The Way to the Stars

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This was an airfield

Now not a sound here

Empty

Empty hangars

The control tower

Once the very nerve centre of the airfield

and now

derelict

No more happy landings

The crew room

Telephone numbers scribbled on the wal

A pin -up girl

A name Johnny

A sign on the floor

Al that is left of people who lived here

And now sheep are returning to this English

fiel once mentibned in the Domesday Book

It was very different in

- Ok. Thanks, Shorty.

- Goodbye. Good luck.

Pilot Officer Penrose, sir?

- Yes

- Oh, l'm your batman, sir.

- Jones is the name

- Oh, right.

This is your chest of drawers, sir.

Flight Lieutenant Archdale,

he's been keeping a lot of his stuff in here, sir.

lf you speak to him nicely, he won't mind moving

them. He's a nice gentleman, Mr Archdale.

- That his tunic?

- Yes, sir. That's his best.

The one he wears when he goes into Shepley.

He's got a good reason for going into Shepley.

All the fuss he makes about his buttons

in the evening.

He got this DFC, sir, for that low-level do

over Rotterdam. l expect you read about it.

Yes, l did.

- ls there a raid on ?

- No, sir. Well, at least not here.

lt's over at Marston, seven miles away.

Jerry's been giving it to them all the morning.

Yes, l thought l heard

the sirens going in Shepley.

We don't take shelter for the sirens here.

But if you hear whistles being blown,

take my tip and run like a ruddy rabbit.

Jonesy, you silly clot!

You sent me dicing without my lighter.

l'm sorry, sir. l took it away to mend it. Won't take

a minute. l had no idea you were flying, sir.

l've just been up on air test and what happened?

l come into land, sideslip to miss

one of those damned bomb craters,

get caught up in someone else's slipstream

and ruddy nearly pranged the kite.

Bounced for ten minutes.

Lucky the CO didn't see it.

l'm ever so sorry, sir. l'll go and get it now.

- Mr Penrose, sir. He just got in.

- Oh, hello. l heard you were coming.

- My name's Archdale.

- Yes, l know.

l've taken up lots more room than l should.

l'll clear some stuff out.

- Don't bother. There's bags of room.

- They're putting you in my flight,"B" Flight.

- Straight from OTU, aren't you?

- Yes.

- What did they rate you, above average?

- No. Average.

Oh, well, we'll soon change all that.

There's a bit of a do on this afternoon.

lt's apt to get a bit chilly at 15,000.

l thought that daylight Blenheims

were doing low-level jobs.

All levels. All jobs. Nothing a Blenheim

won't do, if you treat her right.

- Here you are, sir.

- Ah, thank you, Jonesy.

St Christopher?

Sort of. Yes.

Now, what are we going to do

with all this stuff of mine?

l don't know, sir. Unless l could pinch a chest

of drawers from that Mr Thompson's room.

- The one that bought it yesterday.

- Good idea.

What's that thing mean ?

l got it in a Jerry train in peacetime.

lt means...

""Under the washbasin there finds itself a pot ""

l looked under the washbasin and there didn't

find itself any such thing, so l pinched it.

The sentiment's a bit crude, but it's decorative.

That's Halfpenny Field. Come on, quick!

- Where are the Hurries from?

- Local defence. Attached to us.

- Bad chance, three against 30.

- Oh, l don't know.

- Hello, Tiny.

- Hello, David.

Frankly, l'm scared.

l don't like them as close as this.

This is Penrose, just joined the Squadron.

Tiny Williams, controller, shocking type.

- How do you do?

- How do you do?

l thought l heard something.

Let's get to the shelter.

Right through to the end.

Come on. Don't jam the doorway. Hurry up.

- Where did that one fall?

- By the market square.

- Close?

- Fairly.

l hear as how they hit a shelter

over at Marston this morning

Over 50 dead and lots still buried.

- kick him, somebody.

- l'm only telling you what l heard.

The trouble is you always hear

such ruddy depressing things.

Funny how Jerry always comes over

at our PT time, Sarge.

Don't you worry, my boy.

You won't miss your PT.

More ruddy craters. lt makes you sick.

You break your back filling'em in

and Jerry digs up some more.

There's the CO.

This is Pilot Officer Penrose, sir.

He arrived today.

- How do you do?

- How do you do, sir?

Any relation of"Nipper" Penrose,

840 Squadron ?

No, sir.

Grand type, old Nipper,

- How many hours have you done in Blenheims?

- 15, sir.

15? What do they think they're doing

at OTU, these days?

l know there's a bit of a flap on at the moment,

but 15 hours? lt's a bit thick, l must say.

- He passed out pretty high in his course, sir.

- Did you? Good show.

Above average?

No, sir. Average.

l can't promise you much time to settle down.

- The Squadron is hard-worked at the moment.

- Yes, sir.

All clear. Come along to the crew room

and meet the blokes.

Well, if Jerry thinks he can put Halfpenny Field

out of action, he's making a big mistake.

As long as we've got 200 clear yards of turf,

we'll get off somehow.

Line shoot.

These fighter types, you know?

Top button undone.

Victory rolls.

Bad show, l think.

That's two of them. Can you see the third?

No, sir.

Mind you, l'm not saying they're not doing

a good job, at the moment.

No Shepley 165

Hello. The Golden Lion ?

Who's that? Fred?

Flight Lieutenant Archdale here.

No. No, don't bother her now.

l just wanted to know if everything was all right.

- Who's that, Fred?

- lt's the aerodrome, madam.

Flight Lieutenant Archdale.

Just wanted to know if we were all right.

Hold on, sir. l'm putting you through now.

Hello, David.

No, nothing at all near here.

Well, not really"near". How's the airfield?

Good. Thank you for ringing.

Your snapshots?

Yes, l've had them developed for you.

Good show. l'll be down tonight.

- Oh, David!

- Sir ?

You won't be going on this afternoon's trip.

- Arthur! You'll lead B Flight.

- Right, sir.

l'm sending you up with Penrose

to give him a look round, see how he gets on.

The sooner we get him operational the better.

- Can't Arthur go with him, sir?

- No, David. Sorry.

Now, a re wo a here ?

No sir Just waiting for Mac

Oh, that's all right.

Oh, David, you'd better take a gunner with you.

Who was Thompson's Gunner?

- Clarke, sir.

- Sergeant Clarke!

l'm sending you up to stooge around

with Pilot Officer Penrose.

We don't want you running into

500 plus Messerschmitts.

- You'd better get a route from Ops.

- Right, sir.

Well, chaps, as you know,

the target for this afternoon

Calais. Barge concentrations.

- Bill Thompson was about your size.

- Thanks.

Superstitious?

- Just going to sign the 700. Won't be a minute.

- Righto.

The Home Service has gone, too.

Punctual blighter, Jerry.

Same time yesterday.

Probably having another big shot

at reaching London.

Well, Penrose,

what got you into the flying racket?

Three pints of beer,

l think!

l don't know, really.

l had to do something about it and l felt

l'd sooner do it this way than any other.

- What did you do before that?

- l was a schoolmaster at a secondary school.

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