TWELVE
1905
As the winter months faded away gently into spring, Florence could not help but remember again the saying her father had often used to describe the weather in the south.
'It’s an overcoat warmer in London' he would say through the pipe held in his teeth, or over the lip of the perpetual mug of tea in his hand whenever the subject of Florence, the royal Navy, Devonport, Plymouth, or in fact anything south of Birmingham was raised. The saying had worn thin on the family, though now Florence recalled it frequently during the balmy spring afternoons.
Within a week of arriving in Devonport Florence had found herself a job as a seamstress in a little firm run by a friend of Mrs Lomas. Florence had been unaware that she was being questioned by the landlady to find out her occupational strengths and previous experience during the conversations the two women had from time to time during the early weeks of Florence’s stay in Mrs Lomas's house. She had taken an instant liking to Florence, and the two women frequently shared tea, toast and laughter in the back kitchen of the house. Mrs Lomas was keen to see that Florence should, if not prosper, at least not fall on hard times during her stay in her home. She was aware of the dreams which Florence and Thomas shared, Florence had not been slow at coming forward with their ideas, such was her nature, an open and trusting girl. She knew also the pitfalls which could easily befall a young bride who was as obviously unworldly as Florence, and the good woman went out of her way to gently educate Florence in the ways of the Royal Navy world, and the world in general. Over the numerous cups of tea and the slices of toast around the kitchen table which reminded her of her own home, Florence had told her about life in the cotton mills. It was as foreign to Mrs Lomas as had been the experiences and stories told by the soldiers, sailors and marines returning from the Boer War a few years before. Florence’s tales of the noise and heat, the cold winters mornings and hot summers afternoons were alien to her, but she was interested also in the stories she recounted of sewing dresses with her mother, and the clothes she helped her make for her brothers when they were younger. She noted too the skills she professed about cooking over an open fire range in the Waterloo Street kitchen, but felt that these skills would not be of much use to her friends, in the various trades and small companies they ran in addition to the boarding houses they operated.
Devonport was a goldmine of women left widowed by war or naval service, or temporarily made single by the ‘exigencies of the service.’ Roughly translated and explained by Mrs Lomas, this meant that there were a lot of married women with time on their hands, and no men who they could look after whilst their own men were away at sea. Not all of them were keen to live a solitary life whilst their men were away at sea, and Florence learned quickly the places to avoid those women, who had decided that life was passing them by whilst their husbands were away at sea.
As with all naval towns, these women had learned to ‘make do and mend,’ in the same way their husbands had to do whilst onboard their ships and shore establishments. Though still a young, vivacious and attractive woman, Florence had also been instilled by family and her church into ways which shied her away from straying from the path of a steady and honest life. She was a lively woman, but held her own views on how a good person should behave, whilst not once considering that she was a good person. It was simply the norm, the way in which she had been brought up and raised by her family in Bolton, like millions of other children who had turned into adults. She decided to settle down to wait for her husband to complete his training, and then she would see what life would bring and into which direction she would be faced.
In the meantime she looked for, and quickly found, a job with her landlady’s friend. The job was finishing off the fine stitching of dresses made for the wives of rich tradesmen in the town, and some of the wives of senior officers in the navy. It was a job she did quickly and well, and she was frequently complemented on her finished dresses, which meant that from the regular income she received, she was able each week to salt away a small amount of money in savings. This was also augmented by the allotment Thomas made to her from his wages each week. As his service time drew on, the sum of money in her Post Office bank account continued to grow, though she did not tell Thomas exactly how much she had accumulated. Though she shared almost everything with Thomas, there were certain things she felt it was legitimate to keep from him, like her post office account. On the possibility that he would be granted his desire and be posted to the Australia Station, Florence wanted to have enough money in her savings to be able to purchase a ticket to the place as soon as she was able, so that she could join him there.
The summer weather that year was a disappointment. From the frequent letters which her mother had written Florence knew that she, in the south of the country, had had the better of it. The season had started well with temperatures in Devonport being in the mid 80 degrees Fahrenheit. The call for light weight summer dresses of the latest fashion came thick and fast into the small shop where Florence worked, but as the summer worn on the weather became wetter and cooler, though still far warmer than at ‘home,’ as she had started to refer to Bolton, and the orders fell off, being replaced by a mixture of autumn outer wear and heavier weight summer dresses. Whatever the weather though, Florence was kept in constant employment.
One Saturday during the first week in September Florence met Thomas at the entrance to the dockyards, as had become their custom whilst he was in a shore establishment. She arrived shortly before noon when the men working on the ships in the dockyard finished their work for the day. At that same time her Tommy would be released from his duty on the Doris until Monday morning, when he would resume his training there. He was nearing the end of this phase of training, and already looking forward to the next posting, though he felt it would simply be to another training ship or shore establishment in the Devonport area, as he was now progressing into the specialisation which he had been accepted into the navy to cover. Already that year he had spent time onboard several ships, learning the trade of a seaman and gaining more training in torpedoes and the electrical systems on the ships. He was coming to the end of a four month period onboard the Doris and looking forward to the next three or four months training before his first posting on a serving ship.
'So far' he had said, 'It’s just learning how to stay afloat and polish stuff.'
He walked proudly through the gates and ignored the calls of his ship mates as he linked arms with his beautiful young wife, who he had seen smiling broadly at him beyond the stone pillars of the yard. Thomas was proud of the flat cap he wore, which signified to others in the service that he was an Artificer. From the private conversations he had had with the men who supervised and taught him their skills whilst in this training phase, he felt he was justified in the pride he took. His was a specialised rank and appointment in the service, not the ordinary 'Jack.' Today he would have something to tell his dear wife which should put a smile on her face. As they strode along the street the sun finally came from behind a cloud, and Florence held out her hand to stop the light blinding her.
'At last' Thomas said, 'Thought we’d seen the last of that big round thing ‘til next year.' He stopped and looked down at her as crowds of men and women walking along the road were forced to divert around them. She was the prettiest thing he had ever seen, and he was the luckiest man in the world, he thought. 'Got something to tell you my love' he finally said as they started to walk once more, clinging onto his arm as he strode out.
'Slow down a bit Tommy,' she complained gently. 'My legs aren’t as long as yours.'
'No my love they aren’t, but so much nicer though' he grinned.
'Ssh Tommy. Don’t go saying things like that. Folks’ll hear you,' she remonstrated, pulling gently at his arm.
'Well, I’m just so pleased. I got something really exciting to tell you. Having a hard time keeping my hands off you at this moment,'
'Thomas Lowe, just you behave yourself. At least ‘til we gets home.' She turned her face up to him and smiled broadly as they strode along. Thomas bent down and pecked a kiss on the end of her nose. Florence smiled back at him and squeezed his arm tighter to her, and picked up her step to keep up with his longer stride.
They walked along Keyham Dock Road from the dockyard, amidst the throng of men who worked in the dockyards repairing and building the ships of the Navy. Many of them had women on their arms like Florence and Thomas, some of them were single and simply walked along in groups of three or four, heading for the various public houses along the streets or leading to their homes and lodgings. As they drew closer to the band stand on the foreshore, a small crowd of people watched a Royal Marine Band ready their instruments preparatory to providing an afternoons entertainment for the people of Devonport and Plymouth. Drawing closer, Florence held Thomas closer to her.
'Oh look Tommy the Navy band is going to be playing. Shall we stop and watch them for a bit?' Thomas squeezed her arm tight and lowered his head down so she could hear his words without him having to say them out loud.
'They’re Bootnecks love, not Matlots.' Florence stared up at him,
'What’s the difference between them?' she asked. Thomas never broke his stride, just grinned down at her.
'Bootnecks is not quite human. They eat their young, and are only fit to go to sea when us Matlots take ‘em' he said. 'They’re Royal Marines, never learned to sail a ship properly so they have to rely on us to get them around.'
'They don't eat their young Thomas Lowe!' she said, digging him in the ribs. He paused for a second to allow the information to sink in and smiled at her puzzled look. 'Don’t worry love, you’ll learn.'
They walked on past the ornate cast iron framework of the band stand with its raised copula and painted wooden sides. The bandsmen were settling themselves down in a semi circle, facing out towards the waters of the English Channel, fidgeting and arranging their music on small stands in front of their seats. The notes of their various instruments sounded in their ears as Florence and Thomas drew away from the stand, and grew fainter the further away they walked, until by the time the band started to play their first tune the sound was little louder than a seagulls call in the distance. They turned off the main road and wound their way through the side streets until they finally made their way to Florence’s lodgings. She stopped in front of the door and took her key from her coats pocket. Thomas stood patiently by her side as she fiddled with the key in the worn lock and opened the door into the hallway. Walking down the corridor she shrugged off her coat, then hung it onto one of the empty hooks on the side of the wall close to the door to her room. Thomas followed suit with his cap and jacket. Taking the second key on the key ring in her hand she opened the door to her room, stepping through and holding it open for Thomas to follow her. Florence placed the key ring on the table in the centre of the room and turned to face him as he closed the door behind him. Throwing her arms around his neck she pulled him to her and kissed him hard on the lips.
'Now then my man, what is it that you have been hiding from me since you came out of them damn dockyards?' She dug him gently in the ribs with her finger and Thomas grimaced in pretended pain.
'Ouch' he exclaimed, 'You don't know how hard your fingers are young lady. Keep 'em to yourself, if you don't mind.' He returned her kiss and held her away from him at arm's length. He paused and smiled for a moment before finally telling her his news. 'It seems that I have been doing quite well for His Majesty's Navy since I decided to join them,' he said, a grin creasing his face. Another dig in the ribs made him wince and move away from her. Florence followed and grabbed his arm.
'Come on Tommy, tell me what's happening.' She said. Thomas sat down on the edge of the bed and gently pulled her down to sit beside him.
'Well my love. The training what I have been doing has been going really well. I've sailed through everything they've been able to throw at me, both onshore and when we've been at sea. It seems that the years of work I put in at those bloody mills in Bolton are starting to pay off. I was pulled into the Pussers cabin this morning just before we quit for the day.' He paused to raise her tension a little, it had the effect he had hoped for. Florence took his forearm in both of her hands and twisted the skin in opposite directions, giving him what was called in Bolton, a Chinese Burn.
'Tell me, or I might be forced to break your arm, otherwise,' she said, grinding her teeth in a mock show of strength. He pretended to suffer under the pain and gave way.
'Alright alright,' he said, grinning once more at her. 'What the Pusser said was that I had done very well with all the training, and that I was head of the class in everything we had done. So that whatever posting I wanted, the chances are I would get it.' He paused for this to sink in and continued. 'So, I was thinking of applying to be posted on the Powerful.' There was a moments silence as Florence considered the news then said,
'Doesn't mean a lot to me Tommy. Which fleet is the Powerful with?' Thomas drew a silent breath and continued.
'The Australia Squadron. It's the admiral's flagship, and it's based in Sydney, New South Wales.' He paused and let the news sink in then continued once more. 'Captain Halsey is the captain, and he's the flag captain to the Commander in Chief of the Australia Station. If it all goes well and my application is accepted, then I will have a bit more training for hot weather sailing then I'll be going out there in November to meet up with the ship, probably in Western Australia. Depends where the ship is when my posting comes through.'
Florence allowed his arm drop from her grasp and folded her arms across her chest. Her head dropped onto her chest. This was what he had been planning since he first entered the Navy, and in her mind part of her had hoped he would not be successful, but now it appeared that his dreams were going to come true. How would this fit in with her wishes for a married life with him, and how would they manage to live together? She had heard many tales of sailors wives being left destitute by their husbands and wandering astray whilst they were away at sea. It was not something she wanted to even contemplate. She had set her mind to work on ways of creating a life for herself whilst he was away at sea, and perhaps in time, fulfilling the discussions they had had about her joining him in Australia.
She raised her head in silence and looked out above the lace curtains which covered two thirds of the window facing out onto the street. The afternoon sun was shining brightly into the room, and was pleasantly warm. The sun had been beating on it all the morning and still had a few hours to go before it set. Noises from outside filtered into the room but failed to disturb her thoughts. How would they manage to live so far apart for so long? How long would he be away, would it be months or maybe years? Would he be tempted to find another 'wife' in a foreign port? The stories of 'Jack' having a wife in every port were not uncommon, and Florence had a grim determination that despite her young years, she was not going to be one of these part time wives of sailors. Thomas stood up from the bed and seated himself at one of the two chairs arranged around the table in the room, so that he could see her more clearly. He watched her in silence for a few moments before he spoke.
'What you thinking love?' he finally asked her quietly. Florence said nothing but continued to watch the sun blinding her through the window before turning her head towards him. Her eyes were glazed with the tears she had felt welling up but she kept them under control. Finally she took a deep breath.
'I know we've talked about this in the past Tommy, but it just seems that much closer now,' she said. 'It's like it's suddenly being pushed right at us, and there's so much we need to talk about, and so many plans to make. I just wish it had been more than a couple of months away, and I knew a bit more about the Navy and Australia and where you were going to be stationed whilst you are out there, and where I might be able to live, and how I could get there, and how much it's going to cost.' The words flooded out of her mouth almost without her thinking of them. She drew another breath and continued. 'I don't see my Ma helping me out with any money to get there, she doesn't have any. I'm going to have to save up myself to buy a ticket.' A thought went through her mind. 'And where would I get a ticket from Tommy?' She stopped for more breath, and before she could continue Thomas interrupted her flow.
'Well, the first thing is to find a ships agent. There are a lot in Plymouth, but you might be better off trying to find one in a port where the passenger ships sail from, like London, or Liverpool.' She looked him in the eye and nodded slowly, the ideas flooding into her mind.
'Liverpool might be better, wouldn't it?' she asked. 'If I'm going to sail to Australia I would want to see my Ma and Pa before I went.' Thomas nodded his head in agreement but said nothing more for the time being. He could see that the idea of her coming out to live with him in this foreign country had not settled well with her since they had discussed the subject when they were first married, and now she was maybe having second thoughts about how to join him, and whether in fact she should join him. This caused him some consternation.
Thomas rose from the chair and stepped across the room to the large front window of the house. He stood with his hands in his pockets for a moment and then turned back into the room to face her. Florence was staring at her hands on her lap as she sat on the bed.
'You having second thoughts about us being married love?' he asked softly. Her head came up immediately and she flushed
'No not at all Tommy, she replied quickly. 'It's just that it all seems so sudden now, you going to Australia and me being left here by myself.' Thomas nodded his head silently waiting for Florence to continue.
'I just wonder how I will get on here without you until I can come to Australia to be with you. How long do you think it would be before I can come out there?' Thomas pondered her question for a moment and then said,
'I think I need to get my feet under the table on the ship for at least three months. I don't want you coming out there and then finding that I have been transferred to another ship 'cos they don't like what I do. Then maybe it would be time for you to come out.' Florence sat quietly on the edge of the bed silently nodding her head and considering his words.
'Alright then, we'll give it three months and see how you are going on,' she said, swinging her feet onto the floor and stepping over to his side by the window. She circled her arms around his waist and squeezed him. 'I do love you Tommy,' she said quietly. Thomas turned his left arm around her and hugged her to him.
'I know you do love. We just need to make sure I get this posting, and make certain I don't put my foot in it for a time, then we can get you out to come and live out there.' They looked into each other's eyes and he lowered his head down and kissed her on the lips.
Florence looked away from him and out of the window of the room. The sun was sinking rapidly now, and the sky was turning a deeper shade of blue than it had been when they had first come into the house. Soon it would be dark and he would have to go. She gently extricated herself from his grip, and moved around him and the table to reach into a cupboard on the left of the sideboard which lay along the wall opposite the window wall. With her back to the window and the room, she took out a small bank book from under a small pile of underwear and glanced inside it before hurriedly replacing in the sideboard. There was not much in the bank, only a few pounds. Thoughts ran through her mind about how much the cost of her getting to Australia would be, and how much she would need to take with her to live when she first arrived.
'If you don't mind love, I think I'd better be getting back to the ship. I have to be on duty early in the morning ready for pushing off on Monday, and want to check the stuff I need.' He looked across the room at her as she turned back to face him. In view of the conversation they had had, this suited her fine, she needed time to think and plan.
'Alright love, you get off back. I don't feel much like doing anything tonight. Think I'll have an early night.' She paused and then continued, 'If you don't mind, I'd like to miss out on tomorrow as well. I need to do some thinking about things.' She smiled at him across the room. Thomas stepped across the room and took her again in his arms.
'Everything is alright isn't it love?' he asked quietly. She nodded her head and whispered, 'Of course it is. I just need to get things sorted out in my brain. It's come on sudden really, hasn't it? Don't you go fretting yourself though, you're not going to lose me. I'm here to stay.'
Thomas let his arms fall to his side and caught her hands in his as he did so. He squeezed them gently.
'I'm not concerned about that love, I know you love me. You take as much time as you need. We'll get it sorted one way or another.' He loosed her hands which fell down to her sides as he moved around her to open the door into the corridor. Florence stood in the doorway of the corridor and watched as he took his jacket and cap from the hook on the wall and pulled his arms through the sleeves, doing up the brass buttons. Placing his cap on his head Thomas moved off to the front door. They kissed in the open doorway onto the street and he took her hand once more. 'It will all work out fine love. You'll see. It just needs sorting out in your head first and then we need to work out how it's all going to happen.' She pecked him on the lips and nodded her head in agreement then released his hand. Thomas stepped down into the small paved front garden and through the gap which had held a gate at one time then off along the street back to the ship in the dockyard.
Florence took herself off to bed early that night, not long after Thomas had taken his leave of her. She was tired, but sleep would not come. The thoughts and plans of Australia surged through her head, each one tumbling on top of the previous one, then being replaced by another as soon as the first problem had a solution suggested to it. Eventually she fell asleep and slept well until the sound of the early morning church bells woke her. She lay in bed listening until the bells had finished and then, with a smug grin on her face, pulled up the thin eiderdown to her ears. She stayed snuggled up in her bed for a further fifteen minutes until the plan she had fallen asleep with, forced her to wake up properly, get out of bed and get herself dressed. Once dressed, she drew back the curtains from the window and looked out at the weather. Though the sky was blue there was a layer of cloud drifting across the roofs of Devonport from the west, which looked like rain was on its way. She sat down on the end of the bed and reached underneath for her boots and, forcing her feet into them, laced them up tightly. She stood up and stamped her feet down into the toes to make them more comfortable, then stepped across the room, picking up her keys from the sideboard near the door. In the hallway she took her hat down from the hook and put it on her head. The weather did not look promising, and as she had left the umbrella her Pa had loaned her at the house in Bolton, she had nothing to prevent a soaking should the cloud turn to rain.
Soon she was striding out along the side streets of Devonport, until she crossed the edge of the bay and into the city of Plymouth along Victoria Place and eventually round the back of the barracks onto the Hoe, one of her most favourite places in all her travels so far. The brisk walk raised her spirits a little. The Esplanade, the Promenade around the Hoe, were all places which were open to the sun and weather. Today it seemed that she was going to get weather, as the cloud continued to blow in on a westerly from the Atlantic. Florence did not mind the wind or the rain for that matter, at least now she had the time she needed to come to terms with the proposal for her future life. This is why she had suggested that Thomas should not see her that day, it would give her an opportunity to think at some length, and in some detail, about what their life together might be like, and how she was going to finance the travel. It was an exciting future to have to think about, and the wind blowing off the sea did nothing to dull the keen sense of adventure she felt, as she bent into the wind, gusting hard against her from time to time. The wind came off the Atlantic and barrelled along the English Channel gathering strength as it did so. Though it was becoming cold, it did nothing to chill the growing feeling of warmth and excitement which Florence felt. This, she said to herself, was the start of a new life for her, and one she would embrace with all she possessed. If she had the time, as she now did, then she knew she would find answers to the problems, she would find solutions to the money, and she would sail away from this island to start a new life with Thomas in the remote and unknown country of Australia.
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