She explained to Ruth that she would have to work some of the time, but on Ruth’s last day there she would have the whole day off.

‘Oh, that’s perfectly all right. I’m quite happy to go off and wander round. It’s lovely to see the sea – a change from Cambridge, I can assure you.’

The girls spent the next two days catching up and reminiscing. Because Molly was working for most of the day, she only saw Ruth in snatches. The first morning she felt even more nervous and awkward than usual when facing the breakfast hymn-singing. That morning Harold Lester had chosen ‘Soldiers of Christ, Arise!’ Ruth, who was a little late, hurried in as they reached ‘From strength to strength go on, wrestle and fight and pray!’ and took her seat. Molly felt herself blushing, but gratefully saw Ruth pick up her hymn sheet and, with a calm, polite expression, join in the singing.

‘I see what you mean,’ she laughed afterwards. ‘It takes courage to do that all right! For him, I mean. But you, too – it’s the very last thing I’d ever ’ve imagined seeing you doing! But you’ve got the most lovely voice by the way, Molly.’

The days stayed fine, and Ruth – sometimes with Molly, sometimes without – visited some of the old haunts: their billets and the Butlin’s camp. They met up when Molly had finished, in the evenings, went out for a drink and then sat curled up on the bed in Ruth’s room, sipping cocoa and talking over old times. Molly told Ruth that she heard on and off from Cath, who was in Holland and seemed very happy.

‘Oh – I forgot, how silly of me! You’ll never guess who I ran into on the way here,’ Ruth told her the first night. ‘Win!’

Win had been with them in basic training, a bright girl with a natural gift of leadership.

‘She’s at King’s, London, doing her degree in history. She seems quite happy,’ Ruth told her. ‘I met her at King’s Cross – she said she was on her way home. But the point was, guess who she’s seen, working not far away?’

‘Who?’

‘The Gorgon!’

‘No – has she?’ Molly felt her heart beat faster. The Gorgon was the name they had given to their first Lance Corporal, Phoebe Morrison. Though she was a gruff, prickly character, she had developed a soft spot for Molly, even though Molly had given her all sorts of trouble. Molly – who, given the right encouragement, was always eager to please – and Ruth had in the end found Phoebe Morrison an inspiration. By the time she volunteered to be posted to Belgium in 1944, she had been promoted to their Subaltern and went with them.

‘Yes! The Gorgon’s back in Civvy Street, working in some admin role in the Civil Service apparently. Sounds pretty dull. Win said she met her in the Strand, and the Gorgon was smoking her head off as usual. Win didn’t seem to think she was overly thrilled with her peacetime occupation.’