1916 Angels over the Somme (British Ace Book 3) (32 page)

We headed down the next alley and it brought us out, eventually, at a small square with shops and a market. There were a few German soldiers but it was mainly locals doing their daily shop. I slowed down to blend in.  We paused at some stalls to inspect what they sold and then we wandered on.  I wanted us to become invisible. Once we hit the centre of Ostend we were less visible as there were more soldiers and locals but we needed to get our bearings. There were some bars with tables and chairs outside at the harbour. I suspected that tourists and fishermen would have been their clientele before the war but now Germanic grey was the order of the day. I found a café which was close to the northern breakwater.  It was relatively empty.  Two other soldiers walked in before us.  I took a table well away from them.

We took off our bags and sat down. The waiter slouched out with a sour expression on his face. He took the order of the two Germans.  I listened. When he came to me I repeated the order and the waiter rolled his eyes as though we had all committed some enormous faux pas. A few minutes later he brought beers to us.  I noticed that he waited for the other soldiers to pay. That was unusual.  It demonstrated that the Belgian waiter was not happy about the Germans. He brought ours.  I asked, “Combien?”

For some reason that did not displease him and he told me. I had no idea how much that was in German money and so I took out a note from the pilfered German wallets. It did not seem to worry him and he dropped some coins on the table.  I waved my hand for him to keep the change and he smiled and left.

I took out my pipe and filled it. It would appear more natural.  I used Albert’s tobacco pouch which I had taken. It was a French tobacco and the smell would not appear unusual. I drank some of the beer.  It was better than the French beer we were used to. I saw Hutton fingering Albert’s pipe. I pushed the tobacco pouch and nodded to him. He began to fill it.  I noticed him tamping it down hard and I shook my head and took his pipe from him. I began to loosen the tobacco with my penknife and then I handed it back. He nodded his thanks and then lit it. After a couple of puffs it was drawing well.  I used my finger to push the tobacco down and nodded to him. I almost burst out laughing when the tip of his finger touched the burning ash.  He would get used to that.

The café began to fill up but no one took the slightest notice of two soldiers smoking their pipes and drinking their beer. I glanced at my watch.  It was getting on for noon. People were eating. Having nursed our beers for an hour or so I waved the waiter over. I held up two fingers and pointed at the beer. I risked some French.  He seemed to appreciate it before.  “Moules, frites?” I held up two fingers and he grinned and nodded.

Lumpy carefully put his pipe down. I could see that he was desperate to speak but to do so now would be a disaster. I had also ordered the food so that we would not have to speak to any garrulous German. The beer and the hot food took just ten minutes to arrive.  I didn’t wait for the bill, I just threw down a handful of notes.  He took one and reached into the purse in his apron I waved it away and my new found friend grinned at me.

I am not certain if Lumpy had eaten mussels before and so I nodded to him and showed him how to eat them.  His face lit up when he tasted them.  He looked around the table for condiments.  I smiled.  He was looking for vinegar. To a northern working class lad vinegar and chips were synonymous.  These might be called frites but we knew them as chips. When he had finished he looked at the cooking liquor.  It was redolent with parsley, white wine, garlic and shallots. I took a piece of bread and dipped it in the juices. He nodded and tucked in. We washed it down with the beer and felt replete. I had noticed more senior officers arriving for a late lunch and I put a handful of coins in the ashtray and gestured for Hutton to follow me.

I headed not for the town but the breakwater to our right. I had observed people fishing from there. At the end of the line of shops and cafes was a hut selling accoutrements for fishing.  I saw two crab lines.  I pointed to them and to a pot of bait. The man gave me the price in French and I handed over another note.  I was glad that I had taken the German money as it had come in handy.

I led Hutton to the end of the breakwater where there were the fewest people. I took off my haversack as did Lumpy.  It was only when he laid down his Lee Enfield that I realised how lucky we had been.  I should have taken the German rifles. We would ditch the incriminating evidence before we left. We loaded the lines and began to fish for crabs.

There was no one within forty feet of us and the water was crashing against the rocks we would be able to talk, albeit quietly. “Well done, Sergeant, you restrained yourself well back there.”

He grinned, “It was hard. Mrs Hutton raised a noisy little bugger in me!” He glanced around.  “So far so good sir, and the beer went down well. What was that we were eating?”

“Mussels and chips.”

”Well it isn’t cod and chips but it filled a nice hole.”

I jammed my crab line between two rocks.  I had been hot in the café with my greatcoat but the breeze from the sea meant I could wear it here without attracting attention.

“What now, sir?”

I pointed across the harbour. “We need to identify a boat we can steal and then sail back to Blighty.”

He smiled, “Oh you can sail as well, sir?”

I shook my head, “I have never sailed in my life.”

His face fell.  “Then…”

“The way I figure it Hutton sailing a boat must be like flying an aeroplane.  You want the wind from your quarter and you may have to steer a zig zag course to get where you want.”

“How about a boat with a motor? We could work one of those.”

“True but we are leaving at night and a boat with a motor would make a noise.” I felt a tug on the line and I began to wind it up.  I had caught my first crab.  There was a little pool of rainwater next to me and I dropped the creature in it. It found a rock it could hide beneath and disappeared from view. I took the opportunity to stand and load the crab line with bait. Hutton stood too.

I gestured with my head, “See down there,” below us was a ladder and a small wooden jetty.  About ten yards away, there were four evenly spaced buoys.  He nodded, “I am guessing that there will be boats which tie up there. They must be out at the moment. We wait until dark and steal one.”

Hutton appeared to have the utmost faith in me and he grinned, “Sounds easy sir.”

“It is anything but.  There will be machine guns and guards at the harbour entrance.  They will have patrol boats sailing across the middle and we have to learn how to sail without attracting attention.” Even as I told him I contemplated abandoning the ridiculous idea but his words when we had first escaped, ‘
Nil Desperandum
’ came to mind. Where there was life there was hope.

The afternoon dragged on. We relieved ourselves as the other fishermen did by using the sea. We caught four more crabs.  Had we wanted we could have eaten like kings. A few of the Germans waved and shouted what sounded like goodbye as they left.  We just repeated their words and it did not arouse suspicion. I worried that the four buoys were not going to be used as the sun began to set in the west.  Then I saw the sails of two small fishing boats appear at the end of the harbour. One had a red sail and the other one which had been white a lifetime ago. They tied up at two of the buoys. I watched them approach and saw how the two crew on each boat handled the sails. It seemed they must have shared the fishing for they only had one small dinghy between them. They ferried their catch to the jetty and, after stowing the sail and fitting a tarpaulin to keep out the rain they left. They barely gave us a glance.

For the first time in many days I felt hope surge within me. I could see our transport home.  Now we had to wait until dark.

The rest of the fishermen had gone and we were the only ones left.  It was now a difficult time.  We stood out like a sore thumb and I prayed for darkness. I kept watching the two fishing boats bobbing up and down in the water. Our escape was so close. Hutton pointed across the water.  “Sir, a patrol boat.”

It was small motorised boat about twenty feet long with a machine mounted close to the bows. That was a problem we would have to negotiate.

“Shall I get rid of the crabs now sir?”

“No, best leave them in case another fisherman comes to do some night fishing. It will add credibility to our story.”

Darkness fell and I almost jumped for joy.  We were, to all intents and purposes, invisible.  We had been highlighted by the setting sun but now we were hidden by shadows.

“You can get rid of the crabs now, Hutton.”

He had no sooner bent down to put his hand in the water than I heard footsteps and two Germans with a lamp appeared before us. One shouted something and held his hand out. They were military police and were obviously asking for papers. I caught Hutton’s eye and gestured towards them.  They came closer. I noticed that they had side arms but they were holstered.  One held the lamp while the other had his right hand held out for our papers.  I put my right hand inside my greatcoat as though looking for them. Hutton came to my right and the German barked at us again.

When they were just two paces from us Hutton threw three of the crabs at their faces.  They just reacted, throwing their arms up.  The lamp crashed to the floor and was doused. I whipped out the bayonet and slashed it across the throat of the barking German.  Lumpy leapt on the other.  He picked up a rock and pounded the man’s head until it was unrecognisable as human.

“Well sir, that’s torn it.”

I quickly shinned down the ladder and threw off my greatcoat and tunic. I untied the dinghy and rowed to the two fishing boats.  I tied the painter of one to the stern of the other and then towed them back to the jetty.  It took me time. I clambered out and handed the ropes to Lumpy. “Keep hold of these. We will stick these bodies in the bottom of the boat with the white sail.”

I clambered to the top of the ladder and I picked up the first soldier. It was not easy negotiating the ladder to the jetty but I managed it. I dropped it in the bottom of the boat with the dirty white sail and then repeated it with the second body. I pointed to the painter at the front of the red sailed boat. “Tie this rope to the stern of the other boat and wait for me.”

I clambered up the ladder.  It was not fair to ask Hutton to do this with his dodgy ankle.  I grabbed the rucksacks, the Lee Enfield and the oil lamp and climbed back down. I put the bags in the front of the red sailed boat. I threw my tunic and greatcoat into the stern of the red sailed boat.

“Sergeant, sit in the middle and be ready to unfurl the sail and raise it.”

He looked terrified, “How do I do that?”

“There is a rope there, untie it and then pull on this rope.  It should come up. Just watch what I do on this other boat.” I felt guilty.  I had watched the fishermen bring the boats in; I just did the reverse of their actions.

I dragged one of the dead Germans to the stern and draped him around the tiller. I hoisted the sail. Reassuringly the boat began to move. I boarded our boat and I sat at the stern. The sail was hoisted but looked slack. The wings on our FE 2 were as taut as a drum.  “Lumpy, pull the rope until it is tight.”

As soon as he did so we began to move.  The tide was on the way out. I pushed the tiller over so that we were heading for the middle of the harbour. We were now in a race against time.  We had had no opportunity to observe the patrol boat and its route.  We would have to take a chance and just try to avoid it.

“Lumpy, keep the Lee Enfield handy.”

“Right, sir. We only have five rounds left.”

“Then use them well.”

I found I was shivering.  I put my tunic and greatcoat back on and suddenly felt much warmer. We reached the middle of the river.  The weight of the second boat was slowing us down but I was loath to lose it.  I needed the confusion it could bring if we were discovered.  The patrol boat was powered and could be on us in an instant. In the distance I heard its engine. It seemed to be on the west bank of the harbour. There was little point in worrying. If it saw us then I would worry.

“Keep the sail tight Lumpy.”

“Sir!” 

Every time I shifted the tiller slightly it affected the sail.  Lumpy could not just sit there. He was constantly adjusting the sail and avoiding the boom as it came across. The harbour entrance beckoned. I took the German map out of my greatcoat pocket. I had it folded to the entrance of the harbour. I laid it before me.  There was just enough ambient light for me to see where the minefields were. They might just be our salvation.

Our luck held until the harbour entrance.  A searchlight suddenly picked us out and a command shouted in German. “That’s it Lumpy.  Hit the man you can see and then the light.”

As he cracked off the two shots I let loose the white sailed boat. The angle must have been perfect for it leapt ahead of us. I steered towards the gun, which they would not be expecting. I heard a cry and then the light went out.

“Keep the line taut and use your last three bullets on anything that moves.”

The machine gun rattled out. I braced myself for the bullets to strike us but they hit the other fishing boat instead. I heard the whine of the patrol boat’s engine as it used full power to reach this sudden danger. I knew that the minefield began half a mile from the harbour entrance and the safe channel ran north to south.  I headed east towards the mines.