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The War 1939-1945
For me, as for countless thousands and thousands of folk throughout the world these years dramatically changed our lifestyles. We hardly knew what was happening and yet deep down we knew nothing would ever be the same again. Joe stayed on at Countess Wear and got into occasional strife etc. She matriculated with a Pass Conceded in English (she never could spell!) What to do next? I think Daddy would have liked me to go into the mill alongside him and he suggested I start a Business course at a Business College in Maidstone. It was quite close and I used to cycle there and back everyday. The Battle of Britain won by The Few was over and the temporary lull before the storm was our experience at that time. We were probably licking our wounds and wondering how this terrible situation had ever been allowed to get so out of control!
At Business College where they endeavoured (Unsuccessfully) to teach me business principles, book-keeping, shorthand, and typing. I met a couple of girls with whom I became very friendly, one was
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blonde and chirpy and homely whose father was a Squadron Leader at Detling Aerodrome and another dark haired, well curved and attractive and in love with a spitfire pilot. So with these two as companions and Air Force anecdotes always in our conversation, I was exposed to discussions and thinking I had hardly even thought about. The blonde was Pam and the dark haired one was Margarite. One day Margarite was telling us of her recent weekend in London staying at a London hotel. A bomb had been dropped in the vicinity but had not exploded. In the middle of the night everyone was woken up and told to get out and Quickly! In the melee she grabbed her fur-coat, her step-ins and the book she had been reading the night before. She left behind her handbag, money, rations, valuables, etc. What good the “step-ins” and the book would have been I don’t know.
One day Pam said to me “Why don’t we join the Air Force?” “Why not?” I said because about this time all women over 17 years were being called up and were given the opportunity of going into the Land Army, Nursing, Army, Navy, or Air Force or a factory or a munitions worker. After all the Air Force tales we had been hearing, the Air Force definitely came out on top as far as we were concerned. So the three of us went down and registered at the Recruiting office in Maidstone on October 22nd, 1941. Pam and I went through with it joining and offering for an administrative job but if I remember rightly Margarite elected
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to marry her fighter pilot.
I went home and broke the news to my parents and they were devastated particularly as my call-up papers for an interview and medical came in 14 days.
But it hadn’t been all study since I had left school. I went to quite a few local Balls to raise money for various good causes with my parents. Played tennis with old school friends such as the Paine brothers (John and Dennis) at Wateringbury – went about a lot with the Griffen family who had a lovely home out towards Boxley hills. Jean Griffen had been to Beneden. I got involved in Young Conservative Social affairs and we used to have our togethers in people’s homes. At Mrs Ellis – place, Willington House I met Paul and Steven Waring. They were good company for Joe and myself and had a lovely mother who had married three times. She lived at Willington Place a beautiful Tudor house with oast houses all around. Her mother whom everyone (including me) called grand-mama was, I think, Lady Someone or other but in England no one pays much notice of such titles. I remember her as a twinkling intelligent and attractive old lady. She had presented Steven’s mother at Court the year she came out as a deb. So grand-mama must have been presented also. More I do not know. My mother always said they were from the Waring and Gillow family – large quality manufacturer’s of fine furniture for 100 years or more.
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Mrs Black, Steven’s mother has married his father as a young girl. Waring had been (and probably was still) an artist and took his young wife to live at Majorca which is an island in the Mediterranean. There they starved in the sun. She found she was pregnant with twins and I have a fancy, Grand mother said, “Come home at once”. Paul (Primus) and Steven (Secondus) were born in 1921 and I think Grandmother took financial responsibility for their upbringing. So a divorce was filed and the young woman married again this time a Racing car man. A child David was born and again a divorce was filed within a couple of years for the Father’s infidelity.
Along then came Charles Black, happy, ordinary, hard working and good to know. Everyone (including the three sons) called him “Chaz”. Chaz had a crooked eye (probably an untreated lazy eye) and if I remember he was tall, big boned and flat footed. But he had a heart of gold and he loved this lady and took her on with her three boys and she became Mrs Black. It was a good family to know. I learnt alot about cooking, entertaining etc from Mrs Black. She in turn was fond of me and I of her. Steven had joined the Air Force and Paul the Land Army and Joe and I often were asked to be part of the families social life when the boys were home. We never had a brother and as I think back Paul and Steven were the closet thing we ever had to brothers.
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Joe and I were very fond of both of them. I have always looked on them as my oldest friends. There was never any suggestion of sexual interaction between us (as is so common today) but we all had wonderful fun together and I think have remained close for all our lives. Mind you, I think at one stage Paul would have liked Joe but she was setting her cap at larger fish.
I often used to stay at the Black’s home when Steven was on leave. I was still going to the Business College at this time so was away most of the day. The house was on acreage and had tennis courts, a large garden room and a good swimming pool which I swam in whenever I was there. Mrs Black was a keen gardener and grew flowers and wonderful vegetables during the war. One leave Steven started introducing me to classical music and Paul and David and Steven and myself would sit in the summer house on a summer’s evening playing records and enjoying the beautiful surroundings. One day David wanted to sleep out over night (it was about 10 or 11 at the time) in the summer house and we made up beds as I said I’d sleep out with David. At the last minute Paul said he’d sleep in a hammock strung between two trees. We three talked for a while and then went off into a
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dreamless sleep. On one occasion when Steven was on leave we went for a walk to see a local Tudor house which was for sale by Auction. The garden had existed from Tudor times was still intact. The going price (wartime) was £1,500. The name of the place was “Synnyards” I loved the place and it was the start of a lifelong appreciation of old furniture and homes which UK has in abundance. I remember Steven saying “if I had the money I’d buy it”, and I thought “Me too.”
But we are digressing for it was in this period that Pam had suggested we join up and I was amazed when the call up papers arrived 3 days after our enquiries (Oct 24th, 1941) I had to report to Kingsway House, London. I was thoroughly questioned as to my academic achievements and given the most exhaustive medical of my life. All systems were “Go” and I was encouraged to be in the Admin Group with the possibility of an early promotion to officer status.
Steven Black brother of Paul
Paul Waring / Black
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Steven, myself, Paul
