A Final Kiss, 1942

Getty Images

London was ablaze, and blood had been spilled in her streets. But the capital of the kingdom, and the Empire, would never be defeated. Destroyed, perhaps, but never vanquished. “We shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God’s good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old,” Winston Churchill had proudly declared to an audience moved to tears two years earlier. It was one of the Old Lion’s finest speeches. But London had become a favourite target for the Luftwaffe. The enemy used it to bombard the island with V-1 cruise missiles, V-2 rockets and the unsuccessful “London Gun,” the V-3. The people sought refuge in underground stations; they fled to the countryside and hid in shelters and tunnels. The Natural History Museum’s collections were evacuated to various lordly manors around the countryside. The museum stayed open, intermittently, throughout the war – for all that, Londoners were not prepared to simply stop living.

Today, the station was busy. Families were rushing to board trains that would take them to the south-west, away from the bombs. Soldiers were leaving to defend their homeland, leaving their wives and children to fret. Come what may, their lives were now in the hands of the Almighty, and their duty was to defend their island. The island had never had its independence taken by another nation. This was London, and a demon was rattling the cage of the British Empire: Adolph Hitler wanted to invade.

                  “Will you write me, darling?” asked Elizabeth.

                  “Every chance I get. There are no words to describe the love I feel for you,” answered James, with tears in his eyes.

                  “Don’t be scared. We’ll always be with you, come what may. When the war’s over you’ll come back home. And the little one will be so happy to see you. We’ll go walking in Hyde Park, and buy a house, and we’ll hold hands and kiss all day long. War is a terrible thing, James. But the English will bring him down. That monster can’t have all of Europe. This is our island.”

                  “Yes, dear. It’s our island, and nothing can keep us down. Long live Churchill, and long live the English.”

                  “When you come back, I want us to...”

                  “Liz, I have to go.”

The train cars were beginning to creak and rattle. Soldiers climbed aboard. Elizabeth squeezed James’ hand. They heard the controller’s whistle on the platform. Elizabeth walked alongside the train, holding her husband’s hand. She reached up to her darling’s face, and kissed him goodbye. A final kiss! The train was beginning to chug, and she could not keep up with it. She ran along the platform with the other women, waving their handkerchiefs. Suddenly, Elizabeth fell. She wiped the tears from her face with the back of her hand. “I love you!” she cried.

Alan Alfredo Geday