The Avenue at War

Louise, the eldest of Jim's children, continues to keep house, unselfishly and finds an admirer, Jack Strawbridge who is a jobbing gardener and they marry and move into the Carver house. As war approaches Jim wonders what is best to do. He wants to take part in the war against Hitler, and although he has been critical of Churchill, he feels now that he is the one politican with the guts to stand up to Nazi Germany.. and that while he wants social reform, right now the Left and the Right are going to have to pull together to fight the war. He has arguments with friends in the Labour movement on the pacifist issue and finds himself making common cause with Tories. When War breaks out in September 1939, Jim decides to become a full time ARP warden, and he later joins the Home Guard. He is proud when his twin sons decide to join the army, and turn out to be natural soldiers, being physically strong and adventurous. He is less proud of Archie, who is now quite well to do, but who soon joins the ranks of the spivs, and skims money from the income tax. He is also an unfaithful husband, finding mistresses through his work, and ignoring his Italian wife, who moves out of London with her 2 younger children. Tony, his elder son has been sent to a public school and wants to join the army. Archie worries about holding onto his money and also that he might be called up, as he is still under 40. He gets friendly with Elaine, who had a baby daughter just as war broke out. She is not maternal and leaves the child to the care of her grandmother Eunice, and a few months later, Eunice goes to Devon with the baby, to get away from any bombing that might happen. Harold toys with the idea of going there to be with his wife, as his firm of solicitors think of opening a branch outside London for safety reasons. Harold is not a very strong man, and has never been a soldier, unlike Jim Carver but he does feel that even if he can't fight, he should stay in London to show solidarity. Elaine soon embarks on an affair with Archie, who can get her nice things and si there to keep her company while her husband has now joined the RAF. Harold hears gossip about his stepson's wife but ignores it. After a few months Eunice is killed while taking the baby to the seaside, for an outing and she's hit by a stray bomber. Harold is deeply shocked and grieved, and when Esme comes to London to tell his wife, he finds that Elaine is away. She then comes back from a weekend away with Archie. He walks out on her, taking the baby and hands the child over to Edgar Frith and his wife.. while planning to divorce Elaine. He meets up with Judy who has joined the women's services and is now widowed after a short marriage... her husband having been drowned en route to Egypt. They have been companions in the Avenue as kids and now, they fall in love. Esme realises that he romanticised Elaine, who never pretended to be more than a good time girl.. He and Judy plan to marry when he gets a divorce. With wartime separations, divorce was becoming a lot more common; wives left alone for a long time found other men...and families broke up. Meanwhile in London, Harold had already asked Jim to move in with him. He is alone in his house, with Eunice and Esme away and Jim's house was crowded with his several children coming and going. He moves in to share Harold's home and keep him company. After Dunkirk, Bernie and Boxer turn up safe and come home. THey next join the Commandoes, seeking further adventure. Jim and Harold disagrees a bit still about politics but can see each other's point of view better. Harold is still dubious about Britain allying with Soviet Russia. Esme and Judy try to find a time to get married, but Esme's plane is shot down and he goes missing. Elaine finds an American lover, who is well to do..but seems very slow at trying to seduce or marry her. He is a southerner and she feels a bit uneasy at his racist attitudes, but she tries to persuade him to get engaged. Archie starts to get into trouble with income tax and he finds that his wife has takne the money that he stashed away, in a hiding place. In a fury, he gets drunk and drives off to confront his wife, and crashes his car, killing a pedestrian. Jim is horrified and angry and he feels ashamed of his eldest son. He has broken up his marriage, been dishonest in business and broken up Esme's marriage to Elaine. Now he has caused an accident which resulted in the death of a young woman. He refuses to go to court,to support Archie until Edith persuades him. She is a devout Christian and finally manages to get him to go to see his son. Archie tells his fahter that he behaved stupidly and badly and does not see much point in trying to defend himself, and that he heard recnetly that his elder son who had joined the army, had been killed in Egypt. He gets a sentence of 18 months, and settles down to try and work his time out and plan what to do when he is released. He tells his father not to visit him, but he gets letters from Edith and Jim. The younger twins, Felicity and Caroline, are now working as waitresses and get jobs in an American army canteen.. where they meet 2 soldiers, from the US and start dating them. Jim like most British has his doubts about the Americans but he likes the 2 young men.