THE GIRL WHO DISAPPEARED

PART 7 PEACE

Chapter 16 Peace at Last

Walter, with full support and encouragement from Emily, did everything he could to hasten his demobilisation from the army but, despite all his efforts, he remained a low priority. Troops were needed to secure and protect the British zone of newly conquered Germany; to try and prevent Jews from swamping Palestine, and to attempt to preserve the peace whilst India tore itself apart with the creation of Pakistan. Walter wanted no part in such matters but his wishes were irrelevant.

When he eventually received his discharge papers in 1946, he hastened to see Major General Whittaker at Lloyds Bank's head office to discover what position he would be offered. By law, he had the right to be reinstated in his old job as an assistant inspector but he hoped for something materially better.

The General welcomed him back to civilian life: 'I intend to ensure that returning military personnel such as yourself achieve rapid promotion to the seniority which you deserve.'

Walter smiled: 'Thank you very much, sir. My ambition is to become a branch manager; my army experience has taught me how to manage staff efficiently, though I appreciate things are done very differently in civilian life. I hope to move shortly to the London area but would welcome an appointment anywhere that the bank decides to send me.'

The personnel department arranged for him to spend a few weeks on refresher courses and then on the inspection staff, before appointing him assistant manager at Derby branch. The manager introduced his new assistant to customers and generally tutored him on how to perform in his new role. Walter approached the task enthusiastically, free at last to do the work he had always wanted.

Working in Derby meant leaving Emily and Richard behind at a flat which he rented for them in Beckenham, a suburb to the south of London. He promised them: 'This is a purely temporary arrangement; I intend to buy a suitable house in Derby as soon as possible.'

The promotion delighted Walter, but Emily felt disappointed by it. She told him: 'You do realise it means that Richard is inevitably going to become a border at his new school. Nevertheless, I love you dearly and will support you to the best of my ability.'

She thought to herself: 'Walter's experiences in the army and the frustrating delay in being demobbed have changed my Jimmy; he no longer dotes on me in quite the same way, eager to please my every whim. He's always been ambitious, but now he seems to focus on his career in priority to all else. Not only that but he's taken it upon himself to decide where we'll live without listening to my views. Our budget stops us from living anywhere too expensive, but he chose the flat in Beckenham without consulting me and now proposes to buy a house in Derby without even taking me to have a look at it.

'I need our marriage to be a partnership; if only he would listen to my views and take them into account, but how can I achieve that? A close loving relationship can only flourish if we live together but that means abandoning my ten year old Richard who needs my support in his new school. Why do I have to choose between father and son; why is life so unfair?'

The self-contained furnished flat in Beckenham, converted from the middle floor of a substantial detached Victorian residence, did not meet her expectations. The fittings in the kitchen and bathroom were of poor quality and a draft penetrated through the windows. The central heating left much to be desired and the absence of any sound proofing meant that she could hear the radio and other noises from the flats above and below; the sparse furnishings were little better. Worst of all, neither she nor Richard knew anyone in Beckenham. All in all, she rated her new accommodation far worse than the Manchester flat.

Walter had promised that it would only be a few weeks before he found something better but weeks turned into months. He found a house in Derby but before she could join him, learned of a further promotion to be manager of Keighley branch, a few miles from his family home in Hebden Bridge.