It was another busy night shift, but throughout the chaos I found my thoughts drifting to the men in the huts and wondering if they were busy writing in the book. So when I eventually handed over to the nurses on the day shift, I raced round to the huts.
Judith wasn’t there, but there were other Red Cross nurses working, who were just as friendly. And when I walked in, the airmen all began calling to me, a cacophony of voices that made my head spin.
‘Nurse, I wrote a note for you!’
‘I’ve drawn some pictures, Nurse!’
‘I don’t know where my family are, Nurse. Can you find them?’
I looked around me, unsure where to start, and I couldn’t see where the book was. Harry clearly saw me looking lost and raised his voice.
‘Oi,’ he growled and the men all fell silent. ‘Nurse Watson here is doing a nice thing for us. Let’s be polite, shall we.’
I smiled at him and he smiled back and I felt something pass between us, almost like recognition. ‘I’ve got the book here,’ he said, picking it up from his bedside and holding it aloft. ‘The lads have almost filled it.’
I felt a rush of satisfaction and happiness. ‘Have they really?’ I looked round the makeshift ward. ‘Have you all written?’
‘Think everyone wrote something, or got someone to write for them,’ said the cheeky one called Eric. ‘Except for Mark. But he’s not so good with words.’
A man at the end of the ward, whom I assumed was Mark, grumbled and then let out a hearty laugh that delighted me. ‘True,’ he said, unabashed. ‘My letters always get jumbled up. But I drew a picture of Vinny.’
Vinny – the fellow they’d lost.
‘It felt good,’ Mark went on. ‘To have a chance to honour him.’
I nodded, moved by how well they’d taken to the idea.
‘We enjoyed it and we reckon you should take it all round the hospital,’ Harry said. He pronounced “take” like “tek”. I liked the way he spoke. ‘I’ve heard there are patients here from different parts of London. The docks and that?’
‘There are. They bring them down from the East End when the raids happen.’
‘And Nurse Cassidy said some of them don’t stay here?’
‘No, they often go to safer hospitals, down in Kent or Sussex.’
‘Maybe their families won’t know what’s happened then?’
‘It’s possible.’
‘You need to let them write in the book, too. Not just us airmen. Everyone.’
I smiled at him. ‘I will. That’s exactly what I’m planning to do. And now you’ve started things off, others will follow.’
‘Will you come back and tell us about it?’
‘Of course.’
‘Right, men. The dinner trolley’s on its way so how about you let Nurse Watson get home, please?’ said one of the nurses, who looked like a film star with huge blue eyes, but had a gruff, earthy voice that carried over the clamour of the men’s questions.
‘Bye then,’ I said to the men.
Harry winked at me and I felt my cheeks redden. ‘Bye, Nurse Watson,’ he said.
*
I had intended to take the book home and have a look inside, but I couldn’t wait. So I went to the staffroom, sat down and opened it up.
It was better than I’d ever dreamt possible. The airmen had completely understood what I wanted them to do, and the result was astonishing.
