Page 74 of The Spitfire Girls
‘The cloud’s rolling in?’ she asked.
He nodded. ‘It is.’
She stepped out into the damp, cold late-afternoon air, wondering where Polly had disappeared to. She’d been so worried about them being shot out of the sky, and now it was the bloody cloud that was more likely to be their undoing.Again.She felt better that it was Polly flying them back, though; she was a solid pilot and she knew she could trust her.
She found Polly standing by the large dark-green wing of the Avro Anson they’d be flying back, and tried to put aside her feelings of unease.
‘Let’s get you back, Commander Jones,’ Polly said, giving her a mock salute.
‘How do you feel about the conditions?’ May asked.
‘Well, I wouldn’t say ideal, but then when are they?’ Polly said with a casual shrug. ‘I’d like to move as soon as possible, so I’m not about to ground us if that’s what you’re concerned about.’
‘Mind if I co-pilot with you, Polly?’ May asked.
‘You don’t trust me?’ Polly asked, frowning. ‘I’ve had that a fair few times from men, but I thought ...’
‘Stop right there,’ May said, touching her shoulder. ‘I’m feeling anxious and I need to be able to see, that’s all. I have girls in the air still, and I’d rather pass the time up front. This has nothing –nothing– to do with your abilities as a pilot.’
‘You’re certain?’
‘Absolutely. Now let’s board this plane and get going.’
‘Yes ma’am.’
May climbed up after Polly and buckled herself in. They waited as the other women loaded in, and for the ground crew to signal approval, then she sat back and relaxed as Polly completed the perfect take-off into the air. The Anson was different to the kind of aircraft she was used to, sturdy and solid but without much speed, and it was an interesting experience being in the cockpit without having any control.
The cloud was making visibility more difficult by the moment, but Polly was flying well, and May knew she was trusting her gut when she rose higher to avoid it. So many of their pilots had been lost making that decision, whether to go high or low, but May knew that some of them had better instincts than others. She had always had that instinct, and Ruby and Lizzie were the same, which is why they had all cleared their Class V conversion without any fuss. Once they landed, she’d tell Polly that she’d be transferring her to the Hamble training programme to fly the four-engine bombers. The promotion was well overdue.
After almost thirty minutes, May finally sat back. The cloud was worrying, but it wasn’t as bad as she’d expected, and the closer they got to base the more confident she felt. She’d flown in much worse, and Polly was more than capable.
And then her stomach lurched. ‘No,’ she gasped.
She wished she was in control, that she was in charge of her own destiny as her eyes widened.
The Luftwaffe aircraft was unmistakable, the swastika symbol alone making May’s mouth go dry. Where had he come from, and what was going to happen to them? It wasn’t like they could engage; even if they wanted to, the Anson didn’t have any ammunition to fire!
May gripped her seat as Polly expertly dropped them into the cloud, and May prayed they weren’t going to fly into anything. Without instruments, it was impossible to know where they were in such conditions. She didn’t even glance at Polly, but simply kept her jaw clenched and her fingernails digging hard into the leather, trusting her pilot.Dear God, please don’t let us die, she thought.Please spare us.
After more than a few minutes, she felt Polly’s eyes on her and quickly looked around and back, trying to make out the sinister figure in the air. If he’d seen them, like sitting ducks in the sky, he’d have taken out twelve of the ATA’s best female pilots. This exact moment had been her fear for months, if not years, and somehow it had happened and they’d survived it – unless he was a better pilot than Polly was giving him credit for and was about to appear on their tail and blast them to oblivion.
She reached for Polly’s hand, holding her tight over the controls, feeling the tremble echoing through her. May shut her eyes and thanked whoever it was that was keeping her girls safe. Somehow, against all odds, their fatality rate was still zero.
‘Thank you,’ May said when they eventually landed, pulling Polly in and holding her tight in a long hug. ‘You handled that exceptionally well. I’m so proud of you.’
‘I had precious cargo to protect,’ Polly said stoically, and May saw herself in the young woman.
‘You’re an amazing young pilot, Polly,’ she said honestly. ‘And I’d already made this decision before you saved my life, in case you were wondering, but would you like to be considered for conversion to fly the four-engine bombers? You’re more than capable of being charged with a Halifax flight now.’
Polly looked like she was going to faint. Either that or she was going to scream. ‘Yes! I would love to do that.’
‘Consider your application approved then. You’ll receive your orders as soon as I have all the paperwork completed.’
Polly’s smile said it all, and May prepared to exit the aircraft. But then she had a thought. ‘Can I ask how you knew to fly high and when to drop through that cloud? I don’t know if you just have incredible instincts or whether there was something else at play.’
‘I’m used to navigating that particular airspace, and I suppose I’m good at trusting myself.’
‘Well, you were great out there, Polly. I couldn’t have flown better myself.’
