They finally finished their training and at the end of it, Diana took her examinations, which she passed with flying colours. They’d now be sent out to a barrage balloon site somewhere in London, where they would be stationed for the rest of the war to fly during air raids.
That morning, after she passed her exams, she marched out onto the field with the rest of the team securing the balloon on its truck to drive it out to its new home. The group she worked with had become close, even though there was no one quite as fun and friendly as Lizzie. She loved working with her crew as they took turns to do different jobs.
The truck finally stopped just near Westminster. They were to fly their balloon on a playing field in that area. There was a light breeze, but nothing of too much concern. It was a beautiful day, positively balmy. Apart from a few rainy days over the last week, they’d been enjoying full sun.
Moving into action they drew a crowd of onlookers as Diana and her team hoisted the enormous silver balloon into the air for the first time over the city. It went up smoothly, glinting in the sun as it bobbed and weaved on its cables, and they all felt a great sense of pride. She thought about her friends and wished they could see her at work. At least now the intense training was done she would have more leave and be able to spend time with Julia and especially Lizzie. They had managed to write to one another over the past few weeks but were both eager to see one another again. As Diana pulled on her cables she hoped it would be soon. Little did she know that within the very next hour, Lizzie’s life would be under threat from an attack in the Kenley area, when the first bombs that were the precursor to the Blitz dropped on London, killing dozens of civilians for the first time during the war.
15
15 August 1940 – The First Bomb
That same day started out as quite unremarkable for Lizzie, but it escalated into something much more significant as the afternoon wore on. A squadron of German bombers had been tracked by the Observer Corps heading towards the London area, accompanied by Luftwaffe fighters. From Biggin Hill, Hurricanes and Spitfires had been scrambled, but the German fighters had kept the British pilots busy, and the bombers were able to break through the defence and proceed on their route unguarded.
Stan, Lizzie’s counterpart, signalled down to her. ‘Observer Corps reports twenty-two bombers still heading towards Kenley at three thousand feet. No sign of fighter cover. Squadron 111 has been scrambled.’
Lizzie received the information and advanced the twenty-two German planes into the place on the map with a twinge of concern. Continuing to edge them forward, bringing them closer to the operations room she was in. Kenley, with its abundance of military equipment, was no doubt the bombers’ target. It had been targeted before, but she had never been on duty during a raid. Beads of perspiration formed under her fringe and between her fingers as she slid the plotter along the map. All around the room, even though everyone was working, all eyes were watching the twenty-two planes filled with 500 lb bombs that were heading straight towards them. It was always nerve-wracking when she handled planes in the London area. She would push the hostiles closer and closer to the city, and the girl beside her would push the friendlies in to intercept. So far, they had been lucky. Would the fighters make it there this time before the enemy dropped their bombs on them all? As the dogfight continued in the sky above her head, their own planes, Squadron 111, continued to intercept.
She listened intently to the action and willed their fighters into battle. In her mind’s eye she could see them, Spitfires and Hurricanes all swirling around their enemy in the sky, swooping in over and over to fire on the German bombers. As everyone in the room waited with bated breath, the clock continued to mark the enemy’s ominous advance. All at once there was a call from one of the commanders for them to prepare for an attack and with her heart beating out of her chest she hastily donned her tin hat and sent up a silent prayer.
As she pushed the friendlies closer, Lizzie heard the