‘I’m rather hoping things will have improved since then,’ said Anne with some asperity, ‘and that because they’ve been prisoners of war, they’ll be given special treatment.’

‘I’m sure the powers that be will see that they do,’ Peggy replied, swiftly going on to the question she’d been desperate to ask since peace had been declared. ‘When are you all coming home? I can’t wait to see you, and Ron is desperate to see the boys and meet his great-grandchildren.’

There was a long silence and Peggy thought they’d been cut off until Anne finally replied. ‘I’m sorry, Mum, but it won’t be for a while yet. It’s the middle of the summer term and the headmaster, George Mayhew, is really struggling to find my replacement. The girl I took over from was sadly killed, and it seems there’s a real reluctance to fill teaching posts in such isolated rural areas.’

‘But you’ll come home at the end of term, won’t you?’ Peggy persisted. ‘I’m sure the school board will have found another teacher by then.’

‘Actually, Mum, it’s not that simple. I owe it to George to stay on to assist with all the arrangements for getting our evacuee children back home, and in July, the school is being used as a polling station for the general election. As I’ve become involved in local politics over the past couple of years, I’ve been asked to oversee things here on polling day and then assist with the count in Taunton.’

Anne took a breath and hurried on. ‘Then there’s Vi’s cows. She can’t manage them now the land girls have gone, so I’ll have to stay and help until she and Bob can find a reliable chap to take on the dairy.’

Peggy seethed that evacuee children, cows and a general election seemed more important to Anne than returning home. ‘What about Martin? Surely you’ll want to be here when he’s released?’

Anne’s voice became brisk. ‘I’ve already contacted RAF HQ and asked them to make sure he’s sent straight here. There’s plenty of room on the farm, and it’s so lovely and peaceful it will do Martin the world of good, and give him time to recover and get used to family life again.’

‘Oh, I see.’ Peggy’s spirits plummeted, for it seemed it could be a long time before she had the chance to get used to family life again. ‘But what about Bob and Charlie? Surely they can come home?’

There was a silence so tense at the other end of the line that Peggy could feel it, and she braced herself for more bad news.