Women on the Home Front (73 page)

The area was now largely neglected although during the war it had been the site of one of the many RAF wireless and Radio Location stations. It was within sight of another station on Highdown, a couple of miles away, as the crow flies, and they had helped the British forces keep a tab on enemy aircraft flying to and fro on air raids on London as part of the Ground Control Interception. Although there were plenty of bomb craters, High Salvington's greatest claim to fame was being the crash site of an enemy Heinkel 111 in August 1940. Back then, a crowd almost as large as the one on the hill now had gathered to see it.

The spades arrived and Roger began to organise a working party. Somebody had had the foresight to bring a wheelbarrow, which would make it easier to transport the dug soil away from the site. Tackling it from above increased the risk that the earth on top of her would simply collapse. They couldn't see her but they could hear her muffled cries. Clearly she was able to breathe without too much problem. It appeared that she had slipped down at an angle and gone under the damaged roots of a tree which leaned downhill at a crazy angle.

‘I believe she's wedged in there by her shoulders,' said Roger. ‘I have no idea how deep the hole is and I don't want to risk her falling even further.'

It was decided that they should dig alongside the opening rather than above it. That way they hoped to be able to persuade Mandy to crawl her way out without too much soil falling on top of her.

Eugène slipped unnoticed beside Connie. ‘We will get her out,' he promised. As she turned to look at him, she was filled with a longing to feel his strong arms around her. He looked better. The dark rings had gone from under his eyes and his complexion seemed a lot healthier than when she last saw him. ‘Did you go to see Kez?' she whispered.

He nodded. ‘I did. Thank you, Connie. You are a true friend.'

Roger moved closer and interrupted them. ‘Let's start getting the earth away from here,' he told the Frenchie. ‘You can wheel it up over the ridge.'

‘No problem,' smiled Eugène, taking off his jacket. Connie almost reached out to touch him but changed her move into a folding of her arms.

‘I'll try and find another strong looking fellow to help you and you can do shifts,' said Roger glancing first at the Frenchie and then at Connie.

‘That'll be me,' said Isaac, taking his shirt off as well.

Connie choked up. Roger gave her a quick side hug. ‘You'd better brace yourself, darling. This is going to be a long, hard job.' And she saw Eugène look away.

The hill quickly became a hive of activity. Women living nearby had turned up with flasks of tea and later on, some sandwiches. Every now and then, Roger called for them to stop working so that Gwen could have the opportunity to call out to Mandy and reassure her that they were doing everything possible to help her. What they didn't tell her was that because of the unstable ground, this was getting more difficult by the minute. It wasn't just the moving hillock they had to contend with, they also had problems with the thick brambles and undergrowth which had to be cleared away before they could even get a spade into the earth.

As the evening wore on, the word had got around and a tidy crowd of would-be helpers gathered in the lane and PC Noble turned up on his bicycle. Connie was glad that they still had double summer time. 1945 was supposed to be the last time it was used but in view of the terrible food shortages in the country, the government had decreed to reinstate it in 1947 giving more hours of daylight to enable farmers to keep up the good work. The clocks would go back one hour on 10 August and then the final hour would be on 12 November.

Later on, someone put a blanket on Connie's shoulders and as she pulled it around her, she realised for the first time how terribly cold she was. She had no cardigan and her arms were bare. Eugène and Isaac who had stripped down to their vests, glistened with sweat and the dirt on their bodies made them look like a couple of miners. As the gloom turned towards dusk, the first of the oil lanterns was lit and a hurricane lamp hissed nearby. The first group of men were beginning to get tired, so a shift pattern was adopted and slowly but surely they were making progress. They shored up the sides as they went and once they were actually tunnelling, they had to shore up the overhang too.

Roger was a careful overseer, checking everything thoroughly as they went. ‘No slacking,' he told Eugène who had stopped to wind a handkerchief around his blistered hands.

‘Roger!' Connie exclaimed. ‘He's doing his best.'

‘It's important to keep up the momentum,' said Roger, unrepentant. ‘We can't afford passengers.'

Eugène was about to react but Isaac tugged on his arm and the two men carried on.

Everything was going so well until someone's spade hit something metal.

‘What the hell was that?'

Rev Jackson looked around wildly. ‘Didn't they have guns up here during the war?'

‘No, you've got that one wrong yer reverent,' said a voice. ‘I've lived up here all my life and there's never been a gun up here.'

The man who hit the metal was running his hand along whatever it was he'd hit. ‘There's definitely something down here and it's quite big.'

Roger scrambled down the bank. He traced his hand alongside the other man's and even in the gathering gloom they all saw his face pale. ‘Have you ever been bombed up here?'

‘What for?' someone cried. ‘There's nothing up here.'

‘What about the RAF Wireless and Radio Location during the war?' someone else remarked. ‘Could be that somebody was aiming for that, I suppose.'

‘Wireless and Radio Location?' Rev Jackson queried.

‘Part of our air defences, sir,' said Roger. ‘The German Luftwaffe were intercepted by our aircraft thanks to the boys working on Ground Controlled Interception.'

‘Really?' said Rev Jackson. ‘I never realised.'

Roger nodded sagely. ‘We're all indebted to a lot of people we don't know about, sir.'

‘Tell you what,' another man said, ‘the Germans sometimes dropped the odd leftover bomb before they reached the Channel.'

‘So did our boys,' a woman called out. ‘If they were heading for Tangmere or Ford, they couldn't afford to land with an unexploded bomb still on board.'

‘Then I'm afraid we have to stop what we are doing,' said Roger. He jerked his head towards PC Noble. ‘Could you tell everyone to get well away, please?' The policeman saluted and scrabbled up the bank. ‘And ask your sergeant to call my HQ and dispatch a unit.'

PC Noble seemed slightly confused.

‘What's up?' said Clifford, sliding down the bank to join him. ‘Why have you stopped digging?'

‘I'm sorry, sir, but we can't carry on,' said Roger. ‘That feels like a UXB to me.'

‘A bomb!' someone cried. There was a collective gasp and several people moved away. PC Noble flew up the bank, mounted his bicycle and rode as fast as he could towards the houses further down the lane.

‘How can you be so sure?' Clifford said desperately.

‘Roger is a bomb disposal officer,' said Connie. ‘He was the man who defused that bomb in Worthing High Street a few months ago.'

Clifford seemed to wither in size. Gwen burst into tears as Eugène took it upon himself to clear the rest of the people from the scene. Some left reluctantly, but most of them were only too keen to go back down the hill.

‘You can't leave her there,' cried Gwen.

Connie's face was stricken. ‘Can't we pull her out first?'

‘I'm sorry, darling, but we cannot risk it,' said Roger. ‘We've been really lucky so far not to set it off. It has to be checked and made safe before we can go on.'

Connie stared at him in horror. ‘But she's underneath.'

‘I know,' said Roger, ‘and I will get her out. It's just going to take time.'

‘I want to speak to her,' said Gwen. ‘Let me talk to my daughter.'

Roger hesitated for a second and then said, ‘Okay. But try not to let her panic. Tell her we're all going to have a rest. Tell her it's night-time. Don't tell her what's really happened. Try to make everything sound as normal as possible.'

Gwen's eyes filled with tears and she looked helplessly at Connie and everyone knew what she must be thinking. How could she possibly sound normal when every part of her body was screaming in panic for her child?

‘I'll do it, Mum.'

‘Connie.' The sound of Eugène's voice made her hesitate. She turned and her eyes met his. Eugène glanced back at Roger watching them then turned to Connie. ‘Be careful,' he said quietly.

Her chin quivered slightly as she nodded in thanks and then Roger reached out his hand to help her down. As she took it, Connie stepped on the boards the men had laid down for the wheelbarrow. Her foot slipped slightly and she felt Eugène's strong arm make a grab for her from behind to hold her steady.

‘I've got her, thank you,' said Roger coldly as he reached to help Connie.

Connie couldn't look back but somehow it was Eugène's grip that gave her the strength she needed. Taking a deep breath, she knelt and then lay on the ground in front of the hole. It was damp and smelled earthy. ‘Mandy …'

‘Let me out,' Mandy sobbed. Her voice sounded far away but Connie could see a small gap tapering away in the distance. This must have been where she went into the hole, pulling the earth in behind her but luckily still giving her enough access to air. If it had closed right around her entirely she would have been buried alive. ‘I will be good. Please, Connie.'

It took every ounce of strength Connie had not to break down. ‘Mandy … darling, listen to me. It's hard to get down to where you are. We are going to have to get some special things to help us.'

‘But I want to come out now.'

‘I know you do, darling. But everybody is going to have a little rest first and then we'll get you out. Promise.'

Silence.

Connie chewed her lip anxiously. ‘Can you hear me, darling?'

‘I'm thirsty.'

Connie looked helplessly at Roger. ‘That's okay. We can give her something,' he whispered.

‘All right,' Connie shouted down the hole. ‘I'll see what I can do. We'll have you out soon, Mandy, I promise. Do you think you can be a good girl for just a little bit longer?'

She waited for what seemed like an eternity and then Mandy said, ‘Do I have to touch Mr Charles?'

For a second, Connie's eyes widened and her blood ran cold. Aware that every eye was upon her she fought with herself not to start shaking. Her heart was already pounding with rage. So she had been right after all. This had something to do with that damned man. Dear God. What was she going to do? Her mother and Clifford were already demented with worry. If she said something now it would only add to their misery. She swallowed hard. ‘You don't have to do anything you don't want to, darling.'

There was another pause then Mandy sighed, ‘All wight.'

Out in the lane, the coach driver had already decided it was time to go. ‘If there's a bomb down there, I can't risk my motor being blown to kingdom come,' he told Rev Jackson. ‘You either get your people back on the coach or you all stay here at your own risk.'

Although he himself wanted to stay, it seemed prudent to Rev Jackson to get everyone else home. ‘I know you all want to help,' he told everyone, ‘but the best way is by giving the authorities plenty of space to do what they have to do.'

It was his diplomatic way of assuaging any guilt they might feel at leaving Connie and her family to it.

Jane and Arnold sought Connie out first. ‘We'll come back in the morning,' she promised Connie. She and Arnold were full of apologies. ‘Please don't feel bad,' said Connie, giving Jane a hug. ‘You've both been real pals. Thanks, and take your dad with you. He looks completely done in.'

‘The vet says he's doing all he can for Pip,' said Arnold. Connie sucked in her lips, unable to speak. ‘I think he might make it,' Arnold went on. ‘He's a plucky little dog.'

The driver started the engine and a reluctant Rev Jackson began to close the door. ‘We'll pray for you,' he said helplessly.

The School of Military Engineering began in Ripon in Yorkshire in 1940. Once the seriousness of the country's position was fully realised, the military formed a specialist Bomb Disposal School. They began with a basic unit which consisted of one officer, and fifteen other ranks which were divided into two subsections, one for the removal of a bomb and the other for its sterilisation. Roger came into the system in 1943 when the total Bomb Disposal force numbered some 10,000 men, who were stationed in every theatre of war and in the three services. His unit was based in Horsham which was only a twenty-mile drive away. Without even the basic equipment, there was little Roger could do except wait. He did his best to appear calm and in control but in truth he did have some serious concerns. He could only hope that the strike of the spade hadn't been enough to restart any dormant timing device. The bomb itself was badly damaged and most likely exceedingly dangerous. Not only that, but it was only held in place by tree roots and highly unstable earth works.

Connie was being very brave. She was a plucky girl and the way she was behaving only made him admire her all the more. He wasn't so sure about that other chap sniffing around. He had made short work of emptying the wheelbarrows at the top of the incline, but he seemed to be hanging around Connie a bit too much. Who was he? She'd never mentioned going out with anyone else and Eva had never mentioned it either. He was beginning to regret leaving it so long before declaring his hand. Connie was definitely the girl for him.

Roger managed to rig up a rubber tube and after he'd pushed it down the little gap, Connie came back onto the boards to explain to the child what was happening. When Roger had spoken to her, Mandy had become agitated, but Connie's voice calmed her.