The wartime story of Norma and James Rogers and their twin babies continues as they struggle to remain a family, even though Norma and James are thousands of miles apart. Their only communication was heavily censored letters that took five or six weeks at a minimum to travel between the writer and the reader, ensuring that they had to make what could be far reaching decisions for the family without being able to consult each other.

*

After the birth of the twins, I stayed with my mother for three months, and her help was invaluable in my adjustment to the demands of two babies. Luckily for me, both John and Angela were happy, healthy babies who slept a lot and had sunny dispositions, so once they were four months old I was ready to move back to London to the house I now shared with Nancy, and to the job that had been offered me as Deputy Station Officer. Jim was delighted with the births and his letters, while infrequent, showed just how proud a father he was. Nancy was delighted that her share of the rent would go down once I started working again as I wanted to. This war was far from over, and I felt that I could still contribute.

After Germany attacked Russia in May 1941, the bombing of Britain steadily decreased, as the German aircraft were apparently needed in the Russian Campaign, but the work of the Ambulance service did not decrease a great deal. While some crews were kept on duty at night in case of occasional small raids, just as if Hitler were keeping us on our toes, the ambulances were busy in daytime for inter-hospital transfers of wounded aircrew from bases to major hospitals or convalescent hospitals, so the drivers were just as busy. Military training made for many accidents to soldiers, as did the Dieppe landings. Clean-up operations had also begun, razing blitzed areas, and on occasion recovering bodies or parts of bodies that had been missed during the hectic times of the blitz and were found when the wreckage was being cleared. Accidents were also frequent, so the ambulance service was still needed.

Catherine Wilson, the Station officer in the Ambulance Station, had been down to Bromley to see me several times, keeping me up to date on what was happening in the Service, and she was anxious for me to return to work as soon as I could as her assistant. That would mean that I was working all-day shifts from 8 in the morning until 5 in the evening. The local council, like many others, had started day nurseries for children so that mothers could be called on for war work. Production of weapons, ammunition, and aircraft was increasing, much of the work being done by women whose men were either training or away in North Africa and other parts of the world. Factories were not only in the major centres, but were also distributed throughout the country, many making small parts that were shipped to larger factories for assembly.

I was fortunate that the closest nursery was only about 50 yards away from the Ambulance station, so I could drop the twins off on my way to the station and pick them up on my way home. I could even get there during my lunch times and feed them and play with them, cutting down on the bottle feeding when I could. Catherine helped me get as much time with them as I could, and I was able to at least get as much time as today's working mothers do. Shortly after I returned to work, we listened with horror to the BBC news as the announcer gave details of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour and of attacks by Japanese forces on Singapore and the coast of Malaya. Next day, the 8^th of December 1941 we heard the recording of the speech by President Roosevelt announcing that the United States had entered the war against Japan and the Axis powers. Later that day Mr. Churchill announced that Britain had declared war on Japan.

My immediate concern was with Jim. Hopefully in India he would be safe, but I was still scared that the Japanese would attack India. It seemed a logical thing, and I was scared that they would inflame the anti-British feeling against the troops there that already existed in India. Of course Jim could not say much in his letters, other than reassure me that he loved me and the children, was looking forward to seeing us when he was home at last, and that he was staying healthy.

It seemed just a few days later that I got home to a sight that I could hardly believe. I was pushing the twin pram up the street, wishing for a hot cup of tea but realizing that my two hungry charges would have to be fed first. I saw a huddle of people by our front door. As I got closer I could see that it was Jenny and her family. She was sitting on my step with the baby on her knee, rocking from side to side and crying at the same time. Her three other children were sitting alongside her, she looked up at me and cried, "It was on the BBC News, Repulse has been sunk, that's Bert's ship. I don't know if he is alive or dead. Some were picked up but they don't know who." She burst into tears again, crying louder and her children followed her example. She burst out "I don't know what I am going to do without him. I can handle everything knowing that one day he'll turn up, walking up the street in his uniform, all ready to take all the worries for me, but what happens if I don't have him there for me?"

I put a hand on her shoulder, "Jenny, hush now; don't torture yourself. Bert could be just fine. You won't know for sure until you get official notification. Your little ones need you to be strong, and the baby needs your milk. If you get too upset that could dry up. Come inside with me and put the kettle on while I feed the babies." She came in with me, and as she did what I said, I fed the babies and put them down. The children calmed down as she did those tasks just automatically. Not for nothing is the British remedy for disaster the brewing and drinking of tea. When the babies were down, I sat her at the kitchen table while we left the children to play in the living room where I kept some toys for when they visited. I put her tea on the table in front of her. "Now sit and tell me what happened."

She sniffed and dried her eyes "I was listening to the four o'clock news on the radio when the announcer said that HMS Repulse and HMS Prince of Wales had been sunk by Japanese bombers off Malaya, and that survivors had been picked up by other ships in the fleet. They were two big ships; it seems incredible that they are both gone. There were thousands of men on them. I have no idea if Bert was saved or not."

"Have you heard anything from the Admiralty yet?"

"No, not a thing. Of course, they probably won't know who was saved or died yet."

"So you won't know until they tell you?"

"No, I won't, and then I'll have to tell his Mum and Dad. I can't face that, I always felt that they thought he married beneath himself when we wed. They didn't seem to welcome me into the family."

"Well first, just for the children's sake, why not try and stay cheerful and believe that Bert is safe until you get a telegram telling you different. In the meantime try and get your Mum to come up and stay with you for a bit. I'll tell you what - tomorrow I'll call the Brighton Police and have them tell her to call me at the station, and I can explain things."

"It's alright, she has a phone. I can go to the phone box and call her."

"Well, why not do it now? I'll look after the children till you get back."

Jenny left, saying she would be back shortly, and I busied myself getting a simple meal ready for the children, breaking up some bread into dishes and warming milk to pour over it. It was not a very elaborate meal, but with a little sprinkling of sugar, it made a tasty filler for young bellies, and sometimes for older bellies too when there wasn't anything else to be had. It was something like a bread pudding, but without the cooking. When I was done breast feeding the twins, I recalled that I had some dried milk from the health ministry for emergencies, so I could make a bottle up for Jenny's baby. Just as I finished feeding him, a much more relaxed Jenny got back from the phone, actually smiling a little, and she gave a big sigh of relief. "Mum heard a later news broadcast, and they think they got most of the crew of Repulse off the ship safely, and they were being picked up from the water. I feel a little better now; anyway, she will be up tomorrow and stay with me at least until we find out for sure, though when that will be I have no idea."

"Well, you look a whole lot better than you did a couple of hours ago. Now go up and get that face washed and your hair combed so you will look like your normal self for the children. Nancy is away at her parents right now, so if you want, you and the children can share her room for the night so you aren't on your own."

"I'll just nip down to the house and pick up their pyjamas then. I must admit, I don't want to be on my own right now, and if Bert doesn't make it, things will be rough. I'll be alone with four little kids to raise, and the last thing I want right now is to be alone."

"Jenny, if the worst does happen, you won't be on your own. You know your Mum will be there for you. She has said that already, in fact she has already told you that if the worst happens, she will stay with you. Don't forget, this isn't the first war that she has gone through."

"No, it isn't, and how she went through the first one with Dad in the trenches I'll never know, but they made it through. Anyway, I have to believe he will make it, you know Bert, just like the bad penny, he'll always turn up. He doesn't know the meaning of the words 'give up', and if he was on the radio when the ship was hit, he was above the main deck anyway."

Jenny went off to her house to get their clothes, and we made a big game of putting then all into the tub starting with my twins and working up to the biggest, By the time we finished I don't know who was wettest, the children or Jenny and I. Then we got them down to sleep, both of us praying that there wouldn't be a raid that night to disturb us. We would be hard pushed to get 6 children together and remember the tin of valuable papers as well as blankets for the shelter. The night passed quietly, though, and the next morning, as I took the twins off to the nursery, Jenny marched her brood down the street to their house to await the arrival of Grandma. In a way I couldn't do anything but admire her. Apart from the first little while after the news announcement, she had carried herself well - even with the torment of not knowing whether her husband and the father of her children was alive or dead. I didn't think that I could be that calm if I heard that Jim's unit had been attacked.

It wasn't until about a week later that she got a telegram from the Admiralty. I was off that day, and she came to the house with the children. "Norma, I need your help, this came an hour ago." She held up the telegram unopened. "I can't bear to open it and Mum is away at the shops; please open it and tell me what it says." I took it from her, opened it up and read it 'The Lords of the Admiralty wish to advise you that Chief Petty Officer Albert Morris of HMS Repulse was rescued and is alive and well.' That was all that was said, but Jenny saw the smile start across my face, snatched the telegram and read it herself. "I told yer he was bound to turn up, didn't I!" She started dancing around the kitchen and we hugged each other with relief. This time she had been lucky, but we knew that as long as this war went on, we would both be on edge, wondering if that telegram telling us that our men had been killed was going to be a part of our lives. That time was the worst for us women. Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaya and Burma had fallen like dominoes. The Japanese seemed invincible wherever they fought, doing things that had been thought impossible. I was glad that I had a job that took a lot of concentration and didn't let me have a lot of time to worry.

Several months after I returned to work, Catherine sent me to a meeting at the Ministry of Health in her stead, as I was taking over her duties for a time. She was going to be on leave, spending time with her husband who was commanding a Royal Navy frigate on patrol duties in the English Channel. It was going to be laid up at the Naval Dockyard in Chatham for modifications, and he could live ashore while it was being done. I had been asked to arrive an hour before the meeting to talk with a Mr. Henry, then attend the meeting as our Station representative.

Mr. Henry asked me to join him in a ground floor office, then pointing to a chair in front of his desk, asked me to sit down.

He smiled at me and said, "I suppose you are wondering why you were asked to come and see me?"

I replied with a tired smile, "There is a war on, many things are happening each day, so I'm not really wondering much as I'm sure you are going to explain what it is you need."

He laughed, "Mrs. Rogers, I was warned that you are pretty direct, so let's not beat around the bush. The London Volunteer Ambulance has done a tremendous job with minimal equipment in looking after the people of London during the blitz and since. You know that very well and have been decorated along with others for the part you have played. Now as you know, our American allies are arriving daily, and contrary to the ideas of many of them, are not going to take everything over and win this war for us. A lot of them need to be trained in techniques that they have not encountered previously, and we need military officers to work side by side with our allies on a daily basis rather than civilians. In order to do that we are recruiting a number of members of the London Volunteer Ambulance Service as officers in the Auxiliary Territorial Service. I'm offering you the opportunity to transfer to the ATS with the rank of Subaltern. Your duties would be much the same as you are doing now, as well as running training teams. Are you interested?"

I was flabbergasted at what he said. "What about my babies? I'm the mother of two very young children; what would I be expected to do with them?"

"The same as you are doing now. You would be posted at your present station in London, you would continue to normally go home each day, and we can arrange care for them when you are required to travel. Your pay would be higher and you would get the same number of days leave as the regular forces, which is more than you get now."

"What would the term of service be?"

"Hostilities only, so when the war is over you would return to civilian life. If it makes your decision any easier, I can tell you in confidence that within months most young married women will be subject to call up for war work, including service with the ATS, WRNS and WAAF arms of the forces for those without children. There will be some exemptions, but where nursery care is available, war work will be compulsory."

"In that case, I'll do it."

"Since we had it on the highest authority that you likely would, we have taken the liberty of preparing your new identification, and we are prepared to swear you in as a member of the ATS today."

With that I took the oath, and a sergeant of the ATS came in and measured me for new uniforms that would be delivered to my Station. An appointment was made for me to see my new commanding officer the next day. In a daze, I went on to my next meeting. The mention of the highest authority made me wonder if the Queen had made some recommendations. I could feel meddling somewhere, and the friendship between my mother in law and the Queen could explain many things.

I entered the meeting room and was surprised to see not only Health Ministry and Ambulance personnel, but also a number of American officers of different ranks. The ministry types were obvious with their pin striped suits, and I was willing to bet that they all wore bowler hats and carried umbrellas to and from work. The ambulance personnel were in uniform, of course, as were the American officers. There were name cards on several tables where we were to be seated, and I found myself seated next to a Lieutenant in the US Army.

He turned to me, reached out to shake hands and said "Hi, I'm Hank Edwards; I believe that I'm to be working out of your station."

"It is nice to meet you, though I fear you know more than I do. This is all new to me."

Just then the senior civil servant spoke and brought the meeting to order. He continued speaking and outlined the government's latest plans. As we were now getting a considerable number of American personnel in London, both on leave and being stationed in the city, American officers would be assigned to the main ambulance stations, and all American casualties would be reported to them. Those officers would then notify the injured persons' units and ensure their locations were known to the authorities. Hank Edwards was the officer assigned to my station.

This idea caused some friction in the meeting, and several ambulance officers pointed out that our system had been functioning pretty well, even at the height of the blitz, and that we had done well in victim identification and requisite notification to the police and local authorities of where people were taken and their condition. The criticism was taken note of, and Lieutenant Edwards spoke up.

"Look, we aren't coming to take over what you have been doing; we will only be taking responsibility for our own service personnel. We aren't going to take any of your authority. In most cases you will still be handling the casualties; it will just be up to the US liaisons to report to the US command. Speaking for myself, I'm hoping to learn a lot from you on methods of victim recovery, as I figure, once we invade Europe, we will need the knowledge that you have and we don't. Right now I can't think of a single city in the States where the authorities would be anything even close to being prepared to do what you have accomplished over here during the bombing. Obviously you had to learn as you went along, and if we can take that knowledge and use it once the invasion starts, it could mean a lot less deaths and compounded injuries."

After he spoke, the meeting was adjourned and he stood. He was about six feet tall and quite handsome, in a rugged kind of way. His face was tanned, with clean lines, and I could see that he would be quite in demand at parties and dances. Turning to me, he said, "Look, I have a jeep outside. Why don't we go for lunch and I'll take you back to the station?"

"I'm sorry," I replied, "I'm married, so I don't usually go out to lunch with other men, particularly those I don't know."

"Ma'am, You don't need to be the Ice Queen, I'm sorry if I was misunderstood. I meant a working lunch. I have a lot to learn, and who better to learn it from than someone who has been through it? The ribbon that you wear doesn't come with the laundry, so I expect to learn a whole lot from you. Also, believe me, my parents brought me up to respect marriage. I'm not looking for a date, I'm looking for knowledge, and you would be doing me and the US Army a favour by providing it."

A little shamefacedly, I then accepted, and soon found myself in the dining room at the Savoy where Hank was billeted until he found permanent quarters. Over soup and a plate of sandwiches, I got to know Hank a little. He seemed to have a million questions, and I hoped I was able to answer him well. When we finished, we went outside to the jeep and I directed him to the station where I introduced him to the staff and told them what he would be doing. When I introduced him to Nancy, I noticed a mutual spark of interest between the two of them, especially when I caught him looking at her left hand to see if there were any rings there. He saw that I had noted that, and he gave a half grin while his face coloured slightly.
We went through to my office where I explained our processes to him and explained to him that I was in charge of the station for the next few weeks, so I couldn't show him much of the area, and that if he wanted to go out on the ambulances at all, I would send him with a senior driver.

"What about going with Nancy?" he asked.

"Yes, that can be arranged if she doesn't mind you being along."

"I know I shouldn't ask this, but is she spoken for? I don't want to tread on anyone's toes, but I would really like to get to know her."

I looked him square in the eyes. "Hank, You called me the Ice Queen, Nancy isn't, as you call it, spoken for, but let me be perfectly clear. She is my best friend, we share a house between us, and we have been through a lot together. What she does in her life is up to her, but be warned, if you do anything to hurt her, you make two enemies, not one, and without giving away any secrets, let me say I am able to cause you a great deal of problems if I wish."

"Norma, let me be clear also, if I ask Nancy to date it will be because I want to get to know her. She strikes me as a beautiful young woman that I want to know better, and there is no way that I will willingly make her suffer at all. I've had a good example all my life; my Mom and Dad have been together twenty-seven years now, with three of us boys and two girls. They made it pretty clear to us boys that if we dated any girl, we had to treat them with respect. I'm the youngest, and the others are all married, three with kids, and none of them had to get married. I'm not about to show Mom and Dad that I disrespect their teaching."

I couldn't help but see how serious he was and smiled. "Thank you, Hank." Then I smiled, "Alright, the serious stuff is over, let's go get a cup of tea."

Hank quickly asked, "What, no coffee?"

I was just as quick in return. "Not until you get us some, buddy."

He laughed, "Ah you do know some American, and the coffee will be here tomorrow."

He was as good as his word; the next morning he came driving intro the station with not only coffee, but also an urn to make it in, plus some sugar, which was almost like gold. He fitted in well, doing his job as well as riding the ambulances, I must say mainly Nancy's, and as an outsider watching what we did, he made some great suggestions as well as helping with useful equipment from the American Army. Some of the best things he brought were the American GI's trenching tools that he equipped all the ambulances with. They folded up for storage and were short enough to be used in close quarters, making it easier to dig and saving a lot of wear on the hands. He even got us leather work gloves, which helped even more.

His relationship with Nancy really blossomed, and they both fell hard for each other, spending most of their off duty time together, dancing or at the pictures, and sometimes seeing the occasional show. He became a staple at the house, spending many meals with us, and he happily provided quite a bit of food that he was able to get. The US Army had taken over a small hotel in Islington, and he was given quarters there, sharing with another officer. Often he and Nancy would look after the twins, who became quite fond of Unca Hank as they began to talk. I had a picture of Jim in uniform on the mantel, and often took it down and showed it to them, saying 'Daddy' and pointing to the picture. Once, John pointed at Hank in uniform and said, "Daddy?" and it was Hank who told him, "No, this is Daddy," as he pointed at the photo.

At work, we seemed to be doing an increase in transfers. By now the British Eighth Army and the American Second Army had linked together in North Africa after fierce fighting, and while most of the wounded were treated in hospitals in North Africa, many were sent home by hospital ship to be treated and convalesce in Britain, so we transported many wounded from the hospital ships to hospitals on land. This work increased markedly as the Allies invaded Sicily and Italy, and the opposition became all German after Italy surrendered.

Occasionally, when I could arrange for someone to stay with the babies, I went out with Hank and Nancy, either for dinner, to dances or just to the pub. Sometimes Tony Jacobs, Hank's roommate, would come along if he wasn't doing anything else; he was engaged to a girl back home in the States. Hank had warned him that I was married and not looking for any affairs, and Tony, being a really quiet country boy and already engaged, behaved accordingly. At least he was until his girl sent him what he called a Dear John letter, telling him that she had started going out with another local boy who was in a reserved occupation. Then shortly after that he got a letter from his mother telling him that the girl had fallen pregnant and had to get married.

After this, he became quite the life of the party for a while, but then he began to tell me that he was falling in love with me and that he wanted to take me back to the States with him. I tried to joke him out of it, but in the end I finally just stopped him from talking and told him, "Tony, I'm sorry that you got this letter from your girl friend, and I know that you are feeling rotten about it, but don't you see? You are asking me to do the same thing to Jim. You are a nice guy and I like you, but my feelings for you aren't even close to what I feel for Jim. You don't give me any choice but to stop going out if you are going to be there. He apologized to me and left. He apparently asked for a transfer to an active unit as he was posted away from London within a few days

Hank had been with us about six months when Catherine called me into her office and told me to sit down. It was obvious that she had been crying and she talked through tears, "I've just had notification from the Haslar Royal Naval Hospital, Dennis my husband was severely injured in a brush between his destroyer and a group of E Boats. A lucky shot hit the bridge of the destroyer and Dennis was the only survivor on the bridge. He was badly burned and has a number of broken bones and will need a lot of nursing. As I was a nurse before we married, I am going to be one of his special nurses."

"Who will take charge here?" I asked.

"I have been in touch with HQ," she continued. "You are to take over as Station Officer and arrangements will be made to accommodate your ATS duties." She handed me the keys to her office and files and said, "Good Luck with your new duties. I have to leave for Portsmouth."

I couldn't stop myself; I stepped forward and hugged her. "Catherine, look after yourself and look after Dennis, he is really going to need you now. Keep in touch with us; you are a friend as well as a boss."

She left, and I sat in her chair, wondering if I could come close to filling her shoes. I knew what to do, but I wondered if I could do it as smoothly as she did.

Hank was with us for about a year and a half, riding with the ambulances, working with the ARP on rescues and training, and travelling with me to any American units where I was to do any teaching, smoothing the way for me, the mere woman who was going to teach the trained men of the US Army how to handle the wounded. Eventually he was transferred to an Ambulance unit that was beginning to train for the invasion. Shortly before he was transferred, I was pleased to be asked by Nancy to be her bridesmaid and witness at the Registry Office when they married. After the wedding, he was at the house every opportunity that he got for the next year, even if he could only make it for the day.

Before Hank was transferred, he and Nancy had gone to the cinema one night while I stayed at home and put my feet up for a rest after a really busy day. Suddenly the two of them came dashing in, both of them really excited. Nancy was just about bursting to talk, "Norma, you have to go to the Roxy this week, Jim is on Pathe News. They had a segment on building airfields in India, Assam I think, and Jim is on there as large as life giving instructions to the Army engineers."

Hank continued, "They are building airfields for the US Army Air Force planes that are flying supplies and weapons over the Hump into China for the Nationalist Chinese Army. My cousin Jeff is one of the pilots doing the flying. If you like, I'll send him a letter asking him if he can contact Jim."

I thanked Hank, asking if he would do that as the only news that I got was that he was well and busy. The next night, I was sitting in the Roxy when the news film came on. When the segment on India started, I could see Jim right away, he looked really tanned, but had lost weight. I couldn't believe it when he put his jacket on and I could see the insignia of a Major. We had thought it fantastic when he was promoted to Captain, so this must be something new. He hadn't told me of any promotion but his allowances to me had been increased recently. After seeing him, I broke down, partly due to happiness at seeing him, and partly because I missed my man so much. I just quietly cried, and the tears flowed for about ten minutes. For a short time, I wasn't the ATS officer in charge of those ambulances; I was just an ordinary wife missing her husband.

I was surprised on a Sunday morning about six weeks later when I got up to answer a knock on the door and found a short man in the uniform of a US Army Captain standing there. I asked if I could help him.

"Ma-am do I have the right address for Mrs. Norma Rogers?"

"Yes, I'm Norma Rogers, how can I help you?"

"Well, Mrs. Rogers, maybe I can help you - I'm Hank's cousin Jeff. He wrote me about your husband, and the fates must have been good to you. His unit was working on my base making and extending runways for bigger planes. I had gotten to know him pretty well, and we even shared the same foxhole a couple of times. When he found out that I was being posted to a bomber group here in England, he asked me to deliver a package for him. I stopped off Stateside on the way here to remind my family of what I look like; otherwise I would have been here sooner."

"Please come in and have a drink, and please call me Norma. Mrs. Rogers sounds so formal. Hank's wife, Nancy, will be in shortly, and she would love to meet you, but Hank is with his unit near Farnborough.

Jeff came in and sat with me in the kitchen as we waited for the coffee to brew (another thing to thank Hank for). I just couldn't wait to ask, "How was Jim when you left? How is he holding up?"

"He told me what you have been through, and warned me not to try to make things sound better than they are, as you would see right through it. Things are rough out there where he is; they are close to the Burmese border, and Burma has been taken by the Japanese. Every so often they get a raid by the Japanese puppet army, the Burmese Liberation Army, but so far they have not been particularly well trained soldiers, so they have been beaten back fairly easily."

"Eventually, I guess the idea is to cut another road across the mountains to China and beat the Japs back. Then it will get worse, but there will be lots more men. Anyway, I have this package for you, and I had better not forget it." He grinned and went on, "Jim told me that it was worth my life if I forgot it or lost it. He handed me a bulky letter addressed to me in Jim's writing, and I tore it open in a rush, finding a letter and a small sealed envelope inside the waterproof packaging. I couldn't wait and quickly opened the letter, my hands just shaking.

Note by Pat (Norma still had the letter and she brought it out so I could include it.)

My Dearest Norma

Jeff tells me that this letter will be travelling by a circuitous but secure route without censors, so I can put in what I want and can write what I want, instead of what I am allowed, so here goes.

First of all, my dear I love you and miss you so much my entire body is aching for the day that I can hold you again. Every night as I go to my tent, my empty arms remind me of what I am missing by being out here, missing you and our babies. I long to touch you and feel you against me with your arms around me. I long to hold the babies in my arms not just see pictures of them. By the time I get home, I will have missed so much of your lives that can never be relived. The photos you have sent are beside my bed, the last thing I see at night and the first in the morning, but they can't make up for the emptiness in my arms. I can't wait until I can hold you again and finally meet our children.

I am well, but here in the hills it is difficult to stay that way, with insects and snakes. They are things that we never get used to, and even though we sleep under a mosquito net, that doesn't stop the cloud of them that follow us when we are awake and moving around. We still get sick, and anyone who doesn't take his quinine pills is a fool, as malaria isn't something enjoyable. The medical officer is probably the busiest officer in the camp. Everything in the area is either uphill or downhill, apart from the odd flat area where we have built airstrips so that the Americans can fly supplies and ammo to the Chinese Army. Even then they are talking chances of being shot down by the Japanese, who are often quite close.

As Jeff has probably told you, we were able to stop the Japanese advance short of the Indian Border, but we have had a number of small hit and run attacks which we, the British and Indian troops, have been able to handle, though it has been a near thing at times. As time goes by, we are getting a buildup of British, Indian and US troops. The plan seems to be to eventually go on the offensive against the Japanese in Burma. Whether my unit is going to be involved in that I don't know, but they are talking about building a new road, and they can't do that without Engineers, so I wouldn't be surprised if we are. Most of the Indian troops are pretty good, and we get along quite well though there have been some desertions to the Japanese . I don't think for one minute that the Indian people really want us here, but the outlook seems to be that the Divil you know is better than the Divil you don't, so rather us than the Japs. Whether it will stay that way I don't know, once the Japanese have been defeated, I don't think that the British will be able to stay on in India for long There is a man, Mahatma Ghandi whose teachings of non-violence but non co-operation seem to be getting a lot of attention.

What seems to be years ago now, I promised you a ring, and if you look in that small envelope you will find the best ring I could find. There aren't too many jewelers' shops in this part of India, and there is a story behind the ring. I had taken a couple of troops of men into Burma to destroy some bridges and slow down the Japanese advance. In the one area we came on a Rajah and his family trying to get away from the advance, which had neared his summer palace. They had no transport other than elephants, and as the Japanese got closer their servants had melted away into the jungle. Fortunately for them, we had emptied one of our lorries and had room for a lot of his possessions and his immediate family. We were able to distribute them all between the lorries as most of the men were walking anyway, watching the jungle. We brought them out and the Rajah was really grateful to all the troops and offered us a reward as thanks for our help. I chose the ring as I thought it would be beautiful on your finger as your engagement ring. Actually, he would have given me his oldest daughter as a bride, but I told him you would likely object to that, so he insisted on a ring for you.

I tore open the small envelope and tipped it up, and into my hand slid the most beautiful ring I had ever seen. It was gold with a square cut ruby centre and diamonds on each side. I could hardly believe my eyes. I had no idea of the value of it. It would not fit my ring finger at all, just my baby finger.

Jim's letter went on. I want you to get it sized to fit you as it may be a little small - the ladies in his entourage were quite tiny. I managed to get it engraved though, as you will see.

Well, Jeff wants to get away. He is itching to get home for a leave, and then get to England and get a shot at the Germans, though it will take him a while to transition he says. I guess that means learning to fly bombers and bomb instead of flying supply runs. Remember Dear, that I love you absolutely and miss you terribly; all I want is to be back with you and our children. Remember also what I said about anything happening to me. If the worst should happen to me, don't let it rule your life or the lives of the children. Keep on with your life; you have too much vitality to let my death rule your life. I just ask that you teach the children about me and keep them in touch with my family.

With all my love,

Jim.

PS Tell Jenny that Bert is safe and in good health. We are also a listening post, listening to the Japanese radios and another organization I can't talk about. Our aerials are high up so we get a lot of distance transmissions that we relay to headquarters. There were a bunch of Naval radio men available after the Repulse and Prince of Wales were sunk, so they were drafted to do that job; Bert is second in command of the naval section here. One good thing is that we are able to support each other when we are lost thinking of you and of Jenny

I looked up from the last paragraph and could hardly see Jeff through the tears. "Jeff, I owe you a debt I can never repay! Thank you so much for bringing this letter and the ring."

"Norma, the pleasure is all mine. I'm just sorry that I couldn't bring Jim back to you, though if it is any consolation, I have never met anyone more capable of looking after himself and his men. They think he is great; he is the Officer Commanding of the squadron, and there aren't too many men who would want to change outfits. They think he is the greatest officer they have had, and would follow him into hell if they had to. Now, though, I had better get to my squadron before they think I have deserted. I have a lot to learn and not much time to learn it, including flying a much different type of plane."

Just then a newly pregnant Nancy came in, and I introduced Jeff. She was most concerned that Hank had missed him, but was sure they could arrange to meet up sometime and gave Jeff Hanks' address so he could contact him. I showed her the ring and her jaw dropped, "It must be worth a fortune Norma! Where did he get something like that?" I told her the story and what Jim had written in the letter.

She hugged me, "Girl, you have an incredible husband, and I know he will come back safe to you and the children. If I didn't have Hank, I would be really jealous of you. As it is, I am glad that I married Hank. Hank is the most wonderful man that I know, but I'm sorry that when all this is over and it is time for me to go with him to America, I'll be leaving the dearest friend that I have ever had. We've been through a lot together, you and I, and we have more to go through yet. I'll miss you tremendously when I don't have you close."

I hugged her back, "Nancy, you will always be my special friend, and we really have been through hell together. Now, when we finally seem to be getting to be the winning side, I'm not about to let the Atlantic Ocean come between us. I don't know what the future holds for us, but one thing I do know, you will always be my friend."

I took the ring to a West End jeweler where it was sized correctly for my finger. I was intrigued and asked if he could give me an approximate value as I had no idea of its value for insurance. The jeweler looked it over carefully and astonished me when he said, "If Madam were to send the ring to auction, even in these days of austerity it would likely sell for around fifty thousand guineas." I just couldn't believe it; in my hand I had riches beyond belief, Jim must have really done that Rajah quite a favour!
Just before Christmas of 1943, I was called into the Ministry and told to meet with a Mr. Gray. When I arrived, I was directed into a room, and who should be behind the desk but my old friend Mr. Henry. I was immediately concerned as to what was going on; who was this man? And more important, whom did he represent?

He looked up at me, then pointed to a chair in front of the desk and said, "Please sit down; I have matters of some importance to discuss with you."

I remained standing, "First, who are you really? Mr. Gray, Mr. Henry or are you somebody else? Whom do you represent?"

He smiled, "I told my superior that you would not respond to anything less than the truth, and here you are proving me right. Please sit down and I will let you know what is going on, but I must warn you that everything we discuss is subject to the Official Secrets Act and cannot be discussed outside this room; doing so would mean a prison sentence. You signed the acceptance of the Act when you were recruited into the ATS."

This was all new to me, and I thought this must be something to do with the new policies, so I sat down. Little did I know what would be coming up in this interview.

He began to talk, "First let me be the first to congratulate you on a promotion, you have been promoted to the rank of Junior Commander, the equivalent of a Captain in the Army. This, by the way, isn't intended as an inducement to do anything. No matter what decisions you and I may come to, you will still walk out of this room with your new rank. Your promotion just recognizes the value of the work you have done with the Ambulance Service and the training you have supplied to the US forces. In fact, it was at their instigation that you were promoted."

I was astounded, "I'm honoured at the recognition, but right now I'm waiting for the 'but'. What else is coming up? You didn't drag me over here to just tell me that."

He burst into laughter. "You are right, I am not Henry or Grey; who I am I can't say, so I respond to either name. I work for Military Intelligence, and we want to co-opt your services. We would like you to go visit your in laws in Ireland for a short time."

"What have my in laws got to do with this?"

"Nothing at all. What we want you to do is meet with a member of the German Legation who met one of our diplomats at a function and slipped him a message indicating that he was against the war and wanted to help end it."

I couldn't help myself - I jumped up and exclaimed, "What! You want me, a mother of two small children, to go over to Ireland and meet a German? I'm not a spy, I'm a mother of two little babies who need me, and there is no chance that I will do that! Who will look after my children if something happens, some children's home?"


"Norma," he hurriedly continued, "Please listen, and this must go no further than this room. The Allies are planning to invade Europe next year; where and when have yet to be decided. It is crucial that we know the details of German troop movements, and the more information we have, the less casualties will result. While we have other sources, this person may be in a position to give us vital information. He approached one of our diplomats while at a reception. It appeared to just be a polite exchange of words to anyone looking, but he passed on a note. What he did say in the note was that he would only talk to your husband Jim or yourself. He evidently feels safe with one of you."

I immediately thought of Rudi, but was inclined to dismiss that possibility, especially after the way we last parted. However, he was the only German I knew.

I replied, "Might this person be Rudi Von Ansel? If it is, and this is vital to the war effort, then I would consider meeting with him. As you are likely aware, our last meeting wasn't exactly friendly, so I have no idea why he would want to meet me. I don't think I would be in any danger from him though. So, if it is that vital, I would be willing to meet him, but I would want some security."

"Yes as far as we know, it is. After that dressing down you gave him, his boss the Riechsmarshall was most upset and transferred him to an active unit on the Russian Front. Apparently he was wounded there, as our man in Dublin tells us that he has lost his left arm. He wants to meet in the bar at the Galway Inn in Galway on the evening of December 15^th. Apparently he has reason to be there, which makes it more reasonable to meet him there rather than chance a meet somewhere else in Dublin, so we would like you and your family to travel as soon as possible. The Embassy has set up a drop box for him to use in a tobacconist's shop in Dublin. All we want you to do is meet him and give him our contact instructions. Our man in Dublin will take it from there."

"From what I remember of Rudi, this will be unusual for him. The last time we met, he was anticipating the Victory March down Whitehall and, being an airman, he couldn't understand why the mighty Luftwaffe hadn't forced us to surrender."

"You might try to find that out from him; his motives are extremely important in judging the truth of what he can tell us. We will have to set up some security for you."

"Why don't you leave that angle to me? The Rogers family are well connected in the Galway area, so I'm sure I can arrange for some very unobtrusive security that would make things safer for me."

"All right, I will do that; just remember that you have to really be careful what you tell them, we have to keep it absolutely secret."

I thought, Well, whoever you are, you obviously don't know everything. You would be pretty surprised if you knew the real situation of the Rogers family.

I interrupted, "His wound might explain his change in attitude to war. He was quite the strutting officer the last time we met. I had better call my in-laws to make sure that they expect me and can handle the additional security people. Can I take my mother with me to help with the children? That would make a family visit more plausible if anybody is watching the boats."

"If she will go with you, that would be good; you just can't tell her why you are going. You can make your phone calls from here to Ireland. I'll give you fifteen minutes on your own. If they can meet you in Dun Loaghaire, it would be much better for cover purposes."

He left, I sat back, lit a cigarette (Yes I smoked in those days) and thought to myself, Well Norma, you talked yourself into that one really well. He didn't have to do any convincing at all. I have to admit, the thought of Rudi supplying us with information really intrigues me. What had happened to bring that man of solid Nazi values so low? I really was interested in finding out.

I picked up the telephone handset and was answered by the switchboard operator. She must have been forewarned, because she put the call through to Ireland without any comment at all. Mhairi was home and answered the phone.

"Mhairi, do you have room for a few refugees for a few days?"

"Is that you Norma? I knew I was going to hear from you today! Of course we have room for you. Can you stay a while, maybe over Christmas?"

"Now that would be an idea! If I can get a couple of weeks leave, would you mind if my parents and I came over and spent Christmas with you?"

"Not at all, that would be a real treat for us all to get together for the holiday, so it would."

"I'll talk to Mum tonight and see if they have any plans, then I will call you again and let you know for sure."

Somebody must have been listening in as 'Gray-Henry' came back into the room. "Norma, that was a great idea, and I'm sure that we can arrange relief for you for that period."

"I'll go down to Mum's tonight to make sure that she and Dad can make it, and I'll let you know."

He gave me his phone number, and then he sat and briefed me on what I was to say to Rudi. He also gave me the address of the tobacco and newsagent's shop where the drop was arranged.

Obviously it was felt to be important, as the wheels of Government moved quickly, smoothing out any problems, and we boarded the ship at Holyhead on the night of the 11^th of December. As we sailed into the darkness, Mum and Dad took care of the babies in the cabin while I took a turn around the deck with a cigarette. Even though this assignment might be somewhat dangerous, in a way I was excited and looking forward to the meeting. What more could I, as ordinary Norma Rogers, contribute to the war effort?

End of Part 5