10. Great Expectations

Once again my heart was throbbing with a new hope – a baby in June! “What a time to have a baby…” was the cry of some folk, but it wasn’t for me. This was going to be a precious time when I determined to do all I could to keep well in mind, spirit and faith as I looked to the Lord to be with me in a special way.

Baby clothes were so hard to buy by then but, in one shop I discovered a magnificent, lace ‘christening robe’, overlooked and left behind in a storeroom. What a delight to take it home and place it in blue tomato-packing tissue paper to preserve its whiteness, but many more mundane items and things were needed than that, though. Nappies, binders [who today remembers…or would even know what they are?], nightgowns, cardigans, bonnets, etc, etc, but people in the church were so delighted to know their Pastor’s wife was ‘expecting’ [the current “in” term] and soon the ‘Grandmas’ amongst them began looking through baby clothing that their daughters, or daughters-in-law, had left behind at the evacuation. The pile of baby things grew – how acceptable and appreciated each item was. I have often said, “I had the best second-hand-dressed baby in Guernsey.”

It was at this time, I vividly remember, I had a constantly recurring dream. It took place in a beautiful shop where I stood and looked all around at a lavish display of everything a baby could ever need. There were rows and rows of prams hanging from racks on the ceiling. As I gazed at all of the stock so beautifully arranged around me I would ask, “Why have I not seen this shop before?” Immediately, I would wake up…only to dream the same scene the next night, and the next and so on. Oh well! 

June 8^th, 1942 and the Germans ordered that all wireless sets must, once again be surrendered. The final date for handing them in was June 17^th with a fine of RM30, 000 and penalty of 6 weeks jail for those who failed to obey. No reason was ever offered for this decision but it was suspected that it may have had something to do with an attempted escape from Jersey by three young men three weeks earlier.

This time the loss was felt even more deeply. As things had deteriorated, the BBC radio broadcasts had become a bright light that shone a beam of reality into the darkness of the occupation, but once again we were to return to the sense of total isolation from the world around.

Somehow that loss of contact with the home-land made Gilbert and Irene’s families in London and Hove seem even further away than ever but, in an attempt to keep life in focus, they threw themselves into their preparations for their expected new arrival, due in a few days.

The Emergency Hospital at Castel was about 3 miles from town and that was to be the place of birth for my baby. As public and private transport was now nil (with the exception of a few horse-drawn buses or wagons which made trips into town from rural areas), the St John Ambulance were allowed to call and collect mothers-to-be at the date the baby was due. Alas! Babies do not always oblige!! So it was that the ambulance came on June 13^th to hospital where, for a few days, I sat around with several other women waiting and wondering. My doctor, Alistair Rose, came in on his rounds to visit his patients, and asked me how things were going.

Realising that there was no immediate need for me to be there, he suggested that he take me back home and return me in a few days. (Doctors were amongst the few categories of people allowed to run a car so it was my pleasure to be driven home to wait in familiar surroundings.) Was I Glad? …yes indeed! After a week Dr Rose called to see me at home and, saying that he would be “tempting providence” to leave me at home any longer, drove me back to Castel where, in a couple of days…June 23^rd…Michael Gilbert Dunk uttered his first cries…to the joy of us both, along with many caring friends.

Somehow the war didn’t matter – the occupation, it seemed, was just ‘a phase’ – my time, my hands, my attention were filled to capacity. My deepest desire was to bring this child up for the Lord.

 Shortages and difficulties had, by now, become challenges – situations to be coped with – in which Gilbert and I were proving again and again the power of prayer and the faithfulness of our God.

“My God shall supply all your need…” had always been a well-proven Bible promise in our household and was again fulfilled in the person of one of the young people from the church who had not been evacuated. As soon as possible after Michael’s birth, I made the effort to continue with my role of Pastor’s wife, speaking at the Bright Hour and assisting with any other essential activities of the church  – which were many and varied under the present conditions – but would have been impossible without some aid.

Very soon after deciding upon this course of action young Phyllis Vaudin arrived at my door one morning, offering to assist with looking after Michael; taking him out in his pram; staying in with him; whatever, whenever I was required to be involved elsewhere.

Phyllis was only 13 years of age and had just left school when the evacuation occurred and was therefore ineligible to evacuate with the other school children. As her parents had not left, she had to stay behind and was now looking for something to keep her occupied.

Soon she was coming to help with bathing, dressing, feeding Michael and generally helping around the house two days a week. What a heaven-sent blessing to me Phyllis was!

Michael was not always well in those early days. He had digestive trouble. There was no baby food to be bought and I was unable to nurse him successfully. The German authorities, anticipating they would one day possess the Islands I suppose, allowed two pints of milk to expectant mothers over 6 months pregnant, which would continue to the child until it was 2 years of age. Of course, no baby needed that amount and so it continued to be a small benefit to the mother and possibly others in the family but, Michael could not digest the famously rich, creamy, Guernsey milk…however much it was diluted of its richness… so it became a real problem and, at times, most upsetting.  Dr Rose kept a close watch on him but was not able to do very much. Constant prayers were on my lips and trust in my heart that all would be well.

Phyllis Vaudin – my Godsend!