by Griff Hosker
"Come about you lads but watch your heads!" I put it on the larboard tack and the next shell struck twenty feet from our starboard beam. "Come about!" As I put my weight against the creaking tiller I wondered how much punishment the ancient boat could handle. As he went on the opposing tack I caught sight of the cliffs of Kent. We were now less than ten miles from safety. Now was a time for a break in the cloud cover. A couple of Spitfires would make short work of the E-Boat. The next shell came so close it half filled the boat with seawater as it struck just twenty feet from us.
Hewitt shouted, "Sir, the planks have sprung! She is sinking!"
"Right lads over the side. Use your Bergens as buoyancy aids. We have eight miles or so to swim."The thought of surrender never entered our heads.
As we jumped in Gordy said, "I like a paddle as much as the next bloke sir but eight miles! I hope there's a chippy by the beach!"
We kicked out. Already soaked and cold I wondered how long we would last in this icy water. Our four dead bodies would probably wash up close to Margate pier. The fishing boat took some time to sink. The German shells still came close. They were looking for us. Each kick of our legs took us closer to home. I could feel the cold permeating my body. I had read about this. They called it hypothermia. We should have left our battle dresses on. It was too late for that now. Behind me I heard machine gun shells finally sink the fishing boat as the E- boat closed with it. Now they would look for us.
Hewitt said, "Sir, Fred's stopped swimming!"
Emerson was lying face down in the water. His Bergen had long gone to the bottom. "Hewitt get to the other side and turn him over." Between as we managed to put him on his back.
He opened his eyes. He was alive. "Just thought another five minutes sleep sir!"
"None of that Emerson! Come on, all of you, let's sing." We began singing 'roll out the barrel'. It sounded thin and weak but it kept us awake. We were swimming on our backs. My Bergen and that of Hewitt lay under Emerson's back. I saw the E-boat as it appeared and disappeared with the choppy waves. It drew on inexorably closer. It was going slowly as they were looking for us. They saw us. When it was two hundred yards from us I could see that they were not going to shoot us, not yet. We would be taken back and questioned first. Two sailors at the bow stood with boat hooks ready to pull us aboard.
The twin waterspouts either side of the E-Boat took us all, Germans and commandos alike, by surprise.
"Bloody hellfire!" Emerson had woken up.
The boat turned, like a greyhound and sped east. More waterspouts erupted close by. I heard the sound of engines and saw a destroyer as it slowed down. Within a short time it was next to us. Two sailors clung to a scrambling net from the side.
One shouted, "Here y'are chum. Grab my hand."
Hewitt reached out so the three of us were pull closer to the net. The second shouted "What are four Pongoes doing out here?"
Gordy shouted, indignantly, as he was pulled up, "We are commandos! Not bloody Pongoes!"
Grinning, the sailor said, "My mistake. Whoever you are, you have the luck of the Irish. You were about to swim into our minefield!"
We made sure that Emerson was taken directly to the sick bay but they looked after us all well. They wrapped blankets around us and mugs of cocoa laced with rum were pressed into our hands.
A Sub Lieutenant took my elbow, "Sir, the Captain would like a word."
Clutching my cocoa I followed him to the bridge. The Captain was leaning against the side of the bridge. He held out his hand. "Captain Rupert Wild."
"Captain Tom Harsker, commandos."
He laughed and held his hand out. Lieutenant Commander handed him a ten shilling note. "I knew it. Commandos are always resourceful chaps!" He suddenly frowned. "How were you supposed to get back to Blighty?"
"Motor launch. We saw it when it hit a mine." I shook my head."There were no survivors. We stole a fishing boat and headed into the German minefield."
That made him roar with laughter, "Rum buggers! We will have you in Dover in no time. I'll have Sparks send a message to your base."
Chapter 4
We spent the night in Dover. Sergeant Poulson arrived at six o'clock in the morning with the brigade car. He beamed, "Sergeant Major Dean told me to watch out for the car but I saw nothing at all on the road sir. Where is Emerson, sir?"
"They are keeping him in hospital for a couple of days."
"It was rough out there Sarge." Our voyage had shaken Hewitt.
"Well you lads settle in the back and ...."
Gordy said, "You've been driving all night Polly. I'll drive."
Sergeant Poulson shrugged, "Up to you."
We look scruffy as we settled into the back the staff car. We were still wearing the jumpers the crew of the 'Hotspur' had given us. We had lost our battle dresses in the channel. I was the only one still with a Bergen. We had lost three irreplaceable Tommy guns!
Hewitt sat in the front. I sat with Poulson. "How are things back at camp."
He smiled, "No sooner had you left the airfield when the rest of the brigade arrived. A bunch of lads couldn't get digs and having to stay in camp. The old hands aren't happy about that."
"We are fortunate to have Mrs Dean. We dropped lucky there."
"Too right sir. She'll be glad to know you're all safe and sound."
As much as Reg's wife appreciated us, we needed and appreciated her far more. The boarding house was an island of peace in a world of war. It was our home in every sense of the word. The rooms were kept spotless by the men just as if they were at home with their own mums and dads. Mealtimes were cosy. In a world filled with rank there was none around Mrs Dean's table. I received the same amount of food as the rest and I was not served first either. The only deference I received was that Mrs Dean always addressed me as Captain. I think she was proud that I was a guest.
I watched the countryside, grey wet and cold flash by. Poulson had had an easy journey for it had been at night time. We had the day. It was not a pleasant journey. It was well after dark when we reached our digs. We had had to change drivers twice. It had been a nightmare finding petrol. The war was over four years old and the U-boats were beginning to bite. Everything was in short supply. However Mrs Dean did not subscribe to that philosophy. Her boys would be well fed no matter what the Germans did.
Sergeant Major Dean opened the front door and shouted over his shoulder, "They are here!" He took my Bergen and ran an appraising eye over me. "I can see you have had it rough again sir. Come on in and get warm. Mrs Dean has kept food for you and the lads will be relieved." He looked beyond me to where the others followed. "No Emerson then?"
"No Sergeant Major. He'll be fine but the seawater got to him."
The minute we sat around the table and tucked into liver and onions with home-made bread it was as though the war had ended at the front door.
"Thanks Mrs Dean, you are an angel."
"No more than you deserve although why it always has to be you I have no idea!"
The next morning I got back into my old routine straight away. I packed my Bergen; it would need drying out properly and ran to the camp. It soon became obvious that it would not dry out any time soon. It was pouring with rain. I arrived at the camp looking like a drowned rat. I kept an old uniform there and I changed into it. I threw my Bergen to Private Larkin. "Be a good fellow and dry that for me."
"Right sir although it has seen better days!"
"I know. It is like an old friend!"
My men would be hard on my heels. Even Barker and Hewitt would not take a day off. Commandos weren't made that way. As I left the office I saw two Commandos, I didn't recognise them, and they were getting out of a car. They waved amiably to the driver and then strode into the camp as though they hadn't a care in the world. They both gave me a lack lustre salute and headed to the canteen. My men, in contrast, ran in together all singing. They were soaked but each one had a smile on his face.
I went to the officer's mess to pick up my lett
ers. John Marsden was there. He clapped me on my back. "Congratulations on the promotion and the Victoria Cross."
"I haven't got the gong yet."
"It is a shoe in! And I hear you have had a couple of hairy trips across the Channel?"
I nodded, "Yes, we were lucky both times."
"I will have to get my section up to the standard of yours sooner rather than later. The trouble is the new chaps need the edge rubbing off them."
"Oh they'll soon settle in."
"I don't know Tom. I have a couple of barrack room lawyers amongst them. Poor Curtis is pulling his hair out."
I laughed, Curtis had been in my section. "I know he likes things done his way. Well if you need any help..."
"From what I hear you are destined for great things. Major Foster was here yesterday talking with the Colonel. Your name came up. The Colonel said you and your section were to be kept off regular duties until March. I don't think you will have time to give me a hand. Thanks for the offer though." He smiled, "I have got a lieutenant though. Toby Rankin. Seems a nice chap. Very enthusiastic!"
As I left the mess Corporal Anderson, who worked in the office said, "Beg pardon Captain Harsker but Lieutenant Colonel Dawson would like a word."
I went into the office feeling scruffy in my old uniform. I need not have worried. The Colonel smiled and held out his hand, "Congratulations on the medal Tom and the last two raids. Top notch shows."
"Thank you sir. Just doing what we always do."
"Sit down. Not true you know. They sent four teams in as well as yours up and down the Pas de Calais. Two didn't return. One didn't manage to achieve its objectives and the one that did only brought back two men and one is crocked. No, Tom, you did well. And it looks set to continue."
My shoulders must have sagged a little and my head drooped.
"What's wrong? Too much for you?"
"No sir, it is just...I hesitated.
"Go on Tom, speak openly."
"It's Colonel Fleming, His plans get people killed. We were lucky but the other three weren't. I will be honest, sir, what we did could have been achieved by a couple of Mosquitoes. And I am betting the other ones could have too. I don't mind putting my men's lives in jeopardy but I want it to be for a good reason not just to allow Colonel Fleming become a Field Marshal!"
The Colonel laughed, "I agree with you Tom. It looks like someone has realised that these raids were not as successful as they might have hoped. The other two you had been expecting have been cancelled. What you are going to be doing is different." I gave him a searching look. "Don't worry I have spoken with Major Foster. The work you will be doing will be vital." He picked up some papers. "To that end you need to go to Carrick Roads and practice with canoes and rubber dinghies. It seems you need skills in that department." He smiled, "Although from what Sergeant Major Dean said you have skills in that department already."
"Well I am happy mucking about in boats sir. I'm just not certain that my lads are." He handed me my orders. I stood and saluted. "Thank you Colonel."
"No, thank you Tom."
I went to find my men. Poulson and Fletcher had been returned to duty although they both bore the scars from that raid. They were eager to find out what we were about. "Well lads as it is such a lovely day I thought we would go boating!"
Jimmy Smith said, "Boating sir! Its peeing down!"
Roger Beaumont was his mate. An unlikely pairing for one was from what one would call a posh background while the other had a father who worked at Bristol docks. Roger said, "I think he means we will be getting wet anyway. Isn't that right sir?"
"It is."
Roger pointed outside. There were flecks of snow with the rain, "Besides we might need iceberg training!"
Gordy Barker said, "Haven't you had enough of boats sir? That Froggy boat was nearly the death of us!"
"Having seen your skills, Sergeant, I thought they needed improvement!"
We spent longer with the canoes than with the rubber dinghies. For one thing they were more fun and for another I had a feeling that we would be using them rather than the more cumbersome inflatables. They were made of canvas and wood. Each held two men. They fitted tightly around the waist. Army Commandos rarely used them and we were instructed by two Royal Marine Commandos. Sergeant Geoff Betts and Sergeant Ray Garvey.
I had used them before and I think that Beaumont must have too for we were the only pair who found it easy. That first morning saw the rest of the section spend more time in the water than on it. Even my two sergeants struggled. The Royal Marines were very patient and by the afternoon my team had managed to follow orders and keep afloat.
By the end of the third day we had made so much improvement that we were able to canoe across the width of Carrick Roads. Then came the skills of getting in and out under difficult circumstances. Sergeant Garvey said, "You will not always have the luxury of someone holding the boat for you."
That skill took another day and then we learned to maintain them. "Maintain them Sarge?"
"Yes Smith. These are robust craft but if they get a hole in them then they will sink. Now sometimes you might want them to sink. To hide them in a river like our lads did on the Gironde. That is no problem. Fill them with rocks and they will happily lie on the bottom or in reeds. Just make sure you use smooth rocks. Now if you are sixpence short of a full shilling then you might put a hole in it. Repair is relatively simple." He held up a tube. "This is a rubber solution. Cut a patch from your waterproof cape and stick it over the hole. Then Bob's your uncle, you float once more."
The two were the best instructors I had ever met. By the end of that week we were cold but we were all confident canoeists.
Once we were back at the camp I set my sergeants to setting tasks for my men. I knew we would be behind enemy lines and I wanted them even more skilled than they already were. I did this because the Colonel told me that Major Foster was coming to the camp. He implied that I might be away for a few days. It looked like the operation was about to begin.
I sat in the lounge of Mrs. Dean's boarding house and helped devise problems for the men to solve. "We will be behind enemy lines. They need to practise breaking into houses. Hiding in plain sight. Finding food. You know the sorts of things. Stealing vehicles."
The three of them nodded. Bill Hay said, "Pas de Calais again sir?"
"Possibly but don't count on it. France, the Lowe Countries; they are all likely targets."
The next day when we reached the camp I saw Major Foster's car. I had seen it before. It looked like the next phase of the invasion of France was about to begin."
Part 2
Normandy
Chapter 5
Major Foster drove up to London with me. The roads were treacherous. Where snow had been cleared there was deadly black ice.
"Don't you miss the action sir? I mean you are the one who got me into all of this."
"I do Tom but if I'm honest I can achieve more where I am at the centre of the planning. Colonel Fleming has a somewhat cavalier attitude to men's lives. You have been lucky. Most of the other teams he sent in did not make it back. This new operation, will let's say that a few others have tried to rein in the reckless Colonel. You and your team will be involved before the actual invasion and when the show starts I will be watching from one of the supporting destroyers."
"You must miss leading the men sir. They followed you anywhere."
"That's right, Tom, and most of them are either lying in Belgian graves or behind barbed wire. You are a success story."
"I know we lost. We were chased unceremoniously across the Channel but I'm proud of what we did back in 1940."
"As you should be. What you have done behind enemy lines is vital. It is why we are heading to London now. We want to pick your brains. We need to know how to help our chaps survive as you do. Now tell me about the Pas de Calais. You only get a flavour from the report. I need more."
I went through the two raids. The Major was a commando and I left nothing o
ut. How he listened and drove at the same time I will never know. He was a skilled driver. Perhaps he had travelled the roads so often that they were like second nature to him. We were approaching London by the time I finished.
He nodded, "You have luck on your side, I can see that but you seem to have the ability to make your own luck. We can't teach others that. But I can see how we need people who can speak French and German. Can any of your team speak other languages?"
"Beaumont can. Poulson and Fletcher are getting better. The rest can understand more than they could but it is still a work in progress, sir. I run classes in the boarding house. It does help."
"Tell me, Tom, you have been on the last three invasions. You know more about the problems than anyone else. What can we do to minimise casualties? The brass need to know."
"The Germans have laid mines across beaches which a couple of years ago were safe. We need to have some means of getting over mined beaches. The small landing craft we use are good but they need better protection for their crews. In a perfect world you would have tanks paving the way. It was how Jerry chased us out of Belgium. Remember, sir?"
"Our tanks have come on a long way since then."
"And so have the Germans."
He nodded forward, "I have arranged for us to stay at a chum's flat tonight. He is in Italy. Better than a club. We can have a night out. I daresay it has been some time since you let your hair down."
"To be honest sir, I have never let my hair down. I was always quiet. I went from school to the 1st Loyals."
He laughed, "Then I can repay you for all your work thus far. I will show you how to have a good time!"
England might have been at war but the English are sticklers for rules. Large theatres and places of entertainment were all closed for the duration. However pubs stayed open. By the time we had put our bags in the flat it was nine o'clock. The pubs would be shut in an hour and a half. The Major took me to one just half a mile from the flat. "The 'Crown' is a nice pub. More importantly girls frequent it. It is close to Whitehall and these days they use WRNS, ATS and WAAF's to staff it. All the blokes have gone to war!"
