and Frances were preparing to move into a flat in Restormel House, Chester Way, Kennington. By 1941 Drummond had qualified as a Panamanian chief engineer. These examinations were a purely written paper, with the gender or status of the candidate not being known to the examiners. By then the Board of Trade had failed her for Chief Engineer 31 times. Due to the needs of war the Board of Trade was now granting Chief Engineer certificates to experienced Second Engineers on the sole basis of an oral examination. However, when Drummond requested this dispensation the Board refused. Because of the dangers of war, the Board patronisingly suggested that Drummond take a shore job as an instructor. Drummond replied firmly that numerous Chief and other engineers with whom she had served had lacked the nerve to cope while under enemy attack, and therefore the best service she could give was as a Chief Engineer at sea. In about April 1941, Drummond learnt that Mrs Davies in Virginia had raised £400 toward the provision of a "Victoria A. Drummond Ambulance" for the people of Lambeth. In raising funds Davies and a Mrs Leitch had even enlisted the poet Robert Frost to give a public reading of his works. However, what Lambeth needed more was a British Restaurant for people who had been bombed out of their homes. Accordingly, the "Victoria A. Drummond Canteen" was opened in Westminster Bridge Road near Lambeth North tube station. The canteen served hot meals for sixpence a head and remained open for the remainder of the war. For her courage aboard Bonita Drummond was awarded the MBE and the Lloyd's War Medal for Bravery at Sea in July 1941. Her MBE was presented by George VI. Czikos In February 1941 Warner and Drummond signed on as Captain and Second Engineer of an old Panamanian steamship, . The ship was in Lisbon so a skeleton crew including Warner and Drummond sailed out to join her on Yeoward Brothers' passenger liner . They sailed Czikos to Gibraltar, where they joined a convoy bound for the Firth of Clyde. About northwest of Ireland a Luftwaffe Fw 200 Condor attacked Czikos. As with Bonita, none of the bombs hit but the near misses damaged the ship. The Condor also machine-gunned the ship, killing a quartermaster at the helm and wounding two other crewmen. Manchester Port In April 1942 Drummond joined Manchester