“That was your ‘aha’ in class today?”
“Yes. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t seen it earlier. It was so straightforward. They weren’t trying to hide anything, and that made it easier for me to see. Look for repeated patterns and repeated letters.” She explained about the Ds and the Es.
Alice nodded slowly.
“Another way to recognize what is being used is by looking for certain words used a lot. Once you identify them, you can use that word as a key. For example, the British often use the word ‘STOP’ when a message is over. They might even say ‘MESSAGE OVER.’ The Germans say all different things, depending on the sender. One that I have heard a lot is ‘ENDE,’ which just means ‘End.’ Once you see that, it’s not difficult to use those letters as part of the key, and go from there.”
A light began to come on in Alice’s eyes. Sensing her friend’s eagerness, Dot made up a few short test sentences to see if Alice could solve them. After a little head scratching, she did.
“What do you think?” Dot asked.
“I think you are amazing, but I need a lot more practice.”
The next morning, the class was sent out to the semaphore area. From her spot ten feet up the mast, Dot could see the girl at the other end of the parade square, her yellow and red flags whipping in the cold wind. Dot’s job was to read the letters, then Alice would write them down.
The girl at the end held one flag straight down and one straight up.
“D,” Dot said. Then “I,” when the girl whipped her left flag down to the lower left, then switched her right flag to the left and held it in the high position.
She yawned. “So that’s M-V-O-D-I.”
“Keep going, Dot,” Alice said. “Remember? Chief Wren Stevens said we’re not supposed to translate, just read the flags. They’re timing us. I don’t want to clean toilets again.”
“U-P-E-B-Z. It’s a puzzle, Alice. An easy one. Like if I look at letters just one past… If I go back from there…”
The flags kept signalling, over and over. Dot did what she’d been assigned, repeating what she saw so Alice could write it all down, but she couldn’t stop translating in her mind. Whether it was supposed to or not, the message was beginning to reveal itself.
“Just the letters, Dot,” Alice said. “It’s cold out here.”
“Q-F-B-O-V,” Dot read dutifully, “S-C-V-S-S.” She was pretty sure they were coming in series of five. The triple SS was telling. What if… “Repeat those last five again?”
“S-C-V-S-S.” Alice sighed. “Come on. We both know you can solve it. Just finish so we can go in.”
“F-S-B-O-E, K-B-N.” She turned to Alice, smug. “Got it.”
Alice couldn’t suppress a smile. “What is it?”
“Peanut butter and jam for lunch today.” Dot’s expression tightened. “What is that? I know I’ve heard of it, but from where? The Americans?”
“Yes!” Alice hooked her arm through Dot’s. “With their rations, the American soldiers get bread and peanut butter, then they got bread and jam, so somebody decided to put them together.” She wiggled her pale eyebrows. “I can’t wait to try it.”
After five weeks, Dot and Alice were tested on everything they’d learned for their final examinations. Both breezed through every category, including the physical challenges, although when it came to speed, no one could come close to Dot at Morse code. The minimum speed required for graduation was twenty words per minute. Dot was at forty-five, and Alice was at thirty-four.
On the day of their graduation from Saint-Hyacinthe, Dot stood beside Alice on a small stage. Their uniforms were spotless, their shoes scrubbed so hard they reflected the ceiling lights as they earned the rank of Petty Officer Wren, a rank equal to sergeant in other military branches. Chief Wren Stevens presented each of them with a blue embroidered badge of a crown above two crossed anchors, which Dot would sew on her sleeve the minute she had time. There was also a certificate of graduation and a sealed envelope. Slightly less important, but still exciting to Dot, was the fact that she and Alice would receive a pay raise to $1.15 per week.
After the presentations, Chief Wren Stevens came to the podium tocongratulate each of them for their exemplary work over the past five weeks.
“I would also like to read a statement to you, written by the minister of National Defence for Naval Services.” She cleared her throat. “?‘The expectations of the navy in the Wrens have been justified by your hard work and dedication to duty. You who are members of the sister branch of the senior service have won the respect of all Canadians by your acceptance of requirements, readiness for responsibility, and your invaluable contribution to the work of winning the war. You will share in no small measure the gratitude of the Canadian people when victory is ours.’?” She set the paper down and smiled at the graduates. “In addition, I would like to share my own personal gratitude for the commitment and diligence you have shown. You have earned this honour, and I know you are eager to see what happens next. All of that information is in the envelope you now hold.”
As soon as the ceremony was over, Dot and Alice sliced open their envelopes and read the letters within. Dot’s heart leapt, discovering where she was going next, then she looked up slowly, meeting Alice’s eyes.
“HMCS Coverdale,” they both said. Grinning, they quickly read the letter.
HMCS Coverdale, Dot read, was a special wireless station in New Brunswick. It was not a training centre at all. It was an actual listening station.
“No more classes,” Dot said, stunned. “We’re done!”
Alice grinned. “What do you say to that, Petty Officer Wren Wilson?”
