of her discomfort at perhaps making a fool of herself. The music stopped and Stevie stepped forward and called out, Will my squad go to tent number four. The girls made their way across to tent. There they were given the addresses where they would be billeted for the time being. Molly was to share a room in a house with a very pretty dark haired girl. Molly soon found she was a couple of years older than herself, full of apprehension like she was not the self assured type her companion was of the night before.

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