King Arthur Returns
Terence O’Grady
Copyright 2011 Terence O’Grady
Cover by Joleene Naylor
Cover Images by Joleene Naylor and Vectorvault.com
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1: The War in St. Bees
Chapter 2: Nothing to Do
Chapter 3: Looking for Adventure
Chapter 4: Lieutenant Waterford’s Warning
Chapter 5: Tragedy
Chapter 6: The War Comes to St. Bees
Chapter 7: Patrolling the Cliffs
Chapter 8: The Legend of King Arthur
Chapter 9: Jeremy’s Catastrophe
Chapter 10: U-Boat!
Chapter 11: On Alert
Chapter 12: To the Coal Mines
Chapter 13: Landing!
Chapter 14: Nazis!
Chapter 15: Run for Your Lives!
Chapter 16: The King Returns
Chapter 17: The Nazis Strike
Chapter 18: The Day Saved
Prologue
While the historical evidence for King Arthur of Camelot is sketchy at best, this has not prevented the Arthurian stories from becoming among the most beloved in all the world. Few legends or stories have equaled them in their ability to inspire nobility and bravery, particularly in situations that seemed all but lost.
And if one of the most endearing aspects of the Arthur legends is the idea that Arthur and his Knights will rise again to come to England’s aid at its time of greatest need, there is little dispute that England’s greatest need in the 20th century came when, in World War II, Hitler and Nazism threatened to destroy everything that England held dear. This story, then, is yet another evocation of the Arthur legend, this time set in the context of the very real and appalling dangers represented by World War II as England fought for its very existence.
Chapter 1: The War in St. Bees
James Waterford shielded his eyes and scanned the horizon. No planes. No RAF fighters of the sort that occasionally flew along the coast to scout for “suspicious activity”. No German planes. He had never actually seen a German plane, but he and his friends had learned to tell the difference between the British planes—the Royal Air Force—and the German planes in school. Always be alert, he had been told. You never know what you might see. James figured he would never really see a German plane. There would never be any “suspicious activity” around here. Why would the Germans bother to come around here, to St. Bees, a little village on the western English coast? There was nothing here to bomb. No big army installations. No large airport. Nothing really important at all. No, the Germans would never come to St. Bees. They were after the big cities—London, even Manchester, where he and his sister had been born and where his parents still lived.
He hated that fact that he and his little sister, Susie, had been sent away from their parents. But they said that both children had to go somewhere where it was safe, just for a while. Many children had been sent from the cities to the countryside since the German Blitz had begun. It just wasn’t safe in the cities any longer, not with the bombs raining down destruction and death on almost a nightly basis. Manchester wasn’t as bad as London, but it was bad enough. And everyone feared it would get worse. So they had to leave Manchester. Almost all the kids did, but that didn’t make it any easier. Their mother had cried when he and his sister had climbed on the bus to take them to St. Bees to stay with his Aunt Charlotte, his father’s older sister. Their father, Lieutenant Waterford, had pretended to be cheerful—too cheerful—and James thought he could see his father’s chin wobble as he and Susie waved from the windows of the bus.
Twelve-year old James was desperately sick of the war. It was getting harder for him to remember what things had been like before it started. A little over two years ago, according to his aunt. That’s when it started, at least for England. Several countries had already fallen to the Nazis when Hitler turned his eye toward England. And when would it be over? No one would say.
James usually saw his mother only about once a month when she was allowed to travel to St. Bees. She always said “Thank God, you’re safe…for now,” but she would never say when “now” would be over with. His father, whom he had seen only a handful of times in the last two years, wouldn’t even talk about it. “Stiff upper lip, champ!” he would say, or something like that. Mother said that his father, Ernest Waterford, couldn’t talk about the war because of his work. He was a soldier—it seemed that every man was in the army now—but he was a Lieutenant in British Intelligence, a special kind of soldier who couldn’t talk about what he did. And his mother worked as an “observer.” James wasn’t sure exactly what his mother did and she wouldn’t say much about it either. The war had changed everyone’s life, but it seemed like no one would talk about it. He wished that his mother and father would trust him more—tell him what was really going on.
It wasn’t that James felt particularly brave. Although tall for his age with dark brown hair like his father, James knew he wasn’t as brave as his father. Still, he wanted to know what was going to happen to them, even if it were something terrible. All he knew now was that his parents had to stay in Manchester while he and sister Susie were stuck in St. Bees, living with his Aunt Charlotte. His aunt, gray-haired and chubby, was OK, but she had never had children of her own and so she worried constantly about them. If he or his sister ever wandered more than two blocks from his aunt’s house, or didn’t come back from school right away, his aunt would have a fit. Susie, who was short with bright red hair, was never shy about giving her opinion about her lack of freedom and that just made things worse.
James hated the Germans, but never talked about them. If he did, his mother was quick to remind him that it was the Nazis, not the Germans, who were their enemies. The German people weren’t all bad; it was just the Nazis who had ruined everything in Germany and then started marching all over other countries to conquer them, or just to steal things from them. And now the Nazis wanted England.
But his father and mother weren’t going to let that happen. That’s what they said. The British army was the best in the world and the Nazis would never be allowed to take over England as they had with France and those other countries. Still, James couldn’t help but wonder why everything was taking so long. Were the Nazis going to try to invade England or were they just going to try to bomb it into little pieces? Nobody seemed to know, but everyone had lived in fear for so long it almost seemed as if it were natural to be afraid.
Chapter 2: Nothing to Do
James’ Aunt Charlotte was forever telling him and Susie that they needed to get out of the house and get some sunshine while there was still something left of summer. But then she always added, “Don’t go far. Just go down to the village square. You can find somebody to play with there.”
James had made some good friends in St. Bees in the last two years— Sam and Alfred, who were brothers but didn’t really seem like it, and Charlie and Jeremy. Sam and Alfred were born in St. Bees and always seemed to know their way around. Charlie was originally from London, where his parents still lived, and Jeremy was from Manchester, although James had never known him there. The five of them spent a lot of time together but it seemed like lately they were running out of things to do. Sam and Alfred always suggested cricket. They were good at it, but the city boys—James, Charlie and Jeremy—could never really keep up with them. James’ aunt kept suggesting that they play hide and seek, but they had run out of good places to hide a long time ago because no one was allowed to go very far from home. It seemed that they always ended up in the town square and there just weren’t any good hiding places there. Susie would tag around with the five boys at times, and somehow she wa
s really great at hiding. She could squeeze into places that nobody ever thought to check, so whenever she played hide and seek with the boys, she always seemed to win.
James was never too happy to have his little nine-year old sister tagging along, but the other boys didn’t seem to mind, so eventually James got used to it. Still, hide and seek was just a kid’s game and even Susie was running out of places to hide on the village square. But whenever the boys had asked their parents—or aunts, or grandmothers—if they could go out to other parts of the village or out to the countryside and find something else to do, they were told to stick close to home…or else.
Of course the two places where they really wanted to go were always off limits. The sea cliffs to the west were huge. They were great for climbing…or at least that’s what Sam and Alfred kept telling the other boys. The other three boys had never been allowed to even get close to the cliffs. The adults were worried that the kids might somehow get hurt or run into the Nazis when they were making a surprise landing from the Irish Sea. The adults always said that, but it seemed as if they didn’t really believe that the Nazis would ever come there. Not to St. Bees. There just wouldn’t be any reason for them to attack St. Bees.
Except maybe for the chemical plant, located about five miles away at Whitehaven. Uncle Timothy—he wasn’t really James’ uncle but Aunt Charlotte made Susie and James call him that—was always warning that the Nazis would eventually want to get at the chemical plant that had been moved to Whitehaven just the year before. Of course you could never be too sure about the things that Uncle Timothy said. He also said that maybe the Nazis would want to find the treasure hidden in the old coal mines just a couple of miles away from the village. The coal mines had been abandoned for quite a few years and long before that had been rumored to be the final resting place for the lost treasure of the legendary King Arthur. And, as Uncle Timothy always said, who knew if Arthur himself wasn’t buried there?
According to the old stories, Arthur and his knights had been laid to rest near the old abandoned mines and would return to life to aid England at the time of its “greatest need.” But of course it was impossible to believe any of the old stories, although part of James would have liked to. But no, James knew that the story was nonsense and that was that. Aunt Charlotte explained that Uncle Timothy was just pulling their legs about the treasure. Furthermore, nobody knew where King Arthur was buried—if there really were a King Arthur. According to Aunt Charlotte, It was probably all just a “lovely legend”—the kind that grandparents told kids in St. Bees as a bedtime story. And, as his aunt had explained many times, the old deserted coal mines were just a hazard and the worst place that James and his friends could go. No, the old mines—and the huge sea cliffs—were off limits to James and that was how it was going to stay.
But Uncle Timothy had one more reason to think that the Nazis might invade their little corner of England—those new buildings that had just appeared a few miles from the cliffs. Nobody seemed to know exactly what they were, but everybody assumed that the buildings were connected to some sort of military installation. Whatever it was, it had just popped up about three months ago. Every once in a while, uniformed officers that nobody knew would show up in St. Bees to pick up some groceries and then disappear again. But whatever it was, there didn’t seem to be very many soldiers stationed there. And there wasn’t much to the installation itself— a group of five or six concrete buildings tucked in beneath one of the ridges that came down from the cliffs. Some of the townspeople of St. Bees claimed it was a radar station, like that one on the other side of Newhaven. But others said no. There was no reason to build a radar station here. There was nothing to protect round St. Bees, nothing for the enemy to attack. Besides, the new installation just didn’t look like a radar station. There were none of those large, rotating screens anywhere in sight.
Still, all of Uncle Timothy’s stories had James and Susie wondering, just a little, whether everyone was really safe from a Nazi attack just because they lived in a little village.
Chapter 3: Looking for Adventure
“I wish the Nazis would just come and get it over with,” said Alfred, angrily kicking a can out of his way as he stormed down the street ahead of Sam and James. “Let ‘em come. We’ll be ready for the buggers.”
“Yeah,” said Sam. “But don’t forget. Those buggers have guns, and a lot of them.”
“So what?” Alfred snapped back, turning to face his brother. “We can get guns. The armory…you know, near the old jailhouse. That’s where the Home Guard gets theirs.”
“The Home Guard! They’re just a bunch of old men,” Sam sneered. “Marching around the square. How’s that going to stop the Nazis? Most of ‘em don’t even have real guns.”
“Some of them are real, I think,” said James. “I saw Mr. Wilson carrying his around to drill practice the other day. It looked real to me.”
“But did you see him shoot it?” asked Alfred, shaking his head. “Nobody ever shoots their gun.”
“That’s ‘cause they haven’t got any ammo,” said Sam. “Only the real soldiers have any ammo and there’s not many of them around here.”
“I suppose not,” said James. “My father has a real gun. He said it’s a service revolver. But he’s not here much.”
“None of the fathers are here much,” said Alfred. “They’re all off where the real fighting is. And when those Nazis really do come, they’re going to throw them back into the sea.”
“But what if the Nazis come here…to St. Bees?” said James softly. “What if they come up the cliffs? My Uncle Timothy says…”
“Hah!” snorted Sam. “Your uncle is a daft bugger if I ever saw one. My dad says that there’s no chance that the Nazis will ever invade here. That’s why they sent all you city kids to live here.”
“Yeah,” agreed Alfred. “You’re safe here. That’s the problem with St. Bees. Nothing ever happens here. There’s never anything to do.”
“That’s just the thing,” said Sam. “There are things we could do if we didn’t have to stick around so close to the village all the time. I say we head out to the old coal mines and go exploring.”
“That’s it, Sam! I haven’t been out to the old coal mines for a long time! We should all go. I’ll get Charlie and Jeremy and…”
“I can’t go,” said James quietly.
“What do you mean, you can’t go?” demanded Alfred. “It’s a great idea!”
“Maybe it is,” said James, “but my aunt won’t let me.”
“What your aunt doesn’t know won’t hurt her,” said Alfred.
“Look,” said Sam. “How often does anybody ever go over to the mines to check them out? For all we know, there could be a whole nest of Nazis living there now, just waiting their chance to jump out and attack St. Bees, then Whitehaven, and who knows what’s next?”
“That’s right!” exclaimed Alfred. “We’ve got to go. It’s for the good of the country.”
“I don’t know. I’m just not sure,” said James slowly.
“You don’t have to be sure,” said Alfred. “We’re sure enough for all three of us. We’ve just got to wait till the time is right.”
Chapter 4: Lieutenant Waterford’s Warning
“It’s so good to see you,” bubbled Aunt Charlotte as she hugged James’ mother as tightly as she could.
Jane Waterford smiled broadly. “Yes, Aunt Charlotte. It’s wonderful to be here.”
Lieutenant Ernest Waterford came bounding in a few seconds later, carrying two large suitcases. “Well, what do you think, Charlotte, do you think you can find some room for a couple of wandering souls?”
“Of course I can,” said Aunt Charlotte eagerly, reaching for Mrs. Waterford’s suitcase. “The back bedroom is available as usual. Let me call the children. They’re right around the house somewhere and they’ll want to see you right away. No one was expecting you until next week.”
“I know, Aunt Charlotte,” Lieutenant Waterford said soft
ly. “We’ve come a bit early. And there’s a reason for that.”
“Whatever do you mean? Is there something wrong” asked Aunt Charlotte, her eyes widening.
“Well, we’re not really sure. But we thought we had better get to St. Bees a little earlier than we planned in order to let you in on a little something.”
Aunt Charlotte eyed her brother nervously. “Now I wish you wouldn’t go and talk so mysteriously like that. You’re making me a bit nervous.”
“Don’t be nervous, Aunt Charlotte,” Mrs. Waterford interjected. “There’s probably no reason to be. At least we hope not. But don’t call the children yet. We have to talk first.”
The three adults walked quickly to the kitchen. Lieutenant Waterford pulled out a chair for Aunt Charlotte while he and Mrs. Waterford took seats across from her.
“Now please tell me what this is all about,” said Aunt Charlotte. “The suspense is killing me.”
Lieutenant Waterford cleared his throat. “What I’m about to tell you is top secret. In fact, I shouldn’t even be repeating it, so you’ve got to be absolutely quiet and not tell a soul.”
“No one? No one at all?” said Aunt Charlotte.
“Absolutely no one,” said Mrs. Waterford. “Not even Timothy. Especially not Uncle Timothy. He’s a nice man but he just can’t help blabbing the first thing that comes into his head.”
“All right,” said Aunt Charlotte resolutely. “No one at all. Now, please tell me what you’re going to tell me.”
Lieutenant Waterford patted Aunt Charlotte on the hand. “It’s like this, Charlotte. I’ve heard from the British Intelligence unit in Manchester that it’s possible that security has been compromised here in St. Bees. We’ve been eavesdropping on some German U-boat conversations.”
“Ernest,” said Aunt Charlotte, “Whatever are you talking about? There’s nothing to compromise in St. Bees. This is a sleepy little country village. There’s nothing here for the Germans to care about. Do you mean Whitehaven? I know there’s a chemical plant there.”
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