War Brothers

by Patrick Slaney

  I had been told that I would be allowed to go home to Yorkshire over Christmas, so I asked Francette if she would like to come with me and meet my father. Thankfully she agreed, so we made plans to travel on Monday 22nd as we both had the whole of that week off.

  When Charles Johnson had finished his two day session with me, I was called into the Colonel’s office. When I entered the Colonel, Major Richards and Charles were sitting at the round table.

  ‘Sit down Markus we have a proposition for you,’ the Colonel said. This time I didn’t have to interrupt as I knew what a proposition was.

  The Colonel continued, ‘Charles Johnson would like you to join their team at Power Jets as an engineer at the start of January.’

  ‘I asked the Colonel what you were going to do now, and he said that he hadn’t decided, so I jumped in and asked them if you could be allocated to join me as an engineer,’ Charles added. ‘You have a lot of inside knowledge about the German jet engine and you have actually flown a jet propelled plane, so you have unique experience. We would like to have that expertise available to us.’

  ‘I don’t know what to say. This is an unexpected bonus. Of course, I would love to join your team and assist in whatever way that I can.’

  ‘That’s settled then. You can go and see your father over Christmas and then commence in Power Jets at the beginning of January.’

  I left the office feeling fantastic. No more combat for me. I would be doing something I loved in a safe environment for the remainder of the war, however long that was.

  Chapter 49

  I sent a telegram to my father letting him know that I was back in England and that I would be going to him for Christmas. I also told him that I was bringing Francette with me.

  The people coming to talk to me were like a procession, and I was kept busy hour after hour. There were officers from the RAF who wanted to know about the capability of the Me262 and when I thought that it would be fully operational. They also inquired about the airplane’s vulnerable points and its weaknesses. Officers from the army were interested in its ground attack capabilities. People came to ask me about the morale of the populace in Germany and the feelings of the people against Hitler. It was non-stop, and by each evening I was exhausted.

  Francette had a much easier time and was finished before me. She decided to make use of the extra days that she had off to go and visit her parents again as she felt guilty about not going to spend time with them at Christmas. I was talking to people right up to the 21st December when she joined me so as we could travel to Harrogate on the Monday.

  For the first time since I returned from Gibraltar, we had time to sit together on the train and just talk about ourselves. The environment of Witley Park hadn’t been conducive to talking about our future together, or even if we had a future together.

  ‘What are you going to be involved with now Francette?’ I asked her as we were settled into our seats on the train to Harrogate.

  ‘They want me to return to Carentan or some other place in Normandy. They need a lot of information sent back about the German coastal defences in that part of France.’

  ‘Do you want to go back?’

  ‘Well, I don’t have much option.’ She replied, not looking too happy.

  ‘Surely they can’t expect you to back into danger again?’

  ‘I am now a trained agent with experience, so I am valuable to them. There is a war on and they need me.’

  ‘I was hoping that we could get married and settle down near Rugby where I will be working.’ I put on my best forlorn look.

  ‘I thought that you were going to ask me that question and I have been trying to work out what my answer would be.’

  ‘Well, have you worked out an answer?’

  ‘I have, but it is not a straightforward Yes or No. If I decide to go back to France then the answer is No, but if I choose not to go back to France, then the answer is Yes.

  ‘When will you make your decision?’

  ‘We will enjoy Christmas together, and I will take my decision before the end of the year, but it could be as late as 11:59 pm on the 31st December.’ She smiled, leant over and gave me a kiss.

  ‘I hope the answer is Yes as I don’t fancy living without you by my side.’

  ‘I love you with every part of me Markus, and that is why I won’t marry you if I go back into France.’

  We arrived at the station in Harrogate and walked to my father’s bakery. I decided to go into the bakery and see him there as it was business hours and he would be fussing around the bakery.

  He saw me coming and came towards me. He was about to give me a hug when he saw Francette standing beside me.

  ‘Dad this is Francette who I told you about in my letter.’

  ‘Welcome to Yorkshire Francette.’ He shook her hand before he gave me a hug.

  ‘I have a big surprise for you Markus, so follow me into the house. I want to show you something.’

  I followed him down the passageway into the accommodation part of the house. He stopped at the kitchen door.

  ‘I am going to tie this towel around your eyes Markus, so as you can’t see. You mustn’t take it off until I tell you to do so. Francette, I want you to please stay here until I come and get you.’

  ‘What are all these games for Dad?’

  ‘Be patient, but please play along with me.’

  He tied the towel tightly so as it covered my eyes. It wasn’t like him to play games so there must be a massive surprise coming.

  He led me into the kitchen until I felt the table beside me. You can take off the towel now.

  The room was dark, and my eyes took a second or two to adjust.

  There lying on a bed against the wall was my brother Chris, smiling at me.

  My heart exploded! ‘CHRIS I shouted.’ I ran across to the bed and grabbed him in a bear hug.

  ‘Chris, Chris, Chris - how on earth are you here. I thought that I would never see you again.’ I was choking with emotion, and the words dried up.

  ‘I almost was, but they brought me through, and I recovered. I am still paralysed below the waist, but they think that they can get me back on my feet eventually.’

  ‘Let me introduce you to the love of my life, Francette.’ I turned around to bring Francette close to Chris so as he could see her.

  My father stood there looking at his two sons, a scene that he thought that he would never see again, grinning like a Cheshire cat. What a Christmas this was going to be.

  I turned to face my father. ‘Dad, when we met in the house near Harrogate at the time when they wanted my decision to become a spy, you told me that Chris was dead. That was four weeks after the accident so you must have known that he was alive.’

  ‘Yes Markus, I did know that he was alive, but they ordered me not to tell you.’

  ‘But I only became a spy because Chris had died.’ I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.

  ‘Markus they told me that they would inter me if I didn’t go along with their plan. I had no choice.’

  ‘Don’t be angry with Dad, Markus. I am so proud of what you have done, and you will never know the number of pilots lives that you saved by getting the information for the British.’ Chris said with great feeling. ‘It makes it even better to know that you did it because you loved me more than your country.’

  Francette put an arm around me. ‘Markus, looking back at the outcome of your mission and the way that Germany is going, do you regret, for one minute, what you did.’

  I got my emotions under control and started to think with greater clarity on what had happened. ‘I suppose you are right, and, what is even more important Chris, is that you are alive when I thought that you were dead. All I did was for you brother.’

  My Dad came over and gave me a hug. ‘I’m sorry Marku
s for deceiving you. It has been on my conscience for over a year now, and I am glad I don’t have to hide it from you anymore.’

  I relaxed and thought: Somebody up there must be looking after Chris and I as we had both returned from the dead.

  I now had a family in a free country. I decided to tell Chris about what happened to our mother at a later date.

  I dug in my bag and pulled out the model of the jet engine that I had been given when I left Power Jets.

  ‘Chris I want to give this to you. If it wasn’t for you, I would have had a very different war and probably would be lying in a grave in Russia. Thanks to you I feel that I have done something useful in my life that will save a lot of lives.’

  I handed the model to Chris and gave him a brotherly hug. There were tears in both our eyes.

  Also Available