Authors: Beryl Matthews
‘It’s such a long time since we’ve heard that sound.’ Grace smiled up at George as they stood outside listening to the church bells ringing. To mark the victory at El Alamein, Churchill had ordered all church bells to be rung. They had been silent since the outbreak of war.
Bill joined them. ‘Dan’s out there, isn’t he, George? Have you heard from him yet?’
‘I expect he’s been in the thick of the fighting. It will be a while before we hear from him. He’s not much of a letter writer anyway.’
Stan came out of the office just as the last peals faded away. ‘Clever idea to ring the bells. That gives everyone a taste of victory, making them even more determined to finish the war off.’
‘It will be back to Europe next,’ Bill remarked.
‘There’s a lot to be done before that,’ George pointed out. ‘When we go in again there will be no turning back. There cannot be another Dunkirk, so everything must be carefully planned. I would say there’s no chance of launching an invasion for at least a year.’
When Grace looked back she couldn’t believe eighteen months had passed since she had returned from France. Preparations for the invasion were well under way, and the country was crowded with troops and equipment, and more were still pouring in. Camps were springing up everywhere; tanks were hidden in trees and ships waiting in the harbours around the coast. Efforts were being made to camouflage as much as possible, but it was a huge task. An even greater concern was how to keep all this activity a secret, especially the location of the proposed landings. A great deal of work and thought had been put into the need to trick Hitler into believing the invasion would be in a different place to the one planned.
Stan and Grace were returning from an intelligence meeting when they were waved off the road. They got out of the car and watched as a convoy of lorries came past carrying newly arrived American troops. When they saw Grace they began to whistle and shout out to her. Laughing, she came smartly to attention and saluted them. This caused even more hilarity.
The convoy seemed never ending, and following them were tanks.
‘My God!’ Stan murmured. ‘There isn’t room on this small island for any more, surely. It’s going to need a miracle to keep this build-up a secret. If Hitler doesn’t already know then he must be asleep!’
‘Let’s hope he is. We’ve had a few miracles in this war so far, like plucking the army off the beaches at Dunkirk, beating the Luftwaffe in the air, surviving the Blitz, and not forgetting El Alamein and the seamen in the Atlantic. We’d have starved without their bravery.’
Stan looked down at Grace and smiled. ‘All true, but you forgot one. The miracle of getting you and Bill back from France.’
She shrugged. ‘I would say that was luck on my part and Bill’s skill at undercover work. Will he be going over with the troops?’
‘He’s going in with the second wave where he can be of the most use. Dan’s back from North Africa and will be going in first, as usual. He’s a colonel now.’ Stan grinned. ‘George is trying hard to be included and he’ll probably succeed. He’s younger than me and has battle experience.’
‘James and Tim arrived home last month after serving in Malta for a while. They’ll be needed. It looks as if the two of us will be the only ones left behind.’
‘We’ll have our part to play, though. Have you seen your friend Helen lately?’
‘Not for nearly two years. It’s worrying, but if anything had happened to her we would have been told.’
‘That’s true. Ah, the road is clear at last.’
When they arrived back at Aldershot, George marched
into the office, all smiles. ‘Come to let you know I’m leaving here today.’
‘Where are you going?’ Grace asked.
‘Now you know I can’t answer that, Grace.’
‘Of course not. Silly question.’
‘You’ve got your wish then, George?’
‘Yes. I got thrown out of Dunkirk and I want to go back. You two take care of yourselves while I’m away.’
‘And you be careful.’
‘I will, Grace.’ He kissed her cheek, shook hands with Stan, and left.
‘We are going to have a lot of people to worry about, aren’t we?’
‘I’m afraid so. Before you start typing up the report of today’s meeting, put the kettle on, Grace. I’m gasping for a cup of tea.’
‘I expect you’re finding the weather a bit different from North Africa,’ Bill said to the tall man standing beside him.
Dan nodded and gazed up at the dark, leaden sky, feeling the rain on his face. ‘Wish it would clear enough for us to get going. I hate hanging around like this. It’s unsettling for the men to be sitting on the ships for so long, not knowing if we’re going tonight or not.’
The harbour was filled with men and ships, as were many others along the coast. Bill sighed. ‘Just look at that! The Germans must know we’re coming. Assembling such an enormous invasion fleet can’t have gone unnoticed, surely. This country is groaning under the weight of troops and armaments.’
‘They know we’re coming but let’s hope they have
believed all the misinformation you’ve been feeding them so they don’t know where or when. Surprise is the key to success for this operation.’
‘Well, they won’t be expecting us in this kind of weather. Though it doesn’t seem quite as bad …’
Suddenly there was activity everywhere and a soldier ran up to Dan. ‘H-Hour now, Major Chester!’
Dan was immediately moving. ‘See you in Berlin, Bill.’
‘I’ll be there!’
Long legs took Dan with speed to the ship, glad all the waiting was over. He was going back at last. And they damned well wouldn’t drive him out again! This time they would be staying. Retreat was out of the question.
Bill stayed where he was and watched the huge armada making its way out of Southampton and knew the same was happening at Dartmouth, Portland, Portsmouth and Shoreham. He would be going with one of the follow up-forces. He knew Germany was now a very different country to the one he and Dan remembered, and he hoped they both survived to meet up and see for themselves. It would be painful and sad, no doubt, but Hitler and his regime had to be defeated.
It was nearly dawn but Stan and Grace were still in the office waiting for news. When the phone rang Stan snatched it up eagerly, and Grace waited, hardly able to breathe with the tension they were feeling.
‘It’s underway!’ he said, replacing the phone and looking at the calendar. June 6th. ‘You might as well get some sleep now. There’s nothing else for us to do and there won’t be any news for a few hours.’
‘I don’t think sleep will be possible. What are you going to do, sir?’
‘Rest for a couple of hours and then go to the ops room and wait for the reports to start coming in.’
‘Can I come with you?’
‘Admittance is restricted or the place would be full to bursting. I’ll write you up for seven days’ leave.’
Grace knew it was useless to refuse. She wouldn’t be needed for a while. All she could do was wait, and she might as well do that at home with her parents. They would be excited, but she knew too many men involved in this invasion to be able to relax. She had seen a little of what conditions were like in France and could picture the opposition the troops would probably face.
Stan was already writing out the leave authorisation and when he handed it to her he smiled. ‘By the time you return we will have a clearer picture of the situation. Go home and try to relax. The build-up to the invasion has been a trying time.’
‘Thank you, sir.’
There wasn’t any need to rush home because Grace knew both of her parents would be out, so she hung around for a while and arrived home near six o’clock that evening. She was pleased to find her mother at home. It was nice to be greeted instead of walking into an empty house.
‘How wonderful!’ Jean exclaimed, giving her daughter a hug. ‘How long have you got?’
‘Seven days. Is Dad at work?’
Jean nodded. ‘He won’t be home until later. We’ve just
heard the exciting news that the invasion is under way. Let’s have a nice cup of tea before you unpack your bag. I do miss our little chats.’
Grace laughed, feeling some of the tension of the last few days easing away.
‘You look tired, darling,’ her mother remarked as she poured the tea.
‘We’ve been busy and haven’t had much sleep. I’ll catch up on it while I’m home.’
‘I expect you’ve known about the invasion for some time.’
‘Yes. The bad weather held it up which was worrying for everyone, but they were finally able to go ahead.’
Jean sighed. ‘Everyone is naturally very excited and is saying that the war could be over by Christmas. I hope they are right, but I can’t help thinking about all those young men. You probably have a better idea than most of us, so do you think it could be over that quickly?’
‘It’s too soon to say, Mum. I don’t think it’s going to be that easy, though.’
‘No, you are right, but we can hope for a speedy victory. Tell me what you’ve been up to. The last time you were on leave you were worried about someone you’d been working with. Is he all right now?’
Grace raised her eyebrows.
‘Don’t look at me like that, Grace. I know you weren’t allowed to tell us anything, but I’m not daft. One night you were restless and I sat by your bed for a while. You cried out the name “Bill”. You were very distressed.’
‘You didn’t tell me.’
‘No, darling. I haven’t mentioned it to anyone – not
even your father. Whatever it was, you needed to come to terms with it yourself, and I knew you would. Can you talk about it now?’
‘The only thing I can tell you is that Bill is all right.’
‘Good. You were very worried about him. What is he like?’
‘Tall, good-looking, late twenties I would say.’ Grace smiled. ‘When I first met him I thought he was flippant, always joking and never taking anything seriously, but I was wrong. That is the face he presents to the world, and I saw a very different man when we worked together. He is intelligent, efficient and a very brave man.’
‘You sound as if you think a lot of him.’
‘I do.’
Jean studied her daughter carefully. ‘Perhaps we could meet him sometime?’
‘Maybe, but it won’t be for a while.’
‘I take it that means he’s involved in the invasion.’
‘Mum, everyone I know is taking part; James, Tim, Dan and even George.’
‘George!’ Jean exclaimed. ‘I didn’t expect him to go.’
‘He’s an experienced officer, and he wanted to go.’
Jean nodded and changed the subject abruptly. ‘Do you know where Helen is?’
‘No.’
‘I thought you might have some idea as you work in Intelligence and must see a lot of secret information.’
‘I do, but I don’t know anything about Helen’s work. All she has told me is that she is working as an interpreter for the Free French. I’m sorry I can’t tell you anything more than that.’
‘I shouldn’t have asked.’ Jean squeezed her daughter’s hand. ‘Why don’t you go and unpack while I get dinner ready?’
Over the next week they listened avidly to the news reports of the invasion. The troops were beginning to move inland, much to everyone’s relief. As Grace read the newspapers and tuned into the wireless every day, she knew the reports could not convey the real struggle each individual was experiencing. How were all those she cared about? Were they injured; were they alive? What about the people at the farm who had risked their lives for her – would they be all right? To have armies fighting desperately over your land must be terrible. Was Harry there? Of course he was – he would probably have been in the first wave. All those people were at the forefront of her thoughts, and one other she was dreadfully worried about.
Where are you, Helen? Are you still in France? If you are, please stay safe!
There were only two days of her leave left when James came to see her. The moment she set eyes on him she knew something was wrong. He looked drawn and ill. She took him into the kitchen and put the kettle on to make tea.
He sat down with a weary sigh. ‘I’m glad you are home, Grace. Are your parents here?’
‘They are both at work. Are you on leave?’
‘Yes, and I’ve got bad news. Tim was killed two days ago. I saw him go down and he didn’t stand a chance.’
Sadness swept over her. He had been such a lovely boy and so full of life. James must be devastated to have seen his friend killed like that.
‘I’m so sorry, James. What a tragedy.’
He nodded and gulped his tea down. ‘To have survived all the battles we’ve been in and then to be killed when the war could be entering its final stages is hard to take. Could you break the news to Helen for me, Grace?’
‘Of course. Would you like to stay here tonight? I’ve still got two days’ leave left.’
‘That’s kind of you, but I’m on my way to see Tim’s family.’ He stood up and hugged her. ‘Wish I could stay, but I can’t.’
‘I understand.’
She stood at the door and watched him walk down the street. His head was high and stride confident, as always. Anyone passing him wouldn’t know the pain he was feeling at this moment. He had seen many of his colleagues die, but he had been particularly close to Tim. She wondered if the scars they were all suffering would ever heal. When she thought about Brian she knew they would never completely go away, but she had to learn to live with them.
Closing the door, she wiped a tear from her eyes, very aware that this might not be the last time such news arrived.
Grace’s leave did not end on a happy note. Not only had she received the sad news of Tim’s death, but on the last day London had a new threat to face. On 13th June Hitler began sending over unmanned flying bombs, and once again people had to endure the danger and destruction these noisy and unpredictable weapons were causing.
‘Sir, there’s a young girl here asking to see an officer. Says she’s English and has some important news.’
Dan looked up from the map he was studying and frowned. ‘Did you check her papers?’
‘Yes, sir, but they’re French. If she is English then they must be false. She sounds English, though.’
‘That doesn’t mean much. I can sound German if I need to. Bring her in and let’s see what this is about. Keep a guard on her.’
Dan folded the map and put it away; including any other papers he had spread about. No point taking chances in case she wasn’t who she said she was.
The girl who entered was of average height with dark brown hair and eyes. She certainly didn’t look English. ‘What can I do for you?’
‘It’s what I can do for you that is important, Colonel. I have come to tell you that there is a trap waiting for your regiment a mile down the road.’
‘We’ve scouted that area and found nothing.’
‘Two machine gun posts have been concealed in the
hillside. They were set up during the night and when you advance they will be looking right down at you. It will be a massacre, Colonel.’ She pulled a tattered map out of her pocket and spread it out on the makeshift table. ‘This is where you are, and the guns are here. Not only are they well hidden, but they are hard to get to. We know because we tried to get a close look at dawn.’
‘We? Are you with the resistance?’
‘The men I’m with are. There’s no harm in telling you now; I am SOE. If you could give us enough explosives we can try to knock them out before you move forward.’
It was a plausible story but Dan was still cautious. ‘You can’t expect me to give strangers explosives, surely? I will need to meet the rest of your group before taking any action.’
She nodded and put the map back in her pocket. ‘I would have thought less of you if you hadn’t shown caution. We have also learnt that lesson, Colonel. I’ll take you to them, but you can only bring one soldier with you.’
It could be a trap, but then again she could be telling the truth. If that was the case, he had to take the chance. He nodded to the sergeant standing by the entrance of the wrecked building they were using. He acknowledged the silent command with a nod. ‘Very well, take us to them.’
Waiting in a small copse a short way from the camp were three men. Dan studied them carefully. They were all armed but showed no sign of aggression.
‘Ah, you found a colonel. Well done, Helen,’ one man said in perfect English and held out his hand to Dan. ‘I’m Harry, sir. Free French. And you are?’
‘Chester.’ Dan shook his hand, and then his gaze fixed on the girl. She was also staring back at him. ‘Your name is Helen?’
She looked him up and down and her smile widened. ‘Ah, yes, you fit the description of Major Daniel Chester, formally of the War Office while recovering from an injury.’
He had never seen this girl before and there was only one way she could know that about him. ‘Are you Grace Lincoln’s friend?’
‘I am.’ She held out her hand. ‘I’m pleased to meet you at last. Grace enjoyed working for you, and you helped her through a difficult time.’
‘We helped each other.’ He shook her hand and relaxed. They were genuine, and that meant the information was as well. ‘Thank you for coming to us. If you would all come back to the camp with me we can work out what to do about this problem.’
The unusual sight of their colonel walking with a girl and three civilian men, all armed, caused a buzz of interest when they returned to the camp.
Dan headed straight for the damaged farm house they were using as a base and turned to his sergeant. ‘Find Captain Bolton and Lieutenant Harris and ask them to come here at once. See if you can rustle up refreshments as well.’
‘Yes, sir.’
The officers appeared almost immediately, along with mugs of tea and a pile of sandwiches quickly prepared by their cook. Helen and the men tucked in enthusiastically, not caring what the sandwiches contained.
‘When did you last eat?’ Dan wanted to know.
Harry shrugged and grinned, taking another sandwich. ‘Can’t remember.’
‘You told me you were Free French, but you sound English and are not in uniform. Did you get separated from your unit?’
‘I work alone, Colonel, and go where I’m needed. The uniform is a hindrance when I want to blend into the background. I carry it with me, though. And I sound English because I was educated there.’
‘Ah, that explains it. I was educated in Germany.’
‘So I’ve heard.’
Dan gave him a speculative look. ‘And how do you know so much about me?’
‘Someone must have told me.’ Harry grinned and took another sandwich from the rapidly depleting pile.
That was all Harry was going to say and Dan knew it would be useless to ask more questions.
‘Let’s get down to work.’
They spent the next hour exploring ways of knocking out the gun emplacements. Then Dan ran a hand through his hair and shook his head. ‘Whatever we do is going to be risky and damned difficult. They’ve chosen a good spot by the look of it.’
‘Wish Bill was with us. He’d deal with them in no time at all. I’ve never met a man so skilled at blowing up things.’
‘Do you have any idea where he is?’ Dan asked. ‘He sounds just like the man for the job.’
‘I haven’t the faintest idea, and that man can’t be found unless he wants to be.’
‘Who is he?’ Dan was intrigued.
‘Captain William Reid masquerades as British Intelligence, but he’s really a spy, like Harry.’ Helen laughed softly at Dan’s astonished expression. ‘Ah, I see you know him.’
‘We’ve met, but I’m having a hell of a job believing this. France is a big country and the chances of our meeting like this must be astronomical!’
‘True, but here we are; and here you are stuck unless we can disable those guns. If you try to go another way it will mean leaving that trap for someone else to fall into.’ Harry rubbed his chin thoughtfully. ‘Whatever the risks are, we have got to deal with this. We’ll need plenty of explosives. It’s the only way, Colonel.’
‘I agree. I’ll get a team together and go with them.’
The room erupted with protest.
‘Sir!’ the lieutenant stepped forward. ‘With the brigadier dead you are our highest ranking officer. We are trapped here unless we can move forward and meet up with the other regiments. The men trust your leadership, sir. You are needed here.’
The two resistance men, who had remained silent until now, shook their heads. ‘You give us the explosives and we will do this. It is for us to put those guns out of action. We find them – we destroy them.’
‘Leave it to us, Daniel. The men are experienced and have more chance of getting up that hill unnoticed.’
‘I can’t let you go alone. This is our fight as well.’
‘What about a compromise?’ Harry suggested. ‘Let us have two of your best demolition men. Not you, though. Your men are right. Your place is here.’
‘Very well. I agree, but reluctantly.’
Dan heard the officers breathe an audible sigh of relief and could understand their concerns. Their situation was not good and it was imperative that they meet up with the others. The last thing any of them wanted was to find themselves surrounded and captured. He hated to stand on the sidelines, though, especially in a dangerous situation like this, but for the time being he
was in command and had no choice in the matter.
‘Sergeant, find Adams and Walker. Harry, you go with him and explain the problem to them. Take their advice; they are experts, and then come back here.’
When the men left, Dan turned to Helen. ‘Would you like more sandwiches?’
‘No, thank you.’ She gave a grim smile. ‘It looks as if you’ve had a tough time getting this far.’
Dan nodded. ‘And if you hadn’t come to us we could have been cut down before getting any further. Somehow we have to fight our way out of this because I won’t be captured again!’ he growled. ‘We will be moving after midnight, no matter what the situation. We have to!’
‘We’ll do what we can to help.’
‘You have probably already saved our lives by alerting us to the guns.’
The men returned and Dan ran through the task with his men to make sure they fully understood what had to be done. ‘Have you got everything you need?’ he asked.
‘Yes, sir. If we can get close enough without being seen, we will deal with those guns.’
‘The light is just beginning to fade, so good luck to all of you.’
Dan’s men saluted and then hauled packs onto their backs before filing out.
‘Helen, you can stay here,’ Dan said when she headed after the men.
She turned her head. ‘I go with them.’
‘You don’t have to risk your life as well.’
‘Daniel, I have risked my life every day for more than two years. I am an excellent shot with good night vision. I
can give them cover while they are working. See you later.’ She waved before disappearing.
‘That’s a brave girl,’ the captain remarked. ‘Hope they succeed.’
‘If they don’t then we will have to try again because we will be moving out soon. We can’t stay here much longer. Tell the men to be ready. If the way is cleared we’ll move out at once.’
‘Yes, sir.’ Both officers saluted and hurried out, leaving Dan and the sergeant alone.
Dan sat on a wooden box and rested his head against the wall. Waiting was always hard. If the brigadier had still been alive he could have gone with them, instead he had to delegate and let others take the risks.
‘Why don’t you snatch some sleep, sir?’ the sergeant told him. ‘I’ll wake you if you’re needed.’
‘I won’t be able to sleep until we’re safely out of this place. You can if you want to.’
The sergeant shook his head.
‘Let’s take a walk round then and see how preparations are going for the move.’ Dan hauled himself to his feet.
They spent the next hour touring the camp and talking to the men. They were naturally curious and concerned about the situation so Dan gathered them together and explained fully what was happening. All of a sudden there was a loud explosion, followed by another and another. The men were all on their feet staring at the flames leaping into the air as trees caught fire on the hill.
‘Looks like they did it, sir,’ one of the men shouted.
‘Lieutenant!’ Dan yelled. ‘Get ready to move out now while there’s confusion on that hill.’
The men moved with such speed that they were on their way in only five minutes and making their way towards the blaze. They moved in complete silence in case there was trouble lurking ahead of them. They had gone some way when Dan saw movement in a clump of bushes beside the road. He lifted his hands and everyone stopped quickly, and formed a defensive position. The breath hissed out of him in relief when he saw Adams and Walker step out grinning. They were followed by Helen, Harry and the two resistance men. They all appeared to be in good spirits and unhurt, which took a weight off Dan’s shoulders.
‘We’ve dealt with the guns, sir, and as many of the Germans as we could, but we think there are still a few hiding up there. They might cause a bit of trouble, but we should be able to deal with them all right.’
‘Well done!’ Dan shook hands with the Frenchmen and thanked them. Then he smiled at Helen and Harry. ‘You’ve probably saved a lot of lives, and we are grateful. What are you going to do now?’
‘Stay with you until you meet up with the others. We’ll scout ahead so you won’t know we’re there unless we spot trouble, then we’ll alert you.’
Dan nodded. ‘We are in your debt.’
Helen gave a quiet laugh. ‘You shouldn’t say things like that, Daniel. We might want to collect one day.’
‘Anything – anytime,’ he replied.
‘Oh, I can see why Grace liked working with you so much.’ She lifted her hand in a wave and the group melted away.
If there were Germans still on the hill they made no move to attack the troops and they passed that spot without incident. They made good progress for three days,
meeting only sporadic resistance. There had been no sign of Helen or her companions as they moved forward, but Dan was sure they were out there. Then one evening Helen and Harry appeared.
‘There’s a large contingent of British troops over the next rise,’ Harry told Dan. ‘I’m leaving you now to rejoin my unit. I want to be with them when Paris is liberated. The information I have is that it could happen within the next couple of weeks.’
‘Good luck, Harry.’ Dan shook his hand. ‘It’s been good to meet you, and thanks for your help.’
‘My pleasure.’ Harry hugged Helen and spoke quietly in her ear, then turned and strode away.
‘Where are the others?’ Dan wanted to know.
‘They have returned to their villages.’ She looked up at Dan. ‘About that favour?’
‘Name it.’
‘My work here is finished and I need to send a message to get picked up. When we reach your troops would you persuade them to let me use their wireless set?’
‘Of course. You’ll be glad to get home.’
Helen nodded and sighed. ‘I’ve been lucky to avoid capture for so long, Daniel. Many others have not been so fortunate.’
Dan studied the slim girl in front of him, noting just how weary she was. ‘I’ll see you get home, Helen.’
‘Thank you.’