CHAPTER TWO
Brick, Kitten, Jimmy and Selly cut through the playing field to get to Marsh Lane, where the recruitment offices had been set up. Brick was kicking a rock across the field in an impromptu game of football with Kitten, Selly was wandering quietly watching his friends and Jimmy was doing what Jimmy did most, he was singing.
"Patrick McGinty, an Irishman of note
Came into a fortune, so bought himself a goat
Said he, "Sure, of goat's milk I mean to have my fill!"
But when he got his Nanny home, he found it was a Bill
And now all the ladies who live in Killaloo
Are all wearing bustles like their mothers used to do
They each wear a bolster beneath the petticoat
And leave the rest to Providence and Paddy McGinty's goat!
Missis Burke to her daughter said, "Listen, Mary Jane,
Now who was the man you were cuddling in the lane?
He'd long wiry whiskers all hanging from his chin"
"Twas only Pat McGinty's goat," she answer'd with a grin."
The dockers all snickered as Jimmy's song got more and more risqué. Then they burst into stunned laughter as Jimmy added in the verse about Little Norah McCarthy. Jimmy let his voice trail off as they four lads turned onto Marsh Lane and headed down towards the recruiting offices.
The four dockers blinked as they looked at the crowds. It looked like most of the men in Liverpool had turned out to sign up. Marty Russo elbowed Jim Dunbar and pointed to a sign nailed to the lamppost at the end of the street. Join the war effort now! See the world! Protect your country from the German menace! Jimmy grinned and pointed to one on the lamppost on the opposite side of the road. Follow me! Your country needs YOU! Every signpost, every lamppost and every fencepost on every major road in the city had been marked by a poster encouraging the young men of Liverpool to sign up. Whether it was for the Navy or the Army or even the King's Battalion.
The four friends shrugged and joined the line for the Liverpool Pals Battalion. The line moved slowly and Jimmy soon grew bored. He began to fidget, shifting his weight from one foot to the other. Christopher Bettancourt hid a smile, nudged Tom Selway and whispered something in the quiet, black man's ear. Selly and Kitten glanced at Jimmy, hid smiles behind their hands and went back to their whispered conversation.
"I got a shilling in me hand that says, our Jimmy starts singin' in less than ten minutes," Selly whispered to Kitten, pushing his glasses up his nose on the pretence of keeping his eye on the object of their wager.
"Nah, lad. We're in the middle've Marsh Lane for Heaven's sake… Give 'im at least twenny minutes," Kitten replied in his deep, soft voice, the seriousness on his face belied by the cheeky twinkle in his eye.
Jimmy sighed as he moved slowly further and further towards the front of the line. He was bored. By the time he got to the front of the line the frelling war would be over! He sighed again, shifting his weight from foot to foot and shooting a glare at Brick as he snickered at his discomfort. He glanced up at the clock and sighed a third time. He didn't notice Kitten and Selly watching him carefully. Bored out of his brain, Jim Dunbar did the only thing he could think of to do in this situation, he began to sing.
"Why don't you work like other folks do?
How the hell can I work when there's no work to do?
Hallelujah, I'm a bum!
Hallelujah, bum again!
Hallelujah, give us a handout!
To revive us all again!
How the hell can I work when the sky is so blue?
How can I get a job when you're holdin' down two?
Hallelujah, I'm a bum!
Hallelujah, bum again!
Hallelujah, give us a handout!
To revive us all again!"
"Ah, frell!" Kitten cursed, as the quiet, black man held out his hand silently.
Jimmy stopped singing and looked at Brick questioningly. Brick shrugged and turned to Kitten, who was busy handing Selly a shilling, while the bespectacled man just grinned.
"Me and Selly were taken bets on how long it would take the Bathtub Wonder over here to start caterwaulin'," Kitten said conversationally to Brick, who snorted with laughter.
Jimmy scowled at his three friends, and after a few seconds of evil glaring, the blonde man's drinking buddies started to worry that they'd annoyed Jimmy to his breaking point. Brick unconsciously took a half step back, Kitten slid a half step behind Selly, who looked at the two men with a raised eyebrow and stayed where he was. He turned back to Jimmy, who was still glowering at his three drinking buddies. Selly gave the blonde man a look over his glasses, and Jimmy's handsome face split into a wry smile as the black man held out his hand yet again. Jimmy sighed as he counted another shilling into Tom Selway's hand.
"Here now," Kitten interrupted, "What's all this?"
Jim gave Tom a mock glare, and was rewarded with a two-fingered salute, before he answered.
"Tom, here, bet me a shilling that you lads would back off iffen you thought I was gonna flip me lid."
Kitten and Brick just stared at their quiet friend, now two shillings richer, and shook their heads.
"How the bloody hell do you do it, lad?" Brick asked him.
Selly just shrugged, pushing his glasses up his nose and flicking his wayward hair out of his eyes. Glancing past Brick and Jimmy, to see Kitten moving further up the line, he nudged the two after their friend.
The four dockers spent most of the morning waiting in line, joking and laughing, and in Jimmy's case, singing. But finally their turn came. Jimmy was called forward first. Walking up to the recruitment officer's desk he grinned over his shoulder at his friends, who waved him on. The recruitment officer glanced around Jimmy to the three dockers waiting behind him.
"They wiv' you?"
"Yessir."
"Right-o. Ern? Bobby? Alfie? Put the black lad, the ladies man and the big fella in the 17th Pals Battalion wiv' this one, yeah?"
The men known as 'Ern', 'Bobby' and 'Alfie' waved Selly, Brick and Kitten over to them and the four were all questioned for their details. After a morning's waiting, the four dockers were part of the 17th Pals Battalion. They'd received their orders and were leaving for their training camps in 4 days time.
Authors note: the songs used in this chapter, once again, do not belong to me. They are in order of appearance; Paddy McGinty's Goat and Hallelujah, I'm a Bum.