Peter sat back down on the couch and drove with his hand through his tousled black hair. He couldn't believe what he just heard. Or more precisely, he could not understand why it had to start all over again. During the last months, he had followed the news closely and every time that there was a report on Hitler and the current situation in continental Europe, Peter feared he might had to follow in his father's footsteps. Why again? Was the war his father fought in not the "war to end all wars"? So many lives taken away or damaged forever. He knew many men, mostly his father's friends, who still had a hard time coping with what they saw and endured. His mother once said that war changes everyone, even if one doesn't see the change. His father never talked about his time in the Army, and the only thing Peter knew was that his sister Mavis could only be born because his father was badly wounded during the Battle of Verdun. A shrapnel had hit his father near the heart which resulted in him getting a discharge from military duty. Since his father had been fighting when he was born, Peter saw him the first time when he was two years old. Up until that moment, he only knew about his father what his siblings and mother had told him. But when his father returned home, he was not like his siblings had described him. He was not a bad person, and he always did everything in his power to support his family and give them as much love as possible, but still, he was not the same anymore.

Peter sighed. And now, it happened again. Only that now the enemy was not the German emperor, but someone who thinks Germany was treated poorly by the other nations at the Treaty of Versailles [1]. And even though his father never talked about his experiences, Peter had heard enough stories of men lying in the trenches and watching how their friends were slaughtered. And he knew one thing for sure. He would not live through the same hell as his father did as an infantry man; not if he could prevent it. Samuel was right; he had a responsibility towards Lilian. He knew that going off to war always meant a risk to die, but he would do everything in his power to minimise the risk of dying.

Why now? He and Lilian were only married for one year. There were so many things he wanted to experience with her: starting a family, raising their children, growing old together. And if Samuel was right, there was a chance that he would not be there to do all those things with Lilian. And even if he would survive a war, who guaranteed him he would be able to pick up where he left off? He had witnessed as a child how many marriages broke up after the men came home. What if their marriage was not strong enough? Peter shook his head. That was something he definitely didn't want to think about.

Eventually, he stood up and went over to the chest of drawers in the living room to search for paper. He needed to get more information. Now. Peter wrote a note to Lilian that said he was making some errands and he laid it on the kitchen table. Then he put on his sweater and left their flat to head to the only place he thought he would get some help: the recruiting office in the City of London.

As Peter arrived at the recruiting office about thirty minutes later, he hesitated to go inside. He could not pinpoint what it was, but something held him back. Maybe it was his aversion to orders and authorities which made him never interested in the military. Maybe it was that if he went inside and actually considered joining the military, he would accept the threatening reality mankind was facing right now.

Come on! Don't be such a wet. Ya only gonna talk to these people to get some information. It doesn't mean ya join up right away, he thought. Ya 'ave a responsibility towards Lil as 'er husband!

Peter took a deep breath and opened the door. As he entered the office he was immediately greeted by all sorts of posters promoting to join the military; some said enlistment was a service to the country, some said it was to serve the King. Since there was no officer in the room at the moment, Peter took the time to look around. He passed some photos showing military parades when another enlistment poster caught his attention. It did not say anything about a service to the country, which was something Peter instantly liked. After all, the government or the people never did anything to help him; if anything, he had to live his whole life with negative expectations because of where he was born or his accent. No, this poster showed a soldier pointing at him, telling him to enlist because "there's a man's job to be done". Somehow, this simple statement hit a nerve in Peter because it captured exactly what he was thinking. For Peter, his potential military service had nothing to do with patriotism, but simply with the wish to have a more or less secure position in case Britain would be at war in the near future. And deep down inside him he liked the thought of doing something important that he could one day tell his children about.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I did not hear you coming in," he heard a voice saying. Peter turned around and saw a man with curly blonde hair, probably in his mid-thirties, dressed in a blue uniform. He walked over to him and reached out his hand. "My name is Flight Lieutenant Begum. What can I do for you, Sir?"

Peter shook the other man's hand and said, "Peter Newkirk. I thought about enlistin', but I'm not really sure about it"

"And now you want some more information," finished the Flight Lieutenant. Peter nodded, and Begum started smiling. "Then you came to the right place, Mr Newkirk. Why don't we sit down and talk without ruffle or excitement?"

He pointed to a desk on their left and Peter sat down across from him. He continued to look around and spotted booklets on the desk as well as a picture of the Flight Lieutenant standing in front of a plane.

"So, Mr Newkirk," began Begum when he sat down. "What's the reason you consider joining up?"

Peter started to play with his wedding ring again, as always when he was nervous. "Well, to be 'onest, because I 'ave a bad feelin' about this whole situation with Germany and in case of a war, I don't want to end up in the infantry" He looked up from his hands. " 'at's probably not what ya want to 'ear"

Begum gave him a compassionate smile. "You would not believe how many men came into this office because of the same reason during the last months. Personally, I think there is no wrong reason to enlist" He started to write down something on a notepad in front of him. "But before we continue, I want to put you on enquiry that there might be no war, and then you would have to stay in the military for as long as you enlisted, Mr Newkirk. Is that clear to you?"

"First, please call me Peter. 'Mr Newkirk' is only used when I'm in trouble" Then he said, "And I know, but 'at's why I'm 'ere. I want to learn more about military service"

"Alright, Peter. You said you don't want to end up in infantry. Any particular reason?"

"Me brother-in-law gave me 'at advice. 'e's in the Army and said there's a 'igher chance to die in an infantry regiment"

Begum took down some notes. "But you do know that you can be killed in the Air Force or Navy too, just to name two other branches?"

"Yes, I do, but I want to minimise the risk," Peter said as he looked down at his ring. "I probably sound like a coward compared to other men who come to ya, but –"

"You have a wife and you don't want her to lose you," interrupted Begum. When Peter nodded, he said, "You're not a coward, Peter. You simply want to protect your wife; that is completely normal and honourable. So, if you don't want to be in the Army, which branch is more attractive to you?"

"I'm not sure, but I tend to the Air Force," answered Peter. "I like the thought of bein' stationed 'ere in England, and therefore bein' able to see me wife on a leave"

Begum made notes, and then searched for some booklets on his desk. "I see. Do you have any experiences with flying or mechanics? Maybe aircraft navigation?"

Peter started to smile sheepishly and scratched his head. "Not really. I perform at the Palladium and durin' the day I often 'elp me sister with 'er tailorin'. Is experience with 'at a requirement?"

"Oh, no, definitely not. If it was, we wouldn't have an Air Force," laughed Begum. "It's just if you have experience with mechanics, for example, there's a high chance you'll be part of the ground crew. In your case, you will check out some workplaces that are a possibility for you and then we'll figure out what you like best," Begum explained. He handed Peter a booklet with different job positions and asked, "Say, how tall are you? And how much do you weigh?"

"I'm 5 foot 9 and weigh 166 pounds," answered Peter.

"Ever considered being a fighter pilot? You get a good pay and believe me, flying is great," beamed Begum.

"Well, what would I earn?" asked Peter interested. A good pay would be a convincing argument for him to join up, considering that the rent for the flat ate up almost everything of his current low pay he received from the Palladium. With a higher pay, he could send Lilian most of it so that she had no problems making ends meet.

"First of all, you would get 2 shillings a day during basic training. After being assigned to your squadron, you would earn 4 shillings per day which means 28 shillings per week. And you would get a small extra allowance since your married, so in the end you would get 30 shillings a week as a fighter pilot," explained Begum.

Peter's eyes lit up. 30 shillings a week! Now he usually earned only a third of the possible payment in the Air Force, depending on how many shows he did. As he seriously started to consider a career as a fighter pilot, Peter remembered in case of a war, that would mean eye-to-eye combat with the enemy. And when he would get hit, it would not be so easy to escape since he was in the air.

"Flight Lieutenant Begum," Peter said. "It's not as if I like the thought of bein' killed in combat. But purely 'ypothetical, what would 'appen if I get killed?"

Begum raised an eyebrow. That was a question he did not get asked very often, however with everything the man in front of him had revealed about his reasons for joining up, he was not completely surprised. "Well, at first your wife would get a telegram informing her about your death. A few days later she would get a letter from the department of combat casualties. In the letter, she is told about the monetary benefits she would receive until she gets married again, as well as the death insurance and any unpaid pay or allowance. And if possible, your body would be returned to England"

Peter only nodded and looked to the ground, letting what the Flight Lieutenant said sink in. Begum observed him and said, "But let's not talk about your hypothetical death. When I look over my notes, I see that we only need to talk about some formalities before I let you go to think about everything you heard and to talk with your wife. You should not make such an important decision that affects her life as well without her. Alright?"

"Sure," Peter answered.

"If you decide to enlist, you come to this office and I write down all the required information and send it down to headquarters. Your minimum term of service in peacetime is 3 years, and I will tell you when and where you need to report. There you will receive your uniform and then start with basic training. Phase one lasts about 9 weeks and is initial recruit training. Then you will move on to specialist training which will vary in length according to what path you chose to go. After your training, you will be assigned to a base and squadron. From experience, you mostly stay with that squadron for your time in service. After 3 years of service, there is the possibility of re-enlisting in the same position or maybe starting a career as an officer. Of course you can decide to end your service and ask for a discharge," illustrated Begum. "So, are there any questions left?"

Peter shook his head. "No. Ya answered all of me questions for now. Now I 'ave to think about everythin' and talk with me wife"

Begum rose from his seat and reached his hand out. "I hope I was able to convince you of a career in the military and maybe we see each other again"

Peter shook the Flight Lieutenant's hand and said, "Maybe we do"

Begum took a few booklets from his desk and handed them over to Peter. "In case you want to look something up"

Peter thanked Begum for the booklets and left the recruiting office. As he walked home he caught himself actually considering a military career for the first time in his life.

Oh boy, would that mean trouble at home.

A/N: I have no idea how recruiting or anything related with the military works since no one in my family volunteered for military service; only my uncles were in the Bundeswehr (German Army), but only because of Wehrpflicht (conscription). I researched the payment during World War 2, but did not found exact numbers, so I simply used the few numbers I found.