Courage of the Shipyard Girls Read online

  Contents

  Acknowledgements

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Chapter Forty-Five

  Chapter Forty-Six

  Chapter Forty-Seven

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Chapter Fifty

  Chapter Fifty-One

  Chapter Fifty-Two

  Chapter Fifty-Three

  Chapter Fifty-Four

  Chapter Fifty-Five

  Chapter Fifty-Six

  Chapter Fifty-Seven

  Chapter Fifty-Eight

  Chapter Fifty-Nine

  Chapter Sixty

  Chapter Sixty-One

  Chapter Sixty-Two

  Chapter Sixty-Three

  Chapter Sixty-Four

  Chapter Sixty-Five

  Chapter Sixty-Six

  Chapter Sixty-Seven

  Chapter Sixty-Eight

  Chapter Sixty-Nine

  Chapter Seventy

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Nancy Revell is the author of the Shipyard Girls series, which is set in the north-east of England during World War Two.

  She is a former journalist who worked for all the national newspapers, providing them with hard-hitting news stories and in-depth features. Nancy also wrote amazing and inspirational true life stories for just about every woman’s magazine in the country.

  When she first started writing the Shipyard Girls series, Nancy relocated back to her hometown of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, along with her husband, Paul, and their English bull mastiff, Rosie. They now live just a short walk away from the beautiful award-winning beaches of Roker and Seaburn, within a mile of where the books are set.

  The subject is particularly close to Nancy’s heart as she comes from a long line of shipbuilders, who were well known in the area.

  Also available by Nancy Revell

  The Shipyard Girls

  Shipyard Girls at War

  Secrets of the Shipyard Girls

  Shipyard Girls in Love

  Victory for the Shipyard Girls

  To Suzanne Brown and all the members of Soroptimist International of Sunderland.

  Happy 80th Birthday to an inspiring organisation!

  Why YOU love Nancy Revell

  ‘A cracking saga set in the North East of England during World War 2. I LOVED it and became totally immersed and involved in the story. Can’t wait to read the next book in the series’

  ‘Reading this, I was drawn into the story. I felt I was there in those streets I know so well. This series of books just get better and better; a fantastic group of girls who could be any one of us if we were alive in the war. Could only give 5 STARS but worth many more.’

  ‘What a brilliant read – the story is so good it keeps you wanting more … I fell in love with the girls; their stories, laughter, tears and so much more’

  ‘How wonderful to read about everyday women, young, middle-aged, married or single all coming to work in a man’s world. The pride and courage they all showed in taking over from the men who had gone to war. A debt of gratitude is very much owed’

  ‘The shipyard saga goes on and with each book I want to read more! This book was so intriguing and with surprises as well. I can’t wait for the next book!!’

  ‘This is a book that lets the reader know the way our ancestors behaved during the two world wars. With strength, honour and down-right bravery … I for one salute them all and give thanks to the author Nancy Revell, for letting us as readers know mostly as it was’

  ‘Marvellous read, couldn’t put down. Exciting, heart rendering, hope it will not be long before another one. Nancy Revell is an excellent author’

  ‘I have now read all of the Shipyard Girls books – I was absolutely enthralled. I laughed, cried and rejoiced with each and every character’

  ‘Each book, at some point, has had me lying wide-eyed in my bed wondering, and caring, questioning what’s going to happen next? Thank you Nancy, as if I could be any more proud of my hometown’

  ‘The lives of the young women welders and their families are once again beautifully and sympathetically portrayed.’

  What the reviewers are saying…

  ‘Well-drawn, believable characters combined with a storyline to keep you turning the page’

  Woman magazine

  ‘The author is one to watch’

  Sun

  ‘A riveting read is just what this is in more ways than one’

  Northern Echo

  ‘Researched within an inch of its life; the novel is enjoyably entertaining. A perfect way to spend hours, wrapped up in the characters’ lives’

  Frost magazine

  ‘We’re huge fans of Nancy’s Shipyard Girls saga, and this is as emotional and gripping as the rest’

  Take a Break

  ‘This is a series that has gone from strength to strength … The cleverly weaved secrets and expert plotting had me hooked! 5* Genius’

  Anne Bonny Book Reviews Blog

  ‘There is a bit of everything within its pages – drama, heartache, happiness, sadness and the odd dash of humour … I absolutely loved this heart wrenching and extremely realistic saga series. A brilliant 5 out of 5*’

  Ginger Book Geek Blog

  ‘I adored this book! It is very well written and has a fabulous story! I loved how the past was brought back to life in the pages. Five stars from me – very highly recommended!’

  Donna’s Book Blog

  ‘Heartfelt, pacy and gutsy, I adore it already and will no doubt be devouring the rest of the series with just as much enthusiasm’ Fiona Ford, author of Christmas at Liberty’s

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you to postmaster John Wilson and Liz Skelton and the rest of the lovely staff at Fulwell Post Office; Linda King, Norm Kirtlan and Philip Curtis at the Sunderland Antiquarian Society; journalist Katy Wheeler at the Sunderland Echo; news editor Stephen McCabe and team at 103.4 Sun FM; presenter Lisa Shaw and producer Jane Downs at BBC Radio Newcastle; onscreen journalist Julia Barthram at ITV News; Jenny Needham, features editor at the Northern Echo; Waterstones in Sunderland; researcher Meg Hartford; Jackie Caffrey, of Nostalgic Memories of Sunderland in Writing; Beverley Ann Hopper, of The Book Lovers, as well as ‘Team Nancy’ at Arrow: publishing director Emily G
riffin, editor Cassandra Di Bello, my wonderful literary agent Diana Beaumont, and, of course, my parents, Audrey and Syd Walton, and husband, Paul.

  Thank you all for your ongoing support and endless enthusiasm for the Shipyard Girls series.

  There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger.

  The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty.

  L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

  Prologue

  On the last day of June 1942, a young woman in Sunderland stepped out of her front door on her way to work at one of the town’s biggest shipyards – J.L. Thompson & Sons. It was a quarter to seven in the morning, but the sun was already up and proving that this day, like the one before, was going to be hot and sweaty.

  The young woman, who was wearing a colourful headscarf and denim overalls, with a boxed gas mask and haversack slung over her shoulder, was leaving at the same time the postwoman was making her early-morning deliveries.

  If an outsider was watching, they would rightly presume the two women knew each other by the ease of their greeting.

  The postwoman handed the young woman an envelope, lingering for a short moment, which was unusual for her as she was not one to idle. She touched the young girl’s arm gently before going on her way.

  Tearing open the envelope, the young woman stood stock-still as she read the few paragraphs that had been typed onto the single sheet of paper. Passers-by would have observed that she stood and read it for longer than was needed.

  For a moment it looked as though she was going to turn and go back into the house from which she had just come, but she didn’t.

  Instead, she reached into the top pocket of her overalls and pulled out what appeared to be a ring and put it on her left hand. As she did so, the letter she had just received in the post floated freely to the ground, and a short blast of air swept it under an oncoming tram.

  The young woman didn’t make any attempt to chase after the piece of paper that had escaped her grasp, but instead stepped onto the pavement and joined the throng of chattering, flat-capped workers all heading towards the shipyards that lined the banks of the Wear.

  If anyone had looked at the face of the woman with the ruby engagement ring on her finger, they would have seen tears rolling down her cheeks unchecked.

  But nobody noticed, so nobody asked if she was all right, and she walked in her hobnailed boots to the ferry that would take her to her place of work.

  A place of work where people would spot that she had been crying, and would ask her why and comfort her – just as the young man who had given her the ruby engagement ring knew they would.

  Chapter One

  The letter floated to the ground before a gentle breeze lifted it up again at the exact time a tram was trundling down the length of Tatham Street.

  Like the first draw of a fire as it catches, the letter was sucked under the metal belly of the carriage and disappeared from view.

  By the time the tram had screeched its way past number 34, the letter had been unceremoniously spat out again into the still morning air, and after another brief flutter it landed by the side of the road.

  The letter’s near demise did not go unnoticed, though. For two minutes earlier, at the exact time Polly had been leaving for work and had bumped into the postwoman, Maud Goode had been having her usual early-morning tussle with the heavy blackout curtains that adorned her bedroom window.

  ‘Mavis!’ Maud kept her sight focused on the letter now languishing in the gutter across the road from where she and her sister lived above the sweet shop they jointly owned.

  ‘Mavis!’ Her tone was different to the one she normally adopted to wake her sister. This morning her voice was serious. Urgent. Lacking its usual annoyance that she was, as always, the first to rise.

  ‘What’s the matter?’ Mavis’s voice was croaky with sleep.

  ‘Something’s wrong.’ Maud tightened the cord of her dressing gown around her ample waist and hurried out of the bedroom. In a matter of seconds, she had made it down the narrow staircase and out the front door. Bumping into a couple of shipyard workers, Maud ignored their apologies as well as their look of surprise at seeing her cross the road in just her nightclothes and slippers, her pink plastic curlers still in her hair.

  Having made it to the other side, Maud was forced to wait until a double-decker bus had crunched through its gears and passed before she could bend down and pick up the letter, now smudged with dirt.

  Shoving it straight into the pocket of her robe, Maud looked left, then right, before making her way back to the house.

  ‘I’m in the kitchen,’ Mavis shouted out, hearing the front door clash.

  Walking into the scullery, Maud saw that her sister was making a big pot of tea.

  ‘What’s wrong?’ Mavis asked again as her sister pulled out a chair and sat down at the kitchen table.

  Maud didn’t reply but reached into her pocket and retrieved the letter, her plump hands straightening the thick sheet of crumpled paper out on the wooden tabletop. The kettle started to whistle and Mavis poured steaming hot water into the ceramic teapot.

  ‘Young Polly …’ Maud looked up at her sister. ‘She just got this.’ Her eyes dropped to the letter now spread out in front of her.

  ‘Poor bairn went white as a ghost. I thought she was going to go back inside, but she didn’t. She got something out of her pocket and then just walked off down the street. Looked like she was in a trance.’

  Mavis brought the teapot over and placed it on the table. She stirred before pouring out two cups, adding milk and half a teaspoon of sugar to each.

  ‘Go on then,’ she said, nodding across to the letter. ‘What’s it say?’

  Chapter Two

  Fifteen minutes later Maud and Mavis had got themselves dressed and were standing at the front door of number 34.

  Maud looked at her younger sister.

  ‘You do it,’ she said.

  Mavis took the letter.

  They both took a deep breath and Maud knocked.

  As soon as Agnes opened the door she knew something was wrong. The early hour of the day, and the faces of ‘the two old maids’, as they were known, told her that this was not a social visit. Agnes was still in her nightdress and had been in the kitchen, setting the breakfast table for the rest of the household, having seen her daughter off to work with her usual packed lunch.

  ‘Sorry to call this early,’ Mavis began before hesitating, not wanting to relate what she had to say out on the street.

  ‘Come in.’ Agnes opened the door wide. Tramp and Pup were by her feet, looking up at the unexpected visitors. ‘Go through to the kitchen. I’ve just put a brew on.’

  As Agnes followed the two sisters down the hallway, Arthur came out of his bedroom.

  ‘Everything all right?’ he asked. He was dressed for the day, bar his tartan slippers.

  Agnes shook her head. ‘I don’t know.’

  Arthur followed Agnes into the kitchen and said a polite ‘Good mornin’ to the sisters as they sat down at the table while Agnes poured the tea.

  ‘We’re really sorry to come here like this.’ Mavis paused. ‘And I hope you don’t think we’ve stuck our noses in where they’re not wanted.’ Another pause. ‘But Maud here,’ a quick look at her sister, ‘saw Polly leave the house this morning. Just as she was leaving she bumped into the postwoman, who gave her this.’

  Mavis put the letter on the table next to her cup of tea.

  ‘Maud says that Polly read the letter and turned white as a sheet.’

  Another look at Maud, who nodded.

  ‘Maud thought she was going to come back here, but she didn’t. She just dropped the letter and walked off.’

  ‘In a trance,’ Maud added, gravely.

  ‘I hope you don’t mind … but Maud was concerned … So she went and got the letter.’

  The two sisters looked at each other.

  ‘We t
hought we should bring it to you straight away.’

  Mavis handed the letter to Agnes, who immediately unfolded it, sat down and started to read.

  It didn’t take her long.

  When she finished, she looked at Arthur, who was perched on the chair next to her. She took his hand and squeezed it gently.

  ‘I’m sorry, Arthur,’ she said, tears in her eyes, as she handed him the letter.

  Holding it at arm’s length, Arthur started to read.

  Commander Bridgman

  Royal Navy

  Gibraltar

  21st June 1942

  Dear Miss Elliot,

  May I be permitted to express my own and the squadron’s deepest sympathy with you in reporting that your fiancé Petty Officer (Diver) Tommy Watts has been declared missing.

  Petty Officer Watts was a most proficient underwater diver for the clearance unit and his loss is deeply regretted by us all. Your fiancé’s effects have been collected and will be forwarded to you in due course.

  You may be aware that many of those classified as ‘missing’ are eventually reported prisoner of war, and I hope that this may give you some comfort in your anxiety.

  Once again please accept the deep sympathy of us all.

  Yours very sincerely,

  Commander Bridgman

  Miss Pollyanna Henrietta Elliot

  34 Tatham Street

  Sunderland

  County Durham

  By the time Arthur finished reading, his hands were shaking.

  He looked up at Maud and Mavis.

  ‘Yer did right ta bring the letter here.’

  He then looked at Agnes.