The Way to the Stars Page #4

---

Caught fire at once.

l'm terribly sorry.

He should have evaded after dropping

his bombs. He told us to do it often enough.

l suppose he wanted to mark the bursts.

l suppose so, yeah.

That's how old Campbell went, wasn't it?

Your shoes, sir. Nice and clean now.

Mr Parsons has just told me the news

about Squadron Leader Archdale, sir.

- Yes, bad show, isn't it?

- Terrible, sir. Plain terrible.

l don't know when l've been so upset.

He was my nicest gentleman.

Of course, it's worst of all for you, sir,

you being a particular pal of his. l...

No. l hate mine.

Do you mind if l ask the PMC

if l can move in here?

Yes, if you like.

Peter...

You're going to tell his wife, aren't you?

No.

l think you should. After all, you know her

much better than any of us.

l said, no. l won't do it.

All right. Just as you think.

What's there to tell her?

Your husband crashed into a hill in France

and got burnt?

You'd better get the Adjutant

to write her one of those letters of his.

He knows what to say.

God knows he's had plenty of practice.

He'd got no right to get married...

and have a kid.

We none of us have.

There's someone here to see you, madam.

He's out in the hall.

Did he say what he wanted, Elsie?

l don't know, madam. lt's Flying Officer Penrose.

Thank you.

Hello, Peter.

- Mr Palmer wants two whiskies and sodas.

- Very good, madam.

Come into my office, will you?

l know what you've come to tell me, Peter.

You do?

Yes, you see...

he didn't ring up this evening

and l counted one plane missing

when you came back over the town.

Tell me just one thing.

How much hope is there?

No hope at all.

Not very much, l'm afraid.

l thought perhaps there might have been some

question of"missing". lt does happen, l know.

Someone bails out, no-one sees them

and then later they're reported as a prisoner...

l'm afraid he was too low to bail out.

His plane crashed into a kind of a hill.

Whatever happened

would have been instantaneous.

You saw it?

Yes, l saw it.

Thank you for coming to tell me, Peter.

l know what it must have meant to you,

but l couldn't have borne it from anyone else.

Thank you.

don't know what to say, l'm afraid.

l've brought a few things down,

which l found up in my room.

Nothing very important.

Just handkerchiefs and socks and things.

l thought l'd better bring them down.

Oh, and there...

There was a piece of paper with his writing on it,

which l thought you might like.

l can't see without my glasses. What is it?

lt's a bit of poetry, l think.

Will you read it for me?

- Well, l...

- Please.

"Do not despair for Johnny-head-in -air,

He sleeps as sound as Johnny underground.

Fetch out no shroud for

Johnny-in-the-cloud...

And keep your tears for him in after years.

Better, by far,

for Johnny-the-bright-star...

to keep your head

and see his children fed."

l suppose...

He must have copied it

out of some book or something.

Yes, l suppose he must.

ls there anything else

that you would like me to do?

No, thank you, Peter.

l'll come down tomorrow and see you,

of course. That's if you want me to?

Yes. l want you to.

Well, l'd...

better be getting back to the station.

l volunteered to take somebody's orderly officer.

- You have to work tonight?

- Well, l said l would, you know?

sseo

l forgot. He...

He left his lighter behind.

l found it after we got down.

Probably upset him a bit having to fly without it.

Yes, it would have done.

Thank you, Peter.

- Oh, hello.

- So you kept your promise.

What promise?

o come dow na nd sseo me

Well...

l'm afraid l've got to get back to the station.

Oh. When shall l see you, then ?

l don't know.

l'm awfully sorry about tonight.

Good luck!

Goodbye, you lucky people!

Give my love to the Yanks.

And ours to the Arabs, too.

l'll bring you back a couple of Nautch girls!

l wonder what these Yanks are going to be like.

Goodness only knows, old man.

Present arms!

- Would you mind, sir?

- No. Of course.

Here we go.

Ah, thank you, sir.

- Got it?

- Lovely.

Been looking for you all over the place.

- What's going on ?

- Got to get all your stuff out.

- The Yanks have taken over E block.

- Oh, damn and blast!

Yes, l know. You've got to be quick.

- Excuse me, sir.

- Where are they now?

ln the mess, wandering about, chewing the cud,

shooting the bull, calling each other"Buddy".

Buddy.

- Sorry to burst in. They told me number three.

- Oh, that's Ok.

- My name's Penrose.

- Mine's Hollis. Johnny Hollis. Hello.

- Afraid l haven't finished getting my stuff out.

- That's all right. Take your time.

Unter dem?

What's this?

That? Oh, that's just a thing

the bloke l used to share this room with

pinched from a German train in peacetime.

What's it mean ?

lt means,

"Under the washbasin there finds itself a pot."

ll take it down in a minute

l'd kinda like to keep it there.

Hello, my jolly old fellow!

These English slay me. An orderly asked if l like

to be called in the mornings with a cup of tea.

- Excuse me.

- Oh, hello.

That goon's name is Friselli,

the bombardier with me.

- Flying Officer Penrose, Joe.

- Glad to know you.

- This is Wally Becker, navigator.

- How'd you do?

Nice layout you got here.

And what do you know, Joe?

They got a lot of women here, on the station.

Hey, is that true?

Well, there are some WAAFs.

- Well, they're girls, aren't they?

- Yes. l suppose so.

That's all, brother!

Are you moving out all together?

No, l'm staying on for a bit. l'm a controller.

- You're not a flyer, then?

- No, l'm not a flyer.

They had A20s, here, Johnny.

"Bostons", they call'em.

- Not a bad little ship, that A20.

- All right for reconnaissance.

Not looking forward to bringing a Fort in here.

Or to being in it when you do!

We'd just better make darned sure

we don't bring our bombs back.

Heck, we won't. Our bombs are going right

where they're meant to, right on that target.

Zonk! Zonk! Zonk! Every time.

Sure. We're all glad to know that.

Oh, it won't be me. lt'll be the bombsight.

There's nothing to bombing

with that little baby to do all the work for you.

l tell you, those Heinis

are in for the shock of their young lives.

Say, have you ever seen a Flying Fortress?

Yes. From a distance.

- Like a trip in one?

- l would. Thanks very much.

Not a real mission, of course. They...

l thought you said you weren't a flyer.

l'm not. l was once, though.

What did you fly?

A20s. Just reconnaissance work, you know.

l'll see you all in the mess.

Well, of all the dirty tricks!

lt's that big mouth of yours.

You had it coming to you.

Dashed bad form, old boy.

Come on !

Slide!

Come on in, Jimmy! Come on home.

Bit of a cow shot, old man.

- Tea?

- Tea.

- l say! Can l have some more milk, please?

- Sure thing.

Hey, Spud! Any more hot milk?

Not hot. Cold.

Hot in coffee. Cold in tea.

Anything you say. lt's your tea.

- Hello, Tinker.

- Hello, Tinkerbell.

They don't warm the pot, you know.

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes