For a long time after that, I can’t particularly remember going anywhere. I was about the only one who didn’t have any freedom. Cecily Bartlett must have felt sorry for me, and one day suggested that as it was almost my birthday, I could stay at her billet, which was in the Verger’s wonderfully quaint little cottage, for the week-end, and attend a dance at Loxwood Village Hall, at her expense. We would go with the Verger’s daughter, who was about 18, and about six other young people. I was sure I wouldn’t possibly be allowed to go, but Cecily apparently talked my guardians into it.
My first dance, and what an outfit I chose to wear!!! A thick woollen suit, wool sweater, lisle stockings, and flat heeled shoes, and to complete the ensemble, a white rose, which my Mother had given me to wear in the black-out, because it was luminous in the dark. To me it was all very exciting, and when we went to call for John and Peggy Tye, twins, whose parents ran the village pub, we were all treated to a glass of ginger wine. I imagined I felt quite giddy. I was grateful for my flat heeled shoes, as we had no transportation, and the Hall was about 3 miles away.
I was pretty hopeless as a dancer, although Cecily tried hard to teach me. It must have been pretty obvious to the young men attending, that I was pretty grim, consequently no one asked me to dance, until the last waltz, and the young man was almost as bad as I. Oh! What misery for us both, and those poor feet. We were both glad when it was over. Anyway, it broke the ice for the next dance, I attended months later.
My next outing was to the movies. In London, I used to go about 3 times a week, and since the war, hadn’t been at all. The nearest Cinema was in Cranleigh, about 5 miles away. They were showing the Mikado in technicolour. Which everyone thought would be very educational etc. The only thing exciting to me, was the fact, that amongst the group was Elizabeth’s brother. In fact we went in their car, and sat with them. I don’t suppose Bill ever noticed little adoring me, as I was only 15, and he must have been in his twenties.