Tears blurred her vision so that she stumbled as she stepped into the carriage. The door slammed behind her and by the time she had wrenched open the window, the train was already moving.

She waved frantically, leaning out of the window until billowing smoke hid him from her view.

The moment she entered the sleeping-quarters at the recruitment depot, time seemed to tilt. Kate shuddered. For a moment it was like catapulting back in time into the cheerless dormitory at the boarding school. But then the image faded, for coming towards her, almost bouncing towards her would have been a more apt description, was a plump, jolly-faced girl with short brown hair and laughing hazel eyes.

‘Hello, come on in and make yourself at home. We’ve all just arrived today, so we’re still getting to know one another.’ Like Kate they were all still in civvies, some dressed in high-heeled shoes and summer dresses, their hair carefully curled, whilst others wore plain, flat-heeled shoes and skirts and cardigans.

‘I’m Mavis Nuttall,’ the friendly girl was saying, ‘and this is Jill Porter, but that’s as far as I go, I’m afraid . . .’

The faces in front of her began to introduce themselves one by one but there were so many that after the first few, Kate gave up trying to remember them and merely smiled and nodded.

‘What’s yours?’ asked Mavis.

‘Kate. Kate Hilton.’

‘You can have this bed between me and Mavis,’ Jill offered.

‘Shall we all leave our stuff here and go in search of food?’ Mavis suggested. ‘My stomach says it’s tea-time!’

There was general laughter and agreement and a sudden flurry of activity as everyone prepared to leave.

‘We’ll get settled in later,’ Mavis promised cheerily. ‘I hear they’re pretty strict on tidiness.’ She pulled a face. ‘And I’m the world’s worst. Me mother says my bedroom’s like a pig-sty.’

At the mention of pig-sties, Kate felt a sudden surge of longing for home sweep through her. The farm, the Point and all the people there. And Danny – especially Danny. Where was he now, she wondered? What was he doing? Was he feeling as lost and mesmerized by everything as she was at this moment?

The first day seemed to be taken up with various intelligence tests.

‘That’ll be me on my way out before I’ve been in a day,’ Mavis moaned. ‘It’s like being back at school.’

Inwardly, Kate shuddered, although she thought she had coped quite well with the tests.

The following day, when they were given their six-digit number, poor Mavis was flustered again. ‘Thick as pea soup, me. I’ll never remember this.’

Kate laughed. ‘Well, you’ll have to, else evidently you’ll get nothing. No pay, no leave and – no food! You know what the sergeant said – your number’s more important than your name now.’