At first folk seemed somewhat suspicious of this act of altruism, but once word spread that there were no strings attached the queues began to form as early as half-past three. Rose and Betsy put their pinnies on and dished out the soup and rolls while Daisy manned the kitchen. The customers were mostly weary-looking mothers and hungry children, and Rose made it a point to get alongside the women and find out who was most in need so she could discreetly do something about it, mindful of the fierce pride of Northerners. Even Mrs Finnigan came and was welcomed.

Over the following weeks, the number of customers increased so much that she asked the local vicar if they could move the soup kitchen into the church hall in order to accommodate more people eating in the warm, to which he readily agreed. Amy joined the others to do her bit, as she put it, and after a few men – mostly the old and destitute, along with a few disabled soldiers – started to come regularly, Alexander came with Rose each day. He sat in a quiet corner, chatting to the men and making them feel comfortable, and as an injured soldier they responded to him as they would never have done when he was just the Bembridge son and heir. Rose had worried about him accompanying her at first, fearing it would be too much for him, but she soon realized that it was enabling him to feel useful – and also it did him good to be away from the house and his mother’s incessant worrying. He didn’t want to feel like an invalid, even though that was unfortunately the case for the present at least.

Battles continued to be won and lost on both sides during the first part of the new year, and at Easter the spring offensive against the Germans manning the famous Hindenburg line began with prayer. British, Canadian and Australian troops accomplished the main objectives in the first hours of the assault, and now that the United States of America had entered the war on the side of the Allies at the beginning of April, some folk were saying the end was in sight.

Privately, Alexander wasn’t so sure. He was glad America had finally made the decision, but it remained to be seen just how useful the Yanks would be initially. Although their resources in terms of manpower and industrial production were potentially greater than those of any of the belligerents, with the possible exception of Germany, he wondered how quickly the country’s capacity could be translated into effective fighting power. The States manufactured no fighter aircraft whatsoever, and the total strength of the regular army was only five thousand officers and one hundred and twenty thousand or so men.