From the early days of the war telegrams had been used to convey the news of casualties and fatalities of serving soldiers or sailors to their relatives. So many had been delivered in the intervening months that they were now viewed as harbingers of tragedy. ‘Mam, what’s the matter? You’ve gone as white as a sheet,’ Alice asked as her mother came back into the kitchen. It was Saturday lunchtime so she’d finished work and was preparing to set off for her shift at Walton Hospital. ‘This!’ Maggie replied, holding out the telegram, her hands shaking a little. Alice’s eyes widened. ‘Oh, Lord! It . . . it must be about our Eddie. Open it, Mam.’ Maggie felt her throat go dry as she ripped open the envelope and scanned the lines. ‘Oh, Mam, is he . . . is he . . . ?’ Alice pleaded. Maggie shook her head as she passed the telegram over to her daughter.
