you’re not happy with the work — I
warn you, it’ll be hard, with long hours, and not always as
clean and pleasant as you’ve been accustomed to — then I
won’t hold you to it. You’ll be able to return to normal staff
duties. But will you at least give it a try?’ She tilted her head a little and lifted her fine eyebrows.
Judy bit her lip, longing to say yes, yet still held back by a
sense of loyalty to her workmates. She looked over at Miss
Marsh again and the supervisor caught her eye, said
something to her companions and came swiftly across the
room.
‘Well, Judy? Has the Lady Mayoress explained what she
wants?’
‘Yes, Miss Marsh. I don’t know what to say. There’s all
the work of getting the office together again, and—’
‘Say yes,’ the older woman advised her. ‘It’s an opportunity
for you, Judy, and I believe you’ll be good at it. I can
manage with the rest of the girls, and the male clerks, and
we may be able to take on extra staff as well. But the
Mayoress needs someone with Council experience as well as
initiative, and in you she’ll have both.’
Judy felt her skin colour. ‘Well, if you really think so …’
‘I do. I’ll be sorry to lose you, Judy, but we all have to use
our abilities where they’re most needed, and the WVS does
an excellent job. They’ll be needed even more as this war goes on. Now, you’ll have to excuse me, I must get back.’
She bobbed her head at the Lady Mayoress. ‘Let me know if
there’s anything else you need, madam.’
Left together, the Lady Mayoress and Judy looked at
each other. Judy smiled awkwardly and said, ‘Well, it looks
as if that’s settled then, madam. And - and thank you for
asking me.’
The Mayoress held out her hand. ‘I’m very pleased to
have you on my team. Now, I told you that I was stealing
two girls from Miss Marsh, but I haven’t told you who the other one is. It’s Laura Godsall - I think you know her, don’t you? She’s rather senior to you and will be my
secretary, but to all intents and purposes you’ll share the
work between you. We don’t have “hierarchies” in the WVS, we like women to be able to use their own individual skills so if you have any ideas of your own, or think things could be done differently, you must say so. Now, I’ve been given
the office next door for my own use, so come through and
we’ll get started.’
‘Yes, madam.’ Still feeling rather bewildered, Judy
followed the Mayoress through to a smaller room where she
found another desk and two of the dining tables. Laura
Godsall, a tall girl a year or two older than Judy, with long
blonde hair rolled up in a thick pleat over her forehead,
Betty Grable style, was sitting at one with a pad of
notepaper in front of her.
‘Here’s Miss Taylor come to help us,’ the Mayoress said
briskly. ‘You know each other already, and I’m sure we’re
all going to get along famously. Now, what’s been going on
while I’ve been out of the room, Laura?’
‘I’m trying to make lists of all the things we need to do,’
Laura said. She had a low, rather musical voice, and Judy
remembered that she sang in one of the church choirs in the
city. Her father was a vicar. ‘If we appeal for more
volunteers, we need to be able to give them jobs to do
straight away. The tea-and soup-stalls all have a rota, but
we need more people for the Emergency Centres, and more
Evacuation Helpers. Mrs Daysh was in here just now from
the Clothing Fund; she says they’re desperate for more
clothes—’
‘You see why I need help!’ the Mayoress said to Judy.
‘There’s an enormous amount to be done. Now, as Laura
says, the first thing we must do is find more volunteers.
That means plenty of notices to be put up, and we can’t get
them printed - the printers have got far too much to cope
with - so I think you’d better spend some time making them
by hand. Big, bold and simple, there’s
warn you, it’ll be hard, with long hours, and not always as
clean and pleasant as you’ve been accustomed to — then I
won’t hold you to it. You’ll be able to return to normal staff
duties. But will you at least give it a try?’ She tilted her head a little and lifted her fine eyebrows.
Judy bit her lip, longing to say yes, yet still held back by a
sense of loyalty to her workmates. She looked over at Miss
Marsh again and the supervisor caught her eye, said
something to her companions and came swiftly across the
room.
‘Well, Judy? Has the Lady Mayoress explained what she
wants?’
‘Yes, Miss Marsh. I don’t know what to say. There’s all
the work of getting the office together again, and—’
‘Say yes,’ the older woman advised her. ‘It’s an opportunity
for you, Judy, and I believe you’ll be good at it. I can
manage with the rest of the girls, and the male clerks, and
we may be able to take on extra staff as well. But the
Mayoress needs someone with Council experience as well as
initiative, and in you she’ll have both.’
Judy felt her skin colour. ‘Well, if you really think so …’
‘I do. I’ll be sorry to lose you, Judy, but we all have to use
our abilities where they’re most needed, and the WVS does
an excellent job. They’ll be needed even more as this war goes on. Now, you’ll have to excuse me, I must get back.’
She bobbed her head at the Lady Mayoress. ‘Let me know if
there’s anything else you need, madam.’
Left together, the Lady Mayoress and Judy looked at
each other. Judy smiled awkwardly and said, ‘Well, it looks
as if that’s settled then, madam. And - and thank you for
asking me.’
The Mayoress held out her hand. ‘I’m very pleased to
have you on my team. Now, I told you that I was stealing
two girls from Miss Marsh, but I haven’t told you who the other one is. It’s Laura Godsall - I think you know her, don’t you? She’s rather senior to you and will be my
secretary, but to all intents and purposes you’ll share the
work between you. We don’t have “hierarchies” in the WVS, we like women to be able to use their own individual skills so if you have any ideas of your own, or think things could be done differently, you must say so. Now, I’ve been given
the office next door for my own use, so come through and
we’ll get started.’
‘Yes, madam.’ Still feeling rather bewildered, Judy
followed the Mayoress through to a smaller room where she
found another desk and two of the dining tables. Laura
Godsall, a tall girl a year or two older than Judy, with long
blonde hair rolled up in a thick pleat over her forehead,
Betty Grable style, was sitting at one with a pad of
notepaper in front of her.
‘Here’s Miss Taylor come to help us,’ the Mayoress said
briskly. ‘You know each other already, and I’m sure we’re
all going to get along famously. Now, what’s been going on
while I’ve been out of the room, Laura?’
‘I’m trying to make lists of all the things we need to do,’
Laura said. She had a low, rather musical voice, and Judy
remembered that she sang in one of the church choirs in the
city. Her father was a vicar. ‘If we appeal for more
volunteers, we need to be able to give them jobs to do
straight away. The tea-and soup-stalls all have a rota, but
we need more people for the Emergency Centres, and more
Evacuation Helpers. Mrs Daysh was in here just now from
the Clothing Fund; she says they’re desperate for more
clothes—’
‘You see why I need help!’ the Mayoress said to Judy.
‘There’s an enormous amount to be done. Now, as Laura
says, the first thing we must do is find more volunteers.
That means plenty of notices to be put up, and we can’t get
them printed - the printers have got far too much to cope
with - so I think you’d better spend some time making them
by hand. Big, bold and simple, there’s
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