Seeing May’s concerned face through the bus window, Sally gave a cheery wave, then ran back into the school playground to search for her brother, who was nowhere in sight. When she saw the caretaker sweeping the long corridor that connected the girls’ part of the school to the boys’, Sally asked him if he had seen her brother.

‘Aye, he went down t’road into Grange,’ the caretaker informed an astonished Sally. ‘Towards t’railway station from t’looks of it.’

Thinking Ronnie might have gone to visit their mother at Mary Vale, Sally ran as fast as she could to Grange’s pretty red-brick station, where she dashed on to the platform just in time to see the Kents Bank train noisily chugging away. Out of breath and worried, Sally slumped on to a nearby bench and, as the noise of the departing train subsided and the plume of inky-black smoke blew away, Sally saw to her complete astonishment Ronnie standing on the platform straight opposite her.

‘RONNIE!’ she yelled.

Springing to her feet, Sally hurried down the dark subway to join her brother on the other side of the station.

‘What the ’ell are you doing here?’ he barked.

‘Looking for you!’ she snapped back, offended.

‘You should mind your own bloody business, Sal,’ he scowled.

‘I was worried when you weren’t on the bus.’ Shaking him by the arm, she demanded, ‘Where are you going?’

Ronnie sighed; he knew how irritatingly tenacious his little sister was. ‘Can you keep a secret?’

Sally nodded. ‘Cross my heart and hope to die.’

Pulling her close, Ronnie whispered, ‘I’m running away – I’m going to find Dad.’

Bewildered Sally gasped. ‘Dad? But he’s fighting the Germans.’

Ron’s voice dropped to a low growl. ‘He might’ve come home. I’ve heard talk,’ Ronnie told her.

‘Does Mother know?’ she asked.

‘No, and she ain’t gonna know either,’ Ronnie told her sharply. ‘I’m gonna go and find Dad myself.’

Sally gave a little sob. ‘No, Ron, it’s too dangerous – anyway,’ she added as an afterthought, ‘you ain’t got no money.’

Ronnie winked as he clinked the coins in his trouser pocket. ‘I got plenty,’ he assured her.

Looking down, Sally saw a little packed rucksack at her brother’s feet, and started to cry. ‘You can’t go on your own, please let me come with you.’

Ronnie glared at her as if she had lost her mind. ‘I ain’t dragging my kid sister around London.’

The distant rumble of an approaching train caused Sally to panic and, grabbing hold of Ronnie, she cried, ‘Take me with you, Ron, pleeeease, pleeeease,’ she implored.

Shaking her off, Ronnie hissed, ‘Stop drawing attention, Sal. Go away – get lost!’