大象传媒

This story was submitted to the People鈥檚 War Site by Three Counties Action, on behalf of Jean Alison McMenamin, and has been added to the site with her permission. The author fully understands the site鈥檚 terms and conditions.

Tonight was dance night in the Carrison Theatre. Most of the camp went and there was always a buzz of expectancy about it. New intakes, new faces, new dreams. Shirts were pressed, skirts were smoothed over hips and thighs, stockings were put inside out because they looked better that way, and hair was allowed to tumble a little instead of being pushed under an ATS cap, or rolled around a contraption made out of an old stocking stuffed with cotton wool and held on by elastic.

Diana fastened the belt on her tunic and pulled it in a notch. She glances sideways in the long mirror by the door. Her bust was far too big she decided. It didn鈥檛 matter how she tightened her bra straps the pockets of her tunic always bulged outwards.

The dance was hot and crowded and the smell of beer and perspiration was overpowering. The men had such thick khaki battledress and they sweated profusely. They stood around the door with glasses of beer in their hands. Their forage caps were tucked under their epaulets on their battle tops. It made them look somehow very intransient as if they were just pausing on their way to something more serious and important, which in a way they were! The girls sat or stood in groups trying not to look as if they were assessing the talent. After all it was pretty difficult to stand out when you were all dressed more or less the same. The band sweated it out on the platform and the shuffling and beating of feet on the wooden floor grew into a crescendo and then died away until the next dance.

Diana had a sergeant major as a partner. He had a red face and yellow hair and was a little drunk. She wished he would not breathe in her face or hold her so tightly. Everytime the dance ended she made an excuse to go to the cloakroom but he hovered near the door and she could not avoid him. He led her onto the floor again and again, and it wasn鈥檛 as if he could dance, it was more like walking to music.

Suddenly the double doors opened and the officer of the day strode in with a couple of duty sergeants, all blancoed webbing and black mirror boots. With his hand raised the young officer ran briskly up the steps to the steps and gestured for the band to stop playing. 鈥淟adies and gentlemen鈥� he said 鈥淢ay I have your attention for a moment鈥�. His voice was serious 鈥淲e have a report that a man has fallen over the cliffs at Cudey beach. The Air Sea rescue lads are out there at the moment but they can鈥檛 get close enough because of the rocks so we need to go down from the top and I need volunteers!.鈥� No one made a move and it was very embarrassing. Then a couple of men and a Captain started towards the door. Diana saw Carol threading her way through the crowd. Carol was a physical training instructress and a lover of all sports. Fresh faced and uncomplicated she was liked by everyone and she and Diana were good friends. 鈥淐ome on Di鈥� she took Diana鈥檚 arm 鈥淧erhaps we can do something.鈥�

The camp was perched on the top of a cliff. Numerous little bays could be seen all along for miles when the tide was out and you could be seen all along for miles when the tide was out and you could sit on the grassy headlands watching the puffins and gulls screeching and wheeling and quarrelling. Once Diana had seen a stoat chasing a rabbit, the rabbit screaming like a frightened child, and they had both gone over the Cliffside dashed to their deaths in the creamy surf below. In the daytime it was everyone鈥檚 dream of the sea, wild, rough, commanding, the cliffs covered with little winding grassy pathways and wild flowers in profusion. Diana had only walked on the cliffs once after dark and that was on a balmy sunny Saturday. The sea could be heard but not seen, only the crashing of the waves on the rocks and the great sucking sound as they retreated.

They went to the guardhouse to collect some ropes and a ladder and some torches. There were some officers there already, disturbed from their Mess drinking. Some were quiet, some were laughing but with nervousness. The young officer in charge looked pale and distraught and rather surprised to see Diana and Carol. 鈥淩ight鈥� he said 鈥渒eep together one torch between two, and carry a rope each and for God鈥檚 sake don鈥檛 be more than two feet apart.鈥� They stepped out into the darkness the torches piercing the gloom. The first part was easy, over the style and past the silent radar cabins. There was no moon. Through the last gate and the going became more difficult. It wasn鈥檛 easy to avoid the rabbit holes and the scattered stones. Two sergeants carried the ladder and their breathing was heavy. Suddenly in the distance Diana could hear a faint throbbing sound coming out of the darkness. A searchlight beam crossed and recrossed the rock face about 200 yards ahead. 鈥淚t鈥檚 the Air Sea Rescue launch鈥� somebody said 鈥淚t must be bloody difficult to point it straight when you are bobbing up and down in these bloody waves.鈥� As they grew nearer they could see the boat a little way out from the rocks. It was just trying to illuminate the area a little at a time, but the sea was rough and the light jerked like a crowd of agitated fireflies.

The young officer ordered the men to dig footholes with their boots and the two girls were told to sit one behind the other at the back. The men were in the front and the ropes were around their waists to provide anchorage. It seemed an eternity while they waited in the darkness. There were shouts and the occasional whistle. It took two hours for an officer and a sergeant to get down the cliff, and it took another hour to haul the sad little group up again. The man had not been on the beach below but had landed on a sloping rock and his cries had been heard by a courting couple lying behind one of the outlying huts.

The journey back was a nightmare. Each one had to take turns with a corner of the makeshift stretcher because the going was so rough and difficult and the men were very tired and wet, the legs of their uniform trousers black with the sea water. Diana and Carol were separated and when Diana took her place at the front she could see the head lolling with the movements of the bearers. He was dead before they reached camp, his head had been crushed in one side. Back at camp some had brewed tea in a bucket and it tasted awful, but it was hot and sweet and Diana found her hands were shaking and Carol put a blanket round her shoulders. The officer in charge, his uniform bloodstained and crumpled stood by the stove. 鈥淭hank you all鈥� he said 鈥淚t was a valiant effort and I am sorry we didn鈥檛 manage to save his life. I am afraid there will probably have to be an inquest but for now just try to forget it all and have a good nights sleep. A tall figure stood by his side. His trousers were stained to the knee with salt water. He smiled across at Carol and Diana. 鈥淲hat about a thank you for our gallant ladies鈥�. There was a cheer and one or two came and patted them on the shoulders.
鈥淢y grateful thanks鈥� the tall man said 鈥渁nd to think all this tragedy was for the love of a lady.鈥�

漏 Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.