The Uncertain Years

by Beryl Matthews

  David gazed into space for a while as he considered Will’s proposal. He stood up and paced to the window, looking out on the garden for a moment. Then he turned. ‘There will be things I can’t tell you. I must protect the people who helped me move across France. They put themselves in grave danger by helping me, and I’m not the only one.’

  ‘Understood. No names or details. We could simply say you made your way across France to safety.’ Will’s hopes rose. ‘I’ll show you a copy before it goes to press, and if there’s anything you don’t agree with, you can cross it out. You have my word that only what you, and your men, approve, will be published.’

  David nodded. ‘On those terms I’ll tell you what I can.’

  The notebook was already in Will’s hand, and for the next hour he listened to the most incredible story of one man’s determination not to be taken prisoner. How he wished he could print it all, but he’d given his promise, and wouldn’t dream of going back on that.

  When David stopped talking, Will was almost breathless with excitement, and full of admiration for everyone who had been involved. He put the pad in his pocket, determined to keep this account in a safe place because one day, when the war was over, this could be told in full.

  The colonel sat back. ‘When will you have the copy for me to read?’

  ‘I’ve got more interviews to do, but it will be ready in a week. I’ll bring it myself and we can go through it together.’

  ‘I shall expect you a week from today, then.’

  ‘I’ll be here.’ Will had warmed to this man now and felt he could speak freely. ‘My sister’s a nice girl, Colonel.’

  He frowned. ‘I’m aware of that.’

  ‘What I’m trying to say is that I wouldn’t like her to be hurt.’

  ‘I’m sure you wouldn’t, and neither would I. She is not a fool.’

  Will felt contrite and gave a wry smile. ‘Sorry, sir, but I’ve always had the habit of looking out for her.’

  ‘Your sister is a sensible and determined girl, and is quite capable of looking after herself.’ David stood up, effectively ending this particular subject. ‘Time we joined the others.’

  Resigned, Will followed him back into the lounge. The colonel was obviously not prepared to discuss his sister any further, and he was quite right. Will had no right to question this man’s motives in befriending Becky. She’d always had her head screwed on the right way, and would make her own decisions in life. And right or wrong, she would live with her choices, as they all had to.

  The next week was hectic for Will. He had interviewed three men who had been in his boat, and two more who had had different experiences. He’d also spent an enjoyable day with Doug, the owner of the Lucky Lara, and was delighted to see it fully repaired. Determined to keep his promise, he worked long into the night to prepare the draft for the colonel to see.

  Finally satisfied with it, he kept his appointment on time, and found David waiting for him. They went straight to his study.

  It was an anxious wait as the article was read, then read again. Will watched the pen in the colonel’s hand as it hovered over the pages, but he only used it twice.

  Finally, the pages were handed back. ‘You’ve done an excellent job. I’ve only had to make a couple of minor changes.’

  Much to Will’s pleasure he spoke the truth. One sentence had been crossed out completely, and one word had been changed. It made no difference to the flow of the piece. ‘Would you be happy for this to be published as it now stands, sir?’

  ‘Yes, go ahead.’

  Will was on his feet, smiling with satisfaction as he shook hands with the colonel. ‘Thanks for your cooperation, sir. I’m grateful to have had the chance to meet you.’

  ‘My pleasure, Will. You take care, whatever you’re doing.’

  ‘I will,’ he said laughing. ‘My sister will never forgive me if I get careless. Now, I must get back to London. I’m on a tight deadline for this story.’

  Once this assignment was finished, Will was eager to start the next one. He knew he would have to go where he was sent, but he could always make suggestions. Perhaps he could sail on a merchant ship, or one of the navy vessels. And he was very intrigued to know what Jim was up to. There was so much going on …

  ‘Thank God the winter’s over.’ Bob turned his face to the sea, feeling the breeze ruffle his hair. ‘That was the coldest I’ve ever felt.’

  Reg nodded and lit another cigarette, feet apart to steady himself against the motion of the ship. ‘Those winter convoys will stay in my memory forever. Bloody dangerous, and with no chance of surviving long in freezing water.’

  ‘No.’ Bob patted his pocket. ‘I’ve left my fags below. Have you got a spare one on you?’

  ‘Here, take the packet.’ Reg flicked his cigarette end into the sea. ‘I’m back on duty in five minutes.’

  ‘Thanks.’ Bob lit one and gazed out at the sea, thinking how pleasant this would be if it weren’t for the constant threat from U-boats.

  He was enjoying a quiet few moments when he became aware of excited voices, and Reg tearing up to him.

  ‘We’ve just received some staggering news. Guess what that bloody fool Hitler has done now?’

  ‘Surrendered?’

  ‘No, you fool! Two days ago – the twenty-second of June – he invaded Russia!’

  ‘You’re not serious?’

  Reg nodded vigorously. ‘It’s true. Let’s hope he’s had to take forces from Europe and given us a breather.’

  ‘I can’t believe he would do such a thing. He’s supposed to have had a treaty with them.’

  ‘Not worth the paper it was written on, evidently. That man has got to be stopped, Bob.’

  ‘He will be.’ Bob leant on the rail. ‘If only America would come into the war, but that’s unlikely. Public opinion there is against it, and truthfully, it must seem as if it’s all a long way away from them.’

  Reg shrugged. ‘We’ll just have to carry on alone. We haven’t done too badly up to now. At least he wasn’t able to mount an invasion against us.’

  ‘I’ve just had a terrible thought. We could end up on convoys to Russia. Now that would be really cold, but they’re going to need aid.’

  ‘I wish you wouldn’t get thoughts like that.’ Reg groaned, and rushed back to his duty.

  And Bob was left with a lot to think about. This was another turn of the tide.

  In advance of publication, Becky received a bulky letter from her brother. It was a copy of his follow-up on Dunkirk. The only remark he made was that no names had been mentioned, but he thought she would be interested in the article.

  She knew immediately it was about David and some of his men who had been rescued by her brother and the owner of a little boat.

  She was enthralled as she read. It was a wonderful piece of journalism, and she was more than impressed with Will’s growing talent. He seemed to get better with every report he made. It was hard to understand where his mastery of words had come from because no one else in the family had this ability.

  Although she would have liked more details of David’s flight to freedom in France, she knew for security reasons that would not have been allowed. Nevertheless, she now had a much better idea of what he had gone through.

  Carefully folding the article she put it safely in her locker, not intending to show it to anyone. When the article appeared in the newspapers it would be in with all the other war stories, and it was doubtful if anyone would associate the account with David.

  She knew who it was about, though, and it was something she would treasure.

  Chapter Nineteen

  ‘I don’t know where the summer’s gone, Alice.’ Becky shivered in the cold wind. ‘It doesn’t seem long ago we were looking forward to Christmas, and it will soon be here again.’

  ‘I know. I’ve only got three days’ leave this year, so I’ll make a quick visit to Anthony’s parents and then go to see my parents. What are you doing?’

  ‘
I’m staying on camp this year. My family’s disappointed, but I can’t expect to have every Christmas at home. If I can get out for a couple of hours I’ll see Mr and Mrs Hammond, just to wish them a happy Christmas and take a couple of small presents I’ve bought them.’

  ‘Hmm. Have you heard from David lately?’

  ‘I write regularly because he said he wants to know how I’m getting on, but I’ve only had a couple of short notes from him.’

  ‘Pity. I thought at one time there might be something between you two, but it seems not.’

  ‘There never was a chance of that.’ Becky shook her head. ‘An officer doesn’t associate with a girl in the ranks. Think of the raised eyebrows that would cause. He’s a career soldier and wouldn’t risk it.’

  ‘No, I suppose not. Try not to get too fond of him then.’

  ‘Too late for that piece of advice, but don’t worry, Alice, I’m well aware of the situation. And I accept it.’

  Alice nodded, and changed the subject. ‘Have you heard from the boys?’

  ‘Not for some weeks. I expect a pile of letters will all arrive at the same time.’

  ‘Adams!’ the sergeant called. ‘Report to the office at once.’

  ‘Yes, sir!’ Becky grinned at her friend. ‘Another officer stranded somewhere, I expect.’

  ‘You’re getting a lot of driving jobs these days. They must be impressed with you.’

  ‘Maybe.’ She shrugged. ‘I do enjoy it, and I’d better not keep them waiting. See you.’

  The captain in charge of transport looked up when she walked in. ‘London this time again. There are two officers at HQ who need to come here for a meeting. I see from your record you’ve been there several times before.’

  ‘Yes, sir. I know where it is. Who do I ask for?’

  ‘Major General Villiers. The car is outside and ready to go, so don’t dawdle. This is important.’

  ‘Sir!’ Becky took her paperwork, saluted smartly and went out to the car, wondering what had made the captain so animated. He was usually a rather dour person, with a bored expression as a permanent feature of his face, but there was no sign of that today.

  She made good time and went up to the soldier on duty. ‘Transport for Major General Villiers,’ she told him.

  After making a quick phone call, he said, ‘He’ll be down in around ten minutes. Wait over there.’

  ‘Will you give me a nod when he’s coming? I haven’t seen him before.’

  ‘Right.’

  Twenty minutes passed and Becky amused herself by watching the various people coming and going – civilians and military. It didn’t take her long to notice that the officers were all high ranking, and there was more than usual activity. Something was going on.

  Unable to contain her curiosity, she wandered over to the soldier at the desk. ‘He’s late. I haven’t missed him, have I?’

  ‘No, I’ll let you know when you’re needed.’

  ‘There’s an awful lot of top brass around. What’s going on?’

  ‘A war,’ he said sarcastically. ‘Hasn’t anyone told you?’

  ‘Very funny.’ She didn’t laugh. ‘You know very well what I mean. I’ve been here several times over the last few months, but today is different. The atmosphere in here is fairly buzzing.’

  He opened his mouth to say something when the phone rang. ‘Yes, sir, your driver’s here.’ Then he said to her, ‘Two minutes.’

  She looked pointedly at her watch.

  ‘That’s him coming down the stairs now.’

  ‘Gosh, that was only a minute.’ She looked up and stared at the two officers walking towards her, unable to move.

  ‘Jump to it,’ the soldier said under his breath.

  She did just that, stepping forward and saluting. ‘The car is right outside the door, sir.’ Then she saluted the other officer and walked out to the car, holding the rear door open for them.

  Without so much as a flicker of recognition she got in the car, started it smoothly, and pulled away from the HQ. He looked exactly as he had when she had first met him, and she was sure he’d given a slight wink as he’d climbed into the car.

  She took a deep breath and tried to keep her expression serious, but in truth she wanted to smile. It was good to see David again, and looking so fit. She had visited his parents several times, but this was the first time she’d seen him in months.

  ‘Can you get us to Aldershot by two o’clock, driver?’ the major general asked. ‘We’re running a touch late.’

  ‘Yes, sir.’ She pressed on the accelerator. They were in a hurry, and if David had been on his own she would have asked him what the rush was all about, but with the other officer in the car she had to speak only when spoken to.

  They were talking quietly in the back, but so softly she couldn’t hear what was being said. However, part of her job was to be discreet and not repeat anything she might overhear while driving officers around, so she concentrated on getting them to their destination as quickly as possible. If anything important had happened, she would eventually hear about it on the news.

  They arrived ten minutes before the appointed time, and she jumped out quickly to open the door. The major general was the first out, and after telling her to wait, headed straight for the building in front of him.

  When David got out she held her military pose, but did allow a slight smile to touch her lips.

  He reached back in the car for his case, and said softly in her ear, ‘Japan has attacked the American Fleet at Pearl Harbor.’ Then he was gone.

  Stunned by the news, she took her polishing cloth out of the boot and began removing any marks she could find on the car. Not that it needed this kind of attention, for it was pristine already, but it gave her something to do while she waited and pondered this momentous news. It was a terrible thing to have happened, and what would America do now? The world seemed to have gone mad, with almost every country wanting to fight someone. She longed to dash off and seek more information, but didn’t dare leave her post. She had been told to wait, and that’s exactly what she would do.

  It was a good job she had resisted the temptation to dash off for a few minutes because they were back in just under half an hour.

  ‘Take Colonel Hammond to his home,’ the major general instructed. ‘He’ll give you directions, and then drive me back to HQ.’

  ‘Yes, sir.’ She stood to attention as she held open the car door for them, wondering how David was going to handle this.

  As she drove through the camp gates she decided to give David an opening. ‘Where to, Colonel Hammond?’

  He played along by giving her detailed directions.

  ‘Thank you, sir. I know the road.’

  She drove right up to the front door, and was out of the car in an instant, making sure she faced away from the house. The last thing she wanted was for Sara to spot her and come running out calling her name.

  ‘Thank you,’ he said as he got out. ‘You are to come for me at eight hundred hours tomorrow. I shall be returning to London.’

  ‘Eight hundred hours, sir.’ She closed the door, struggling not to break into a huge smile. They might get a chance to talk if he was the only one travelling with her to London.

  After dropping off the major general, Becky headed back as fast as she could, and found the camp buzzing with speculation.

  The news of the attack was now coming through, and the loss of ships and men was devastating. It had been an attack carried out without warning, and the American fleet had been caught unprepared. Everyone agreed that it was a cowardly thing to do. Becky had been kept too busy and was hearing the details for the first time from Pete and Alice.

  ‘Dear Lord.’ Becky shook her head in disbelief. ‘What a terrible thing for the Japanese to do, and without a declaration of war.’

  ‘There will be now,’ Pete said. ‘Drink up, Becky, we’re two beers ahead of you. Where have you been all day? As soon as the news broke I came looking for you.’

  ‘I�
��ve been driving a Major General Villiers back and forth to London. And David was with him,’ Becky told Alice. ‘I have to take him back to London in the morning.’

  ‘Oh, how is he?’

  ‘He looks good, and there’s no trace of a limp. We had to pretend we didn’t know each other, of course. The major general wouldn’t have been amused if I’d greeted David like a friend, but it was good to see he’d recovered so completely. The next drinks are on me.’

  The next morning, right on time, she pulled up outside the Hammond house, and waited by the car, as she was supposed to do.

  The door opened almost immediately and David strode out, followed by Sara, the dog, and his parents. Becky held her military bearing as she saluted him and held open the car door for him.

  When it looked as if his family were going to leap on Becky to say hello, he stopped them, but couldn’t stop a smile turning up the corners of his mouth. ‘You and the dog will have to behave yourselves, because if my driver’s uniform is messed up, I’ll have to put her on a charge.’

  Sara shrieked with laughter. ‘Oh, Daddy, you wouldn’t!’

  ‘Perhaps I’d make an exception in her case.’ He swung his daughter up and hugged her, then handed her over to her grandfather. ‘I don’t know when I’ll be home again.’

  ‘We understand, David,’ his mother said.

  He turned his attention to Becky. ‘Same place as yesterday, and you will be on duty all day.’

  ‘Yes, sir.’ She waited for him to settle in the back of the car, and then closed the door. Before getting in the driver’s seat she gave Sara and Mr and Mrs Hammond a quick little wave, making them all laugh. She winked at the dog, sending him into ecstasy, as he tried to get at her, but Mr Hammond had a firm hold on the animal. Without wasting any time they were driving out to the road and heading for London.

  She glanced in her rear-view mirror and saw that he was engrossed in some paperwork, so she remained quiet. After about half an hour she heard him sigh and toss the papers on the seat beside him.