But “Quo Fata Vocant” was always there and the fates were calling me yet again (Henry of course says the Latin means “who farts vacantly”).
The girl whose job I was to take over was the daughter of an Air Commodore and she got on the “blower” to Daddy and said virtually – “I’m not going to that so-and-so Australian Squadron, send the new girl!”
So, instead of having Scampton I was on my way to Binbrook outside of Lincoln and to 460 Sqdn Royal Australian Air Force.
I had only been in the place 2 days when the other WAAF Officers told me I had to be “on deck” for the Sunday afternoon open house for the “OZ” officers. I told them I wasn’t too keen on the idea and to count me out – “Impossible”, they said – “We’re always all in this together!”
So………..
on Sunday November 26th 1944 I met Henry Baskerville at a Sunday afternoon Tea Party. Here was a supreme coming together of “Quo Fata Vocant!”
The fire was roaring away in our officers mess living room. The floor was carpeted and cosy chairs grouped around the room. The
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wireless was playing the music of the day and cups and saucers and “eats” laid out on the table.
Apparently the officers at Binbrook did this every Sunday afternoon. There were about 6 girls and I remember particularly
Dee Delius – code and cypher (Niece of Composer Delius, married a French man after the war)
Val – Intelligence (on with Sqd Leader Roberts)
Stella – Signals (a widow of a bomber pilot)
Bambi – Intelligence (from Switzerland)
Iris – Administrative (Harry liked her)
Doris – Accounts ( a real Londoner)
Louise – Equipment (from South America)
The WAAF officers mess was a Nissan hut constructed like a half circle on a concrete floor. There were probably 8 small individual bedrooms containing a bed – a wardrobe and a small cast iron (pot belly) fire. There was a bathroom – a fairly large kitchen with a big Aga stove. It was always a lovely warm room and helped heat the place. The fire never went out and large round circular lids (5″ thick or more) covered each cooking hotplate. These were lifted up on a hinge if ever you wanted to cook. This type of Aga was standard RAF equipment. To have an Aga in Britain was then and I believe still is – the state of the art for kitchen cooking.
Then there was a small dining room off the kitchen for us ending up with the Mess Living room at the end, with its lovely cast iron pot belly fire and windows on 3 sides.
I said to myself – I’ll put in an appearance and then I’ll slip away. I
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was still licking my wounds about being manipulated by the Signals officer at Scampton.
The Aussies arrived and a lot of noise, of course! I met Henry and Bluey (a red-haired guy and mate of Henry’s who eventually became a school teacher) and I chatted away eventually sitting beside Henry in front of the fire. Suddenly the lights fused and the glow and light from the fire provided a warm easy atmosphere which prevented me from dashing away as I had originally intended.
Eventually of course the lights came on – it was time to go. I was standing in the Hall as they left. As Henry left, he turned around and said, “Goodbye Anne”, it was the strangest proposal of marriage I had ever received. He of course thought nothing of it at all, but for me the net had been thrown and I had been caught, and I knew I could never escape again.
For the next 3 months I fell more and more in love with this rascal of a man. He delighted me in every way and I knew right from the start that indeed Lochinvar had ridden on from the West!!
