“Oh no. What’s happened?” Peggy beseeched Dorothy when her screen went blank.
Harvey flew off his chair and darted to the equipment; everything stood dead as a duck. His face paled, he turned to the telephone and picked up the receiver; it too was silent. “The power is off. We are not on air.” He stated metaphorically and sat back in his chair.
“What are we supposed to do now? Sit here and watch blank screens.” Peggy sounded so disgruntled.
“Come, we can take an aerial view.” Harvey offered getting out of his chair again and opened the Tech-hut door.
“A what?” Peggy and Dorothy asked simultaneously, Harvey smiled and merely ushered them both outside.
He led them to the back of the Radar Station and requested that they wait there till he got back. He disappeared to a shed not far from the Tech-hut and returned with a ladder.
“A ladder?” Dorothy gasped.
He secured the ladder at an angle leaning against the wall. “Up.” He ordered, and both Peggy and Dorothy merely stared at him. “Up.” He repeated.
“You must simply be joking,” Dorothy said aghast.
Harvey realized his manner was not at all respectful and tried to explain. “Sorry I will explain better. When we are off air, it is great to sit on the aerial. The view is magnificent.” He pointed to the huge rectangle aerial cemented into the roof of the Radar Station. “Please.” Harvey pointed to the ladder. “You won’t be sorry.”
Peggy made the first move to climb the ladder “You can be grateful we’re wearing our slacks and not our skirts.”
Harvey held the ladder sturdy against the wall as Peggy placed her foot on the bottom rung easing her way up. The ladder wobbled with each step she made while Dorothy instructed her anxiously. “Steady Pegs, go slowly. Harvey, hold the ladder firmly.”
She reached the top, and very un-lady like climbed from the ladder to the roof of the Radar Station. Without taking a look at the view, she turned to watch Dorothy climb the ladder uttering the same advice as Dorothy had done. When Harvey stood on the roof, he reached his arms out widespread toward the ocean. “Isn’t this view magnificent?”
Peggy and Dorothy took their time absorbing the incredible view before them. “Here sit on the aerial.” Harvey’s voice interrupted them.
“You mean you want us to sit on the aerial?” Peggy asked in sheer disbelief.
“Yes, and again, you won’t be sorry.” Harvey held out his hand for Peggy to assist her.
She hesitated, thought for a moment then made her way to the aerial. “Are you sure Harvey? Will we not get into any trouble?”
He smiled at them both and placed a wooden box in front of the lowest steel rod of the aerial; the steel rods were surprisingly thick to Peggy and Dorothy. “This will not be the first time I’m doing this and probably not the last either.”
Peggy took his hand, stepped onto the wooden box that gave her just enough height to enable her to lift her body and sit on the horizontal platform situated at the base of the massive aerial. With her one arm, she held onto a vertical steel rod. She watched Dorothy follow her and when they were both safely sitting Harvey joined them although he stood on the platform clearly used to being there.
“Oh, isn’t this amazing!” Dorothy exclaimed. Peggy merely nodded her head. Cautiously Peggy and Dorothy turned their heads to capture the view of the majestic mountains behind them. “It’s so breathtaking, thank you, Harvey.”
“You’re welcome.”
They sat quietly appreciating all God had given them but not for long; voices were getting louder in the direction from the barracks. Peggy and Dorothy both a lot more confident sitting so high up looked toward the noise that was disrupting their peace. Everyone else stationed at the barracks had decided to join their party on the aerial. Harvey sighed, and Peggy was not sure how to interpret that sigh, was it a sigh of relief or a sigh of annoyance? Soon, the aerial looked like a flock of birds perched upon an electrical cable.
They shared their thoughts of the vast spans of the ocean, and the mountains behind them. A couple of the men had been at sea, and they shared a few stories of their experiences. Maisy shared her opinion of Staff Sgt. Erasmus and that brought great laughter from the men. The chilly wind cut through their bones, but no-one wanted to spoil the atmosphere by mentioning that they should go back down.
The phone from inside the Tech-hut rang. “We’re back on air.” Cecil pointed out, and everyone let out a collective “Oh no.” and shifted off the platform of the aerial.
Frank went down first and held the ladder securely for the ladies to get down; it seemed far more daunting going down than up. “Watch your step there Audrey. I can’t catch you and hold the ladder at the same time.” He goaded her.
When Audrey’s feet landed on the ground, she shot a dirty look at him. “Put a sock in it, Frank.” She snarled and marched off back to the barracks with Maisy running to keep up with her.
Back in the Tech-hut Peggy was feeling slightly apprehensive as to what they might have missed immediately switched on the Radar screen. Harvey checked that nothing had gone wrong technically with the transmitter when it shut down, and Dorothy decided to make them each a cup of steaming hot cocoa to warm them up. Harvey grunted something under his breath. “What did you say?” Peggy asked him.
“There are a few technical issues to fix on the transmitter, nothing too complicated, but it will take a little time. It means that your readings will not be accurate.” He rubbed his chin with one hand, held his pipe in the other and stared at the large structure loaded with components. “Dorothy, please phone Freddie and inform them.”
“Yes, Lieutenant,” Dorothy replied. Harvey’s eyes shot up at her when she addressed him in such a formal manner. It was then that he realized Cpt. Vogel had entered the room. Peggy stood and saluted, Dorothy and Harvey saluted from where they stood. “Captain.” They all said as they saluted.
Cpt. Vogel saluted in return and turned his attention to Harvey “What’s the problem?”
Before Harvey replied to Cpt. Vogel, he spoke to Peggy and Dorothy “Continue to monitor and map any activity, it might not be so far off course.”
“Yes, Lieutenant.” They replied in unison and did as they were ordered and only then did Harvey give the Captain his full attention.
The blips on the screen sounded similar to Morse code. “Either there is a lot of activity in the water, or there is really something wrong with the transmitter,” Peggy stated in between giving Dorothy the positions and types of vessels. Dorothy just shook her head pinning furiously onto the map.
Harvey and Cpt. Vogel worked feverishly on the transmitter pulling out fuses, taking a good look at them and then replacing them. This procedure went on for almost a half an hour before they focused their attention onto a hoard of cables protruding from the large JB transmitter. To Peggy and Dorothy, it looked like Harvey and Cpt. Vogel was playing a game of “Let’s see who can pull out the most wires.” But voila! Somehow, with one of the wires, they found the problem and the blips on the Radar screen immediately slowed down. Peggy and Dorothy watched the screen in disbelief, their frantic recording for the last hour was all for naught.
Cpt. Vogel complimented Harvey on a job well done and left. Harvey monitored the transmitter as if to make sure that it knew he had won this round and only after several minutes he spoke. “Is that cup of cocoa still on offer Dorothy?”
“Yes.” She mumbled and went to finish making them all a cup.
“What must we do with all these recordings since they’re incorrect?” Peggy asked slightly disappointed that it turned out to be another slow eventless day in the ocean.
Harvey cleared his throat; he walked back to his desk and sat in his chair. “Keep everything only make a note of the faulty transmitter. Phone Freddie and explain it all to them before they send out an air attack.”
They both laughed releasing the first WWII tension felt in the Silversands Radar Station.
“Is it a private joke or can I hear it too?” Dorothy asked handing their cups of cocoa to Peggy and Harvey. Harvey blushed, thanked Dorothy for the cocoa picked up his pen and started to journalize the events of the shift. Dorothy looked quizzically at Peggy, who was also blushing, and waited until Peggy let her in on what Harvey had said. Dorothy did not understand what was so funny or why they were both blushing.