The day we grew up, we had been out as a group, all five of us, kicking a football through the streets of our small, sleepy town. It was the last time we would be all together again, and I was only fourteen. Still, at the time all we cared about was the sun overhead, the ball at our feet, and whether our mums would be cooking liver again for our tea. It had been liver the night before, and we had all suffered – the butcher must have lowered the price on it and, since our mums were never ones to let a bargain slip by, we were to be subjected to liver in various forms for three days straight, until our fathers grew sick of it and dipped into their pockets to buy a nice joint of beef or pork. To this day, I’m not sure if my mother had planned it like that or not. It wouldn’t surprise me if she had.
But we still had all that to come, and so we kicked a ball, soundly slating the existence of liver, and finally ended up sitting at the edge of the common swapping rumours.
“Thomas Sharnbrook is joining the army.” Billy said. “I heard his mum talking to my mum.”
“What does he want to do that for?” Kevin asked scornfully. “It’s like having parents again – someone wakes you up every morning, buys all your clothes and food, and tells you what to do all day. And if they say you have to eat liver every day, you have to eat liver. Every day.”
“But you get to shoot at people with bombers and stuff.” Sam said excitedly.
“That’s the air force, you dolt.” Kevin replied. “The army don’t get planes, they have to walk everywhere.”
“I imagine they’ve got jeeps and things.” I cut in, seeing the shocked look on Sam’s face.
“Yeah, but you’ve got to drive where they tell you to drive.” Kevin continued. “You can’t do anything you want to do.”
“Well I want to join the air force.” Sam said, grinning. He leapt to his feet and started running around us, pretending he was chasing an enemy plane. As he careened around making machine gun noises, I turned to Kevin again.
“My mum was shouting last night because Philip wants to sign up.” I said. “Dad thinks it a great idea, but mum was nearly in tears. She sent me out before she started shouting, but I was listening at the window – she was saying it’s really dangerous at the moment.”
“My dad was in the army during the war.” Gordon spoke up. “He was a Sergeant. He keeps saying that soldiers have got it easy now, what with there not being anyone to fight.”
Sam pulled his bomber imitations up short.
“But dad says there’s going to be another war.”
“Nah, they sorted it all out last time.” Gordon replied.
“No, I’ve heard something too.” Billy cut in. “When Mrs Sharnbrook was talking to my mum, she said something about the Germans invading somewhere, and how we were giving them an ultimatum.”
“They’ve invaded lots of places.” I half shrugged. “The Prime Minister doesn’t want another war, and neither does Hitler – it was in the paper.”
“Billy’s right, though.” Kevin defended. “The Germans invaded Poland two days ago. It’s a funny thing for them to do, when they don’t want a war.”
“Where’s Poland?” Sam asked.
“Europe.” Kevin replied vaguely.
“I don’t want to go to war.” Gordon said, looking worried.
“It’ll be great if I can fly a plane and bomb the Germans.” Sam grinned. “That’ll teach them to invade Poland.”
“I don’t know.” I told him. “I think that’s what Philip wants to do, but mum’s really upset about it.”
“My mum’d be glad to see the back of me.” Sam said. “She’s always telling me to get out of the way. Hey,” His eyes lit up. “We should all sign up together. And we can be in the same group of planes…”
“Squadron.” Gordon corrected.
“…in the same squadron, and fight the Germans together. That’d be brilliant!”
“We’re not at war yet.” I told him. And maybe someone was listening as I said it, but before even Sam had a chance to find an answer, a wailing noise began to rise above the town.
“What’s that?” Billy asked as he jumped to his feet.
We didn’t know, not for sure. None of us had been following the news closely enough, and none of us had been listening to the wireless at a quarter past eleven. But even as young as we were then, we had heard the gossip. And I remember looking over at Kevin, who was second oldest after me, and sharing a thought – we are at war. A few years later Sam would get to fly his bomber, and Kevin would find out first hand what the army was like. Billy and I joined Kevin in the recruiting line for the Army, even though all three of us were underage. Gordon waited another year and joined the RAF with Sam as soon as he was seventeen. But it was that day, that bright Sunday, with the siren in my ears, that I realised what my future would be. The vividness of that moment faded after a day or so, but I never forgot it. Even now I can remember, to the minute, the moment I grew up.
But we still had all that to come, and so we kicked a ball, soundly slating the existence of liver, and finally ended up sitting at the edge of the common swapping rumours.
“Thomas Sharnbrook is joining the army.” Billy said. “I heard his mum talking to my mum.”
“What does he want to do that for?” Kevin asked scornfully. “It’s like having parents again – someone wakes you up every morning, buys all your clothes and food, and tells you what to do all day. And if they say you have to eat liver every day, you have to eat liver. Every day.”
“But you get to shoot at people with bombers and stuff.” Sam said excitedly.
“That’s the air force, you dolt.” Kevin replied. “The army don’t get planes, they have to walk everywhere.”
“I imagine they’ve got jeeps and things.” I cut in, seeing the shocked look on Sam’s face.
“Yeah, but you’ve got to drive where they tell you to drive.” Kevin continued. “You can’t do anything you want to do.”
“Well I want to join the air force.” Sam said, grinning. He leapt to his feet and started running around us, pretending he was chasing an enemy plane. As he careened around making machine gun noises, I turned to Kevin again.
“My mum was shouting last night because Philip wants to sign up.” I said. “Dad thinks it a great idea, but mum was nearly in tears. She sent me out before she started shouting, but I was listening at the window – she was saying it’s really dangerous at the moment.”
“My dad was in the army during the war.” Gordon spoke up. “He was a Sergeant. He keeps saying that soldiers have got it easy now, what with there not being anyone to fight.”
Sam pulled his bomber imitations up short.
“But dad says there’s going to be another war.”
“Nah, they sorted it all out last time.” Gordon replied.
“No, I’ve heard something too.” Billy cut in. “When Mrs Sharnbrook was talking to my mum, she said something about the Germans invading somewhere, and how we were giving them an ultimatum.”
“They’ve invaded lots of places.” I half shrugged. “The Prime Minister doesn’t want another war, and neither does Hitler – it was in the paper.”
“Billy’s right, though.” Kevin defended. “The Germans invaded Poland two days ago. It’s a funny thing for them to do, when they don’t want a war.”
“Where’s Poland?” Sam asked.
“Europe.” Kevin replied vaguely.
“I don’t want to go to war.” Gordon said, looking worried.
“It’ll be great if I can fly a plane and bomb the Germans.” Sam grinned. “That’ll teach them to invade Poland.”
“I don’t know.” I told him. “I think that’s what Philip wants to do, but mum’s really upset about it.”
“My mum’d be glad to see the back of me.” Sam said. “She’s always telling me to get out of the way. Hey,” His eyes lit up. “We should all sign up together. And we can be in the same group of planes…”
“Squadron.” Gordon corrected.
“…in the same squadron, and fight the Germans together. That’d be brilliant!”
“We’re not at war yet.” I told him. And maybe someone was listening as I said it, but before even Sam had a chance to find an answer, a wailing noise began to rise above the town.
“What’s that?” Billy asked as he jumped to his feet.
We didn’t know, not for sure. None of us had been following the news closely enough, and none of us had been listening to the wireless at a quarter past eleven. But even as young as we were then, we had heard the gossip. And I remember looking over at Kevin, who was second oldest after me, and sharing a thought – we are at war. A few years later Sam would get to fly his bomber, and Kevin would find out first hand what the army was like. Billy and I joined Kevin in the recruiting line for the Army, even though all three of us were underage. Gordon waited another year and joined the RAF with Sam as soon as he was seventeen. But it was that day, that bright Sunday, with the siren in my ears, that I realised what my future would be. The vividness of that moment faded after a day or so, but I never forgot it. Even now I can remember, to the minute, the moment I grew up.
Comments