‘I reckon you’re right,’ sniffed Maude. ‘I won’t tell you what my mam says about bottle blondes.’

Josie leaned forward in a conspiratorial fashion. ‘Fur coat, no knickers?’

Giggling, Maude nodded. ‘Spot on.’ She smiled at Josie. ‘Where are you from? Me and Liv here are from Liverpool.’

‘Maidstone in Kent,’ said Josie promptly.

‘We were balloon fabric workers before retraining. What about you?’ said Olivia.

‘I was packing parachutes, but I volunteered for this because I’m not keen on working in a factory, or rather, in factory-type conditions,’ Josie explained.

‘We volunteered because we wanted to see a bit of action,’ Maude admitted. ‘I can’t wait to get stuck in tomorrow.’

Olivia nodded. ‘Getting out there and doing it for real!’ She had visions of them rushing to the rescue, winching the balloons out and saving the country from the sort of nightmare the Blitz had released on Liverpool as well as many other parts of the country. She thought back to the phone call she had received from Nana and Pops.

‘I’m so glad you aren’t here, Liv, ’cos the buggers nigh on flattened the city, not that we’re going to let it get us down. The Luftwaffe might have crushed our homes but they’ll never destroy our spirit,’ Nana had said defiantly. ‘It’d take a lot more than a few bombs to do that.’

Olivia had smiled. It was typical of the Liverpudlian spirit to describe the Blitz as ‘a few bombs’.

The following morning, the girls were up betimes, and after a hearty breakfast of toast and porridge they headed out to see what the day had in store for them.

Olivia was pleased to see Ralph, who smiled as his eyes met hers. The Waafs shuffled into two lines, and a sergeant whom none of them had seen before strutted towards them. Staring dreamily at Ralph, Olivia listened as the sergeant welcomed them to their new site and ran through his instructions for the day. He then produced a piece of paper and read out everyone’s duties, and Olivia was relieved to hear that she and Maude were on the winch, whilst their new friend Josie was in charge of the cooking. When the order came for them to fall out, each Waaf set about her business, and a short while later they all beamed proudly at the balloons which floated high above.

Ralph came over to join Olivia and Maude on their winch truck. ‘Well?’

‘Loved every minute,’ said Olivia. ‘Miles better than sewing them together.’

‘Better paid too,’ agreed Maude.

‘Glad to hear it,’ said Ralph, then turned to Olivia. ‘I’m going out to the local for a meal tonight and I was wondering if you’d like to join me? I’m sure I can organise for you to have one of your evening passes at short notice.’

‘Love to,’ said Olivia, wishing that Beth had been around to hear him ask her.

He beamed. ‘It’s a nice evening, and the walk’s pleasant enough. How about I meet you by the gate around five?’