Prologue. Late Summer 1943 – Suffolk, England.
Katie opened the front door and froze. A grim faced postman stood on the doorstep with an ominous looking telegram in his hand. He silently handed it to her, and Katie shut the door before he had a chance to offer her his sympathy.
She had been expecting this, she had not heard from Stephen for many months, she had hoped it was just a delivery problem, but deep down inside, she knew.
With shaking hands she slit open the telegram and unfolded the paper.
"We regret to inform you of the death of your husband..." Tears blurred her vision as she tried to read the words. "...Killed in action...fighting for his country...." Katie dropped the telegram. This just confirmed what she already knew.
Sinking down into the nearest chair, Katie shed silent tears. They hadn't been married a year, they had had a rushed wedding on his last leave. Katie had made all the arrangements, Stephen had got home on the Thursday, they married on Friday and he had to leave again on Monday. They had only had three days together as husband and wife. Barely enough time to even feel married. Now she was a widow.
Grabbing her coat, Katie ran round to the hostel where her friend lived. Colette took one look at Katie's face and knew something was terribly wrong, and seeing the telegram in her hand, she understood without being told. She put her arms around her and gave her a fierce hug.
"I'll tell them at work that you won't be in today, OK?"
Katie nodded. Colette and Katie were Land Army girls. They were doing the farm work that the men of the village had done, before they were called up to fight for their country. It was hard work, but the girls preferred this to going in the munitions factory.
"I'm sorry, I've really got to run. I dare not be late as well as you not working today, Mr Dixon-Smith will be furious. I will call round tonight."
"I think I'll go and take Hamish for a walk," Katie said, "It'll give me a chance to think."
Katie walked home, collected the lead and attached it to Hamish's collar.
"Come on, boy." She called as she let herself out the back door and they set off across the fields. She unclipped the lead and Hamish ran off looking for rabbits.
Katie walked along lost in her thoughts. Her Scottish terrier ran round the field making little yelping noises whenever he got the scent of a rabbit. They made their way around the meadow and then headed back towards their home.
Katie whistled to the dog and he came running over to her. Reattaching the lead they trudged back towards the village.
As they walked along the main road through Yoxford, Katie had to stand back as a convoy of army trucks drove by, full of American troops. They were on their way to the American Airbase at Leiston.
"Another batch of Yanks." She thought as Hamish barked at the noisy trucks.
In one of the last trucks, a tall dark and handsome airman, caught sight of the girl as she stood at the side of the road. He had never seen anyone so beautiful. A tiny thing, she could not have been 5ft tall, long blonde hair curled gently over her shoulders. As his truck drew level, he tried to make eye contact, but she looked straight through him, with unseeing eyes.
Katie was not as impressed with these men as a lot of the local girls were. They were causing quite a stir at the dances, which were held in the village hall. Katie nearly smiled as she recalled what her father was apt to say about the Yanks.
"Over fed, over paid, over sexed and over here!"
A lot of people were not too impressed with the presence of these men. They said that the trouble with Americans was, that when they are good at something they say so. When Americans said that they'd arrived from the training camp at Fort Bragg in North Carolina, the British response was likely to be; 'That figures.'
But the local girls loved them. They found them charming and generous and they loved to jitterbug with them at their dances.
As the last of the trucks disappeared around the corner, Katie made her way back to her home.
Kevin turned and sat back down with his fellow airmen.
"I have got to find out who she is," he said to his friend, Nick, who was sitting across from him. "She looked so sad, I have got to find her and put a smile on that beautiful face."
"Look out boys," Nick grinned "Kev's in love!"
Dear old England's not the same,
The dreaded invasion, well it came,
But no, it's not the beastly Hun,
The goddamn Yankee army's come...
Chapter One
Katie and Colette were walking home from the farm. Their muscles ached from the hard physical work they had to do each day, but they had to admit, that they had both got beautifully toned since they had worked here. Their slim figures looked good, even in their Land Army uniforms.
As they walked down the High Street a group of GI's wolf whistled at them.
"Hey beautiful!" they called. Katie made a tut sound and turned away, whereas Colette gave them a friendly wave.
"Don't do that, you'll encourage them!" Katie said as she pulled Colette's arm back down to her side.
"Where's the harm?" Colette replied "We are both single." She stopped suddenly when she realised what she had said. "I'm sorry."
"It's OK" Katie smiled. It had been a few months since the telegram had arrived. "Stephen and I had so little time together, it is almost as if I dreamt it."
"Look, there is a dance at the Airbase on Saturday, do you fancy going?" Colette asked hopefully. They hardly ever went out these days "They send a truck to pick us up from the village."
"I suppose it would make a change to go out," Katie conceded "and we have worked really hard this week...we deserve a treat."
"With the harvest approaching we should take our chance for some fun, once that starts we will be too tired for anything."
"Mr Dixon-Smith said he has requested some help form the Airbase, he has asked for some extra manpower, it could be fun?" she winked.
"If that is what you want to call it." Katie raised her eyes; she couldn't see what all the fuss was about. Most of the GI's she had met were far too brash, and full of themselves.
Colette was from Liverpool; she had joined the Women's Land Army last year. She was now forewoman, in charge of sixty girls. She had been taught to drive a Hillman Minx Van, and she would collect all the girls in the area and drive them to the farms by 7.00am each morning.
She had met Katie soon after she arrived in the area and they had struck up a close bond. Both girls were only 4ft 11in tall. Their colouring was completely different. Katie was blonde with a golden skin and Colette was dark with pale skin and blue eyes. They made a striking pair.
They came to Katie's house.
"See you at the pub in about an hour?" Katie asked Colette. "I could do with a drink after today."
"That's not like you!" Colette was surprised; Katie never wanted to go out. "OK, I'll see you in an hour."
Katie went indoors and changed out of the corduroy breeches, beige shirt and dark green jumper, which was their uniform. Filling a bowl with warm water she sat with her feet in it, trying to soak away the aches and pains from the boots they had to wear.
Having soaked her feet, she went and had a wash and changed into a dress, ready to meet her friend. She grabbed a quick sandwich before walking down the road to the Red Lion where she found Colette waiting outside.
They made their way inside to the saloon bar, where they ordered a drink each, and sat down.
"Blimey, look." Katie indicated with her eyes for Colette to look across the room. Colette glanced over in the direction indicated, where she saw a man with the blackest skin she had ever seen. The man saw her looking at him and he smiled revealing beautiful white teeth.
Colette smiled back. They had never seen a black man in their lives before, and they were fascinated.
They sat chatting for some time until they noticed the black man approach their table.
"Good evening ladies, could I buy you a drink?"
He was very well spoken, and polite and the girls readily accepted. He introduced himself and they chatted a while, before he took his leave, and left the pub.
Katie went off to the ladies room and Colette casually looked around the room, she felt she was getting a few odd looks but decided to take no notice. Then she noticed that Katie, on her way back to the table, had been stopped by a GI and they were having a heated conversation.
"Who does he think he is?" Katie was exasperated. "He just had a right go at me for talking to that black bloke."
"What did he say?" Colette asked.
"He reckons that blacks and whites don't mix and we should have nothing to do with them. I told him I would talk to whomever I choose. Come on Colette, I've had enough in here, let's go."
