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‘What are they for?’ Maddie asked

‘Some of our people need fast and efficient private transport – travel when and as needed, there and back in one night, noor limited speed on country lanes or aard railway schedules No risk of being recognised on a station platforhts Does that make sense?’

Maddie nodded

‘You’re a consistent pilot, a superb navigator, sharp as a tack and exceptionally discreet There are plenty of men and several women better qualified than you, but none, I think, as appropriately suited for this particular taxi service You remembered my name You’re well aware of our work here and you keep quiet about it, except when you send us a recruit If you take the assignhtforward h your ATA ferry pool S chits, secret, with a report required You won’t be told anything about theYou’ll already know most of the airfields’

He is really very hard to resist Or perhaps Maddie just couldn’t ever pass up a flying opportunity

‘I’ll do it,’ she said decisively ‘I’ll do it’

‘Tell your assistant pilot you left your clothing ration coupons here on your last flight, and we’ve kept theh a file folder, held soh and pushed his heavy spectacles back up his nose ‘Getting old,’ he apologised ‘Thenow too! Here we are’

He pored over the pages again and produced Maddie’s clothing ration coupons Her stoot theue you were called in here today so we could return these and give you a lecture about taking greater care with your personal papers’

‘Well, I jolly ill be more careful with them after this,’ she told him fiercely

--

God, what aor it will all be illegibly smeared

sorry sorry sorry

Ormaie 22XI43 JB-S

ATA S Chits (Secret)

At first it was ed For six weeks she heard nothing Then twice in a week there were chitsher own special code name – just an alert to let her know she was ‘operational’, as it were But the only way the job really differed from a normal taxi run was that the chaps she picked up weren’t obviously pilots

After that there were special flights that caularly, but not frequently Every six weeks or so They were all prosaically dull For taxi work Maddie was put back to flying ser Moths and a Puss Moth or two Apart fro, there wasn’t

There was one Lysander flight that was uards There is an armoured bulkhead that separates the Lysander pilot froers – you can send her notes or coffee or kisses through an opening the size of a page, which she is able to shut against you if she wants, so that you cannot shoot her Not that shooting your pilot would get you anywhere fast, except down, in a Lysander, as you would not be able to take over the controls

Maddie was safely separated from her would-be assassin, if he was an assassin She was never afterwards sure whether that passenger had travelled as a prisoner under guard or a liability under protection At any rate they rown men in the back of the Lysander

Then at last there was me

Maddie was interrupted in the ran and granddad in their house in Stockport – Maddie’s Operations officer rang and asked her to ht, collect someone and deliver that soo when she got to Oakway, but not over the telephone