Until We Meet Again (26 page)

‘I see,’ said the doctor. ‘And is she any relation to Second Lieutenant Thomas Moon?’

‘Yes, of course. She’s his twin sister. That’s how I met her, through Tommy.’

‘And what can you tell us about Tommy?’

‘He’s my best mate. We went to school together; King William’s Academy in Scarborough. King Billy’s, we used to call it,’ he grinned. ‘Then we joined up together in the Duke of Wellington’s regiment. We trained in Staffordshire and we both passed out as second lieutenants. Then we were sent overseas and we were both in charge of a platoon…’ He stopped suddenly. ‘Where is Tommy then? Is he all right? We were in it together. If you thought I was Tommy…then where is he?’

‘That is what we will have to try and find out,’ said the doctor. ‘You seem very sure of who you are, and I have no reason to doubt you. Can you tell us anything about Tommy’s movements? You say you were in it together. Do you mean you were in the same offensive? The Somme, wasn’t it?’

‘Yes…’ He closed his eyes, frowning in an effort to remember everything. ‘No, we weren’t exactly
together. We’d been chatting in the dugout, then we were asked if we’d go out on a night patrol. At least, I was asked if I’d take my platoon out… and so Tommy volunteered as well. He’s like that, is Tommy. We’d agreed that we’d try and stick together – we’d promised Tilly that we would – and look out for one another. He had his men, of course, and I had mine, and we headed out in different directions…’

He stopped suddenly, banging his fist against his temple. ‘Yes! I remember now. Tommy was the first to go – he’s like that, impulsive. He jumped up and snatched his battledress and went out. It was only after he’d gone that I realised. Yes, he’d gone and taken mine, the silly chump! It wasn’t the first time he’d done it either. It was too late to go after him…so I took his tunic…’ He stared at the doctor, light starting to dawn as he realised what had happened. ‘That’s why, isn’t it? That’s why they thought I was Tommy; I was wearing the wrong bloody battledress!’

‘It seems like it,’ said Dr Ingham slowly. ‘It does seem as though it’s a case of mistaken identity. All there is to go on are the identification papers; they’re usually decipherable despite any injuries… Can you remember if you saw Tommy again?’

‘Yes, I think so… Yes, I did! There was a sudden flash of light – a trench mortar – and I caught a
glimpse of him in the distance. I could tell it was him by his mop of red hair… I didn’t see him again after that. That was when it happened. I was almost blown to blazes, wasn’t I?’

‘So you were,’ agreed the doctor.

‘But I was lucky; I survived, didn’t I?’

The doctor nodded. ‘So you did, Dominic.’

‘So where’s Tommy then? Is he all right? They’ll have to find him.’

‘That’s what we intend to do,’ said Dr Ingham. ‘But we’ll be looking for Second Lieutenant Dominic Fraser, won’t we, not Thomas Moon. And of course we must let your parents know what has happened.’

It was Mr and Mrs Moon, he reflected, who had been told that their son was alive and as well as could be expected. What, then, had Mr and Mrs Fraser been told?

Chapter Twenty-Four

‘H
mm…a pretty kettle of fish, you might say,’ Dr Ingham observed to Nurse Mabel Culshaw as they left Dominic in the ward. They felt pretty certain that the young man was who he said he was.

‘Yes, indeed,’ replied the nurse. ‘I must say he seems sure of his facts, doesn’t he? There doesn’t seem to be any doubt that he’s Dominic Fraser and not Thomas Moon. What do you think we should do now? What’s the next step?’

‘We must contact the War Office and find out what really happened to Thomas Moon. It’s Dominic Fraser we’ll be enquiring about though… Oh, Hell’s bells! What a blasted muddle! I’m starting to get confused with it all. And I have a dreadful feeling that when we enquire about Tommy – Dominic, whoever – we will discover
the worst. I’d bet a pound to a penny that he’s been killed in action.’

‘And that’s what his parents will have been told… Oh, how awful!’ exclaimed Nurse Culshaw. ‘Except that…he hasn’t been killed,’ she went on slowly. ‘He’s alive and recovering very nicely. Oh, goodness gracious me! It’s the other parents who’ll be in for a shock, isn’t it? Mr and Mrs Moon. They think that Tommy’s alive – that he’s here in hospital – and he may well have been killed. Oh, that’s dreadful! Oh, my goodness! It doesn’t bear thinking about.’

‘It’s no use us jumping to conclusions,’ said the doctor. ‘That is only what we’re assuming. But the first thing we must do is to find out the true facts from the War Office, then we can take it from there. I don’t think I should even contact Mr and Mrs Fraser, or Mr and Mrs Moon, until we get definite confirmation one way or the other. Another few days won’t make much difference in such a mix-up as this. And it may well be that the top brass at the War Office will want to deal with it. Yes, I think it would be best left to them… I daresay it’s happened before, although I’ve not come across a case myself, and no doubt it will happen again before this wretched war comes to an end.’

‘But we can’t stop Dominic writing to his
parents, can we, if he wants to do so? He’s got the use of his right hand, you know, and you remember all that stuff he wrote down when you asked him to try and record his memories?’

‘By Jove, yes! So I do. He has quite a way with words, that young man. Oh glory be! What are we to do? I think I’d better tell him to hang fire for a while until we’ve completed our enquiries. He seems a very sensible, level-headed young man. I’m sure he’ll understand what I’m on about. The trouble is… I get the impression he’s thinking his mate, Tommy, is still alive.’

The War Office in London was contacted and told the tale of the wrong battledresses, which had resulted in the finding of the wrong identity papers. The facts were as had already been assumed by the staff at the field hospital in Calais. Second Lieutenant Dominic Fraser had been killed in action just prior to the first offensive on the Somme, and his parents had been duly informed of his death. Except that it was the wrong set of parents who had received the news.

There was a good deal of consternation and head scratching at the War Office. The scale of the carnage was so vast that communications were delayed from time to time, and mistakes were made. But this was a blunder of the first degree. It was nobody’s fault, though, except perhaps that of
the young men concerned who had ended up with the wrong uniforms. High on adrenalin, eager, and yet fearful to get started on the action, one could imagine how it must have happened. And it required the most delicate handling now.

As far as Mr and Mrs Fraser were concerned, a letter would be written, explaining that there had been a case of mistaken identity and that their son, Dominic, was alive and recovering from his injuries in a field hospital near Calais. With regard to Mr and Mrs Moon, it was decided that a letter would not suffice. A high-ranking officer must go in person to the address in Scarborough to inform the parents of the sad facts of the case.

Joseph and Mabel Fraser were the first to receive the news. On opening the letter and reading it at the breakfast table Mabel gave a shriek of incredulous joy, and also of disbelief. ‘Oh, oh!’ she gasped. ‘Joseph…he’s alive! Our Dominic… he’s not dead after all!’ She put her head in her hands, giving way to a paroxysm of sobs and tears of blessed relief.

‘What?’ cried Joseph. He grabbed the letter and read it for himself. His first words, too, were ones of thankfulness. ‘Oh…thank the Lord! This is incredible news.’ He found himself shedding tears of joy. He was seldom known to cry, and after a few moments he began to think more rationally.

‘I hope to goodness they’ve got it right this time…’ He shook his head in a puzzled manner. ‘How can there have been such a huge mistake? What do they mean, mistaken identity?’ He perused the letter again, more carefully. ‘He’s in a field hospital near Calais. Isn’t that where Tommy Moon is? And why has it taken them so long to let us know?’

‘I don’t know, Joseph,’ said his wife. ‘I only know that I believe what it says here. That our son’s alive. We must let Tilly know straightaway. That poor lass! She’s been so brave, carrying on with her nursing. We must go round this morning, Joseph, to the nursing home, and let her know. She won’t have been informed, you know.’

‘Aye…yes, of course we must…’

‘And to think that he’s in the same hospital as Tommy. That’s what I can’t understand,’ said Mabel. ‘Why were we not told? And why didn’t our Dominic write…?’

‘Happen he’s too badly injured,’ said Joseph. ‘We must try not to get our hopes up too much, Mabel. He might be in a bad way.’

‘It says he’s recovering. That’s good enough for me. Oh, Joseph! He might be back home with us before very long.’

‘And…didn’t they say that Tommy Moon was suffering from loss of memory?’ mused Joseph.
The thoughts that were gradually forming in his mind were ones that he didn’t like much at all, despite the overwhelming news that Dominic was alive. Mistaken identity… He was starting to feel very concerned. He wondered if it might be better to wait a little while before going round, post haste, to tell Tilly the good news.

But that would not do for Mabel. She soon recovered from the shock she had received and was cock-a-hoop with delight. ‘Come along, Joseph. Go and get the car started up. I can’t wait to tell Tilly the good news.’

Joseph didn’t have the heart to tell her the thoughts that were in his mind. After all, there was the possibility that he might be wrong.

Faith Moon was in her office, busy at her paperwork, when Joseph and Mabel Fraser were shown in by the maid who had opened the door to them. Faith had seen Dominic’s parents only a couple of times since they had had the dreadful news about their son. Mabel had been devastated, and had looked as though she would never smile again. She was surprised, therefore, to see the expression of delight on the woman’s face now and her beaming smile. Joseph, however, was looking a little wary.

‘Faith…oh, Faith; we’ve had some wonderful news,’ Mabel cried before Faith had the chance 
to say hello to her. She couldn’t recall that the woman had ever used her Christian name before. ‘It’s our Dominic. He’s alive! He’s not been killed after all. He’s in a hospital near Calais. It must be the same one that Tommy’s in. He’s been injured, it says in the letter, but he’s recovering. Isn’t it marvellous news?’

‘It certainly is,’ agreed Faith, her mind trying to take in the enormity of what she was hearing, and how overjoyed Tilly would be. ‘But…how has it happened?’ she asked. ‘Such a mistake as that? Did they give you any explanation?’

It was Joseph who answered. ‘Mistaken identity; that’s what they said. That’s all we know. They must have got him mixed up with some other poor blighter. I suppose it happens with the amount of casualties they have to deal with.’

‘So we thought we’d best come and let Tilly know right away,’ said Mabel. ‘She’s been so distressed, poor lass, and so brave. May we go and see her?’

‘Yes, of course,’ said Faith. ‘She’s in one of the upstairs wards… On second thoughts, I’ll send a message and ask her to come down here. It will be a tremendous shock to her, as it’s been for you, even though it’s such good news.’ She went out into the hallway and spoke to the maid who was brushing the stairs. She asked her if she would
please go and find Nurse Moon and tell her she was wanted in her mother’s office.

Tilly looked surprised at seeing Mr and Mrs Fraser sitting there. ‘Hello there,’ she said. ‘How nice to see both of you. How are you? I must say you’re looking quite a lot better than the last time I saw you, Mrs Fraser.’

‘That’s because we’ve had some wonderful news, my dear,’ said Mabel Fraser. She rose from her chair and put her arms around Tilly. ‘The most wonderful news,’ she said again. ‘It’s Dominic; they got it all wrong. He’s not dead. He’s alive, Tilly! He’s alive!’

‘What? But that’s incredible!’ cried Tilly. ‘It’s wonderful, though. Oh…this is too much to take in…’ She burst into tears, so overcome with shock and profound relief that she was unable to stand.

‘Sit down, my dear,’ said Mrs Fraser, leading her gently to a chair. ‘It was a shock to us as well this morning when we got the letter. I nearly fainted, I can tell you.’

‘What did the letter say?’ asked Tilly. ‘Why did they say he’d been killed when he hadn’t? I don’t understand. How could it happen? And where is Dominic now? Is he coming home?’

‘We’ll tell you all we know,’ said Joseph. ‘We’re as mystified as you are. It seems as though they’d got him mixed up with somebody else. He’s been
injured – we don’t know how badly, yet – and at the moment he’s in a hospital near Calais.’

‘Near Calais? But…that’s where Tommy is,’ said Tilly. ‘Why weren’t you told sooner? Tommy’s lost his memory, so they say… But why didn’t Dominic write?’

‘Perhaps he isn’t able to,’ replied Joseph. ‘There are a lot of questions we can’t answer at the moment. I daresay it will all be revealed to us in time. But the main thing is that he’s alive.’

‘Do you know,’ said Tilly, bemusedly, ‘I could never really believe that Dominic was dead, even though I was told so time and time again. It just didn’t seem possible. I always felt that I would have known, deep down, if he had been killed. And I never had that feeling. But eventually I began to understand that it must be so, that I was deluding myself in thinking he could still be alive…’

‘But he is! He is!’ cried Mabel. ‘I must write to him, and you will write as well, won’t you, Tilly? We don’t know how long it will be before he’s home, and I pray to God that he won’t have to go back again, to the war, I mean. I suppose I shouldn’t say this, but if his injuries are severe enough, he won’t have to, will he?’

‘That’s right,’ said Tilly. ‘We’re nursing men here who have lost an arm or a leg, or have suffered bad internal injuries. They will never have
to go back. You have no idea what his injuries are? We were told about Tommy losing an arm… and everything else.’

‘No, but we’re hoping to get more of the facts before long,’ said Joseph. ‘Now, my dear…’ He turned to his wife. ‘I think we have taken up enough of Faith’s valuable time. Let’s get home, shall we, and share the good news with our neighbours. And Cedric and Maud as well, of course.’

‘Yes, Priscilla will be delighted to hear the news,’ said Tilly. ‘She was – is – very fond of Dominic. Thank you for letting me know so quickly, both of you. So now we can look forward to seeing him again. It’s probable he will be moved to a hospital in England when he’s well enough. That’s what usually happens.’

‘And even if it’s at Land’s End we’ll be there to visit him,’ said Mabel, her eyes aglow with happiness. ‘And you must come with us, Tilly, my dear. I’m so happy for you, as well as for us. I know how fond you are of him.’

‘We must go and tell everyone the good news,’ said Faith, when Mr and Mrs Fraser had gone. ‘I am so pleased for you, my dear,’ she said to her daughter, ‘and for ourselves as well, of course. We were grieved, too, to think that Dominic had been killed. He was just like one of the family. But he’s
alive, praise the Lord! And our Tommy, too, in the same hospital, at least I assume it’s the same one. That’s incredible, isn’t it? Oh, I hope it isn’t too long before Tommy gets his memory back, then they can both come home. I must phone and tell William as well.’

Tilly smiled. ‘Yes, it’s wonderful, isn’t it?’ she said quietly. But she was thoughtful, too, and a little concerned. She did not doubt that the news they had just heard was true, that her beloved Dominic was alive. It surely wasn’t possible that the top brass, or whoever it was, could make two such colossal errors. But Dominic was recovering in the same hospital as Tommy; now that was a coincidence if anything was. They hadn’t heard from Tommy because he had not yet regained his memory and, therefore, was not able to reply to the letter his mother had sent him. And the letter that Mr and Mrs Fraser had received had reported that it was a case of mistaken identity. Whose identity? wondered Tilly. As she thought about it her happiness was tinged with more than a little anxiety.

William Moon was surprised to receive a phone call from his wife at midday, and even more surprised on hearing the stupendous news she was telling him, that Tilly’s fiancé, Dominic, had been
found to be alive and recovering from his injuries, not dead as they had previously been informed. And he was in the same hospital as Tommy…