Love Conquers All Page 2

  Chapter Two

  The next few days were happy ones for Alex. Ruth was never out of his thoughts and he had to endure much leg pulling and many crude remarks. He took everything in his stride and even did his guard duty with a smile; a difficult thing to do when you had very little sleep and then only on three wooden planks, a few inches off the floor of the guardroom. He had not seen Ruth for three nights.

  Saturday night was to be his big night. He had asked her to go to the pictures with him and so he was being very careful with his money this week. Jackie Emmerson had to do without his cup of char and a wad (tea and cake) from Alex. Jackie regularly lost all his money playing brag and relied on Alex to buy him a cup of tea and a cake in the NAAFI. Saturday came at last. The morning was always spent in conservancy, the cleaning of the hut, when everyone was given a task to do before the officer inspected the room. Alex had been given the windows to clean, a thankless task and he groaned for he hated the job and no one would change.

  Suddenly the alarm bells went and the sergeant appeared, chasing them outside. There they paraded on the square, everyone dressed in their working clothes and cursing at the waste of time. The colonel arrived to address them. He had ordered the practice alarm and he had been very pleased indeed with the speed of arrival on the square. He had called them together to tell them that there was a possibility of an invasion and that they must be on the alert at all times. The soldiers listened, with only half-interest in what he was saying, until they heard him say that the whole camp was confined to barracks till further notice. There was a muttering in the ranks, which was quelled immediately by the sergeant and the soldiers were dismissed.

  Alex walked back to the barrack room in a daze. What about his date? How could he get a message to Ruth? His thoughts were rudely interrupted by the hut corporal who threatened to beat him if he didn’t get the windows clean. Later he questioned the sergeant about the invasion and about the fate of anyone absent on the square. The sergeant was quite explicit in his reply.

  “They used to shoot absentees, Sapper Waters, but now they only put them away for 28 days.” Alex gasped, 28 days for being absent. “Yes,” said the sergeant, “28 days in a military prison my son and that is H*** I can tell you.”

  Alex dropped the subject and drifted away. Ruth lived only eight hundred yards out of camp. Surely he could sneak out and back in a few minutes. If he didn’t see her she would probably go to Salisbury and someone else may take her home. He was in a panic at the thought of it. He confided his thoughts to Jackie Emmerson who, in his broad, Geordie accent, chastised him strongly. “Ye must be mad hinney! Ne lass is worth 28 days in detention. She’ll knaa ya in camp. Aa’l the village will knaa noo. Howay, buy me a cup of char.”

  Alex strolled miserably up to the canteen where he, Jackie and a few friends had their cups of weak tea. Subdued and fed up, he decided to have a walk and quietly left his pals playing cards. He walked around the perimeter of the camp, taking notice of every building and their proximity to the camp fence, a six-foot high wired fence, topped with barbed wire. Alex stopped to look at the gymnasium, it was a large building with small room attached to it. The roof was sloping and he saw that the roof edge was a little higher than the fence. Anyone sliding down the roof would clear the fence. That was fine. He could get on to the roof and, sliding down would be simple. The question was, how would he get back? He walked on, passed the drill shed and came to the back of the Guard Room. He examined it carefully and saw that there was a narrow gap between the fence and the building. If he could only get past the sentry, he could slip through the gap and he would be safe in camp.

  He moved back and joined the road a few yards from the main gate. He pretended he was looking over the plain admiring the scenery but in reality he was watching the sentry, observing his movements, and working out the odds on being able to slip through the gate while he marched across the road. It would be a close thing for he knew only too well that the rifle would be loaded and some soldiers were very light-fingered on the trigger.

  Alex walked back to his hut and slipped on his canvas gym shoes. Fortunately the room was empty so no one questioned his changing from ammunition boot to shoes. He disappeared quietly into the dusk. Climbing the gym was easy for Alex was a very agile, fit young man. He paused only a second, praying that he would clear the obstacle. He had no wish to be entangled in the barbed wire. Down he slid, clearing it by inches and twisting slightly to land on his feet outside the camp on the football field. Elated, he glanced around. No one had seen him for no cries could be heard. He set off at a lope and was soon at the garden gate of his girlfriend. Here he stopped. He didn’t want to go to the door and knock. What could he do? He smiled and puckering his lips began to whistle, ‘The Rose of Tralee’. He waited and his heart sank. He could neither hear, nor see any movement in the house.

  Alex was about to turn away when he heard a sound. He waited and to his joy he saw Ruth coming down the path. She came up to the gate and smiled shyly. “I thought that you were all confined to barracks, so I stayed in,” she murmured.

  Alex felt a surge of emotion. He needn’t have worried, she had stayed in. “I had to see you for a moment so I climbed over the fence. I can’t stay long however, for if I am caught I will be put in prison.” he said, taking hold of her hands.

  “I know that. I’ll be worried now in case you’re caught. It was really nice of you to come but please leave me now.”

  “Please may I kiss you before I go?” Ruth moved closer and lifted her face. Alex took her in his arms and kissed her. Looking into her eyes, he whispered, “I love you.” And he fled back up the road, leaving a slightly bewildered girl to go back into the house to explain her absence.

  Alex arrived at the football field and walked to about forty yards from the main gate. Here he dropped to the ground. He could feel his heart thumping, he wasn’t sure whether it was the meeting with Ruth causing it, or the task in hand. He lay still for a few minutes and then as the sentry turned to go back across the road, he rose silently and darted to a position a few yards from the gate. He looked up and thanked the Lord for the dark night, with no moon. He watched again and moved to within a yard of the fence, knowing that within seconds he would either be free in camp or in the guardroom. Just as he was about to rise for the final move into camp the Guard Room door opened and the N.C.O. of the guard came out onto the veranda.

  Alex froze, keeping his white face hidden in the grass. After a few pleasantries, the soldier went back inside and Alex breathed easily again. Now was the moment. The guard slowly and deliberately marched across his beat, his thoughts, no doubt, were with his friends or loved ones and Alex glided to the gate and in three strides was hidden in the gap. Here he paused, listening to see if the guard had been alarmed but all Alex could hear was the clump of the heavy army boots. He squeezed along the side of the building and as he did so he could hear the off-duty guards talking. Once behind the Guard Room Alex shot off across the square to the barrack room. He could hear laughter and much talking and he realized that he would not have much time to get to his room without being seen by one of his friends. Luck was with him and soon he had changed his shoes and when his friends came back into the room he was lying on his bed reading a book.

  Jackie spoke to him and for a brief moment he lowered the book, looked at Jackie and winked slowly and deliberately. Jackie looked at him in utter disbelief and shook his head. He was wise enough to say nothing while the room was full. Alex was content, he held a book but couldn’t read a word. He had seen Ruth, kissed her and had told her of his love. He had a girlfriend now. Perhaps she had a photograph he could have to adorn his cupboard like the rest of the soldiers in the room.

  The near escape did not frighten Alex. He was determined to get out to see Ruth and wondered how he could do it without fear of being caught by the guard. An opportunity came two days later. Being a Royal Engineer meant that he had to learn to dig trenches. These had to be dug during daylight and in th
e dark. The Company had to parade at 7pm, then walk on to Salisbury Plain where they were to dig these trenches. The soldiers lined up in single file. Alex was between Ted and Jackie, his two best friends. Slowly they moved forward, each soldier taking possession of a pick and shovel. When all had collected their tools they left the camp and marched on to the wide open spaces aside, unnoticed in the dark. He waited until all the soldiers had passed, hid his tools under a bush and departed to see his girlfriend. Ruth was delighted to see him, but queried as to why she had not seen any soldiers passing by. He told her what he had done.

  “Oh Alex! You shouldn’t do these things! If you get caught you’ll be sent away to prison!” said Ruth.

  “I know that, but it’s worth the risk just to see you. I think you’re lovely!” Alex replied, smiling at her.

  The two hours passed quickly, then kissing her quickly he left to run to where he had left his pick and shovel. He had just found the bush and retrieved his tools when he heard the sound of marching boots, and the occasional clanging of a loose tools. Suddenly out of the darkness loomed the figures of his friends and swiftly he joined them on the way back to camp. Having handed in his tools he joined his friends again. Suddenly Jackie looked at him and shaking his head said, “Hell! Have you been down that village again Alex?”

  “What makes you think that Jackie?” asked Alex.

  “Well, look at you! Your battledress is spotless! Look at ours, they are white from all that chalk we dug up. You’d better make yourself scarce before the Sergeant sees you.”

  Alex grinned, waved his hand at them and disappeared to his room. That was a lovely evening, he thought! After a few days the curfew was lifted except for the soldiers on duty and Alex was able to meet his girlfriend. Ruth had left him on the previous occasion feeling excited for it was her first kiss and she too was thrilled by the unexpected happening. They were so happy together but all too quickly Alex had to leave to get back to camp before ‘lights out’.

  One day Jackie Emmerson came into the barrack room chuckling. “Have you seen Orders?” he said, “Go and read them.”

  Alex rose; it must be important or amusing for Jackie to insist on anyone reading Daily Orders. He walked to the notice board and glanced at the routine, then stopped. He couldn’t believe it. He read it again.‘10122342 Sapper Waters A. promoted to Acting/unpaid Lance Corporal.’ He dashed back into the room to find Jackie and his other friends standing to attention in mock servility. Alex dived at them and for a few minutes there was chaos and then they fell upon him, congratulating him, slapping him and demanding free drinks in the NAAFI later that night. They chased him to the QM stores to get his chevrons and when he returned, insisted that he sewed them on then and there.

  “I can’t sew,” he protested, “I’ll take them to Salisbury tomorrow.”

  “You wait,” said Jackie, “Ted Jobson in the next room will stitch them on for you. He was a tailor before he was called up. Come on. Let’s go and see him.”

  Ted Jobson was reading a book when the two men entered. “Ted, Alex’s just been made up. Will you stitch on his stripes for him?” Ted looked up.

  “Yes, but it will cost you a bob. I’ve got thread and needles to buy.”

  Jackie was going to protest but Alex thrust the chevrons into Ted’s hand, took off his jacket and said, “Here you are, here’s my jacket,” and dipping his hand into his pocket, produced a shilling and gave it to him. “We’ll be back in an hour,” he shouted happily, leaving the tailor to get on with his job.

  Alex’s thoughts were on Ruth. Wait till he saw her tomorrow night. Would she see the stripes on his arm or would he have to tell her? He hoped that his friends would not give away his secret.

  Ruth was absolutely delighted when she discovered the promotion. He helped her to notice it by turning sideways occasionally until she saw the stripe. She clutched his arm in surprise. “Don’t you think I deserve a kiss?” he said, smiling.

  “Not here Alex. There are people about,” she whispered, shyly. There was no doubt she was pleased, he could see it in her eyes.

  --0--

  Christmas came but he didn’t get home to High Spen. The whole camp of soldiers had been vaccinated and out of the thousand men, only twenty four were passed fit for duty so they had to do guards on alternate nights for a week. Alex felt groggy himself, but if he had reported sick he would have been confined to camp and so he would have missed seeing his beloved Ruth.

  He had been accepted by her family her three brothers looked up to him. The two older brothers played football for Winterbourne and had persuaded Alex to play for them and soon his skills were noted. He had met most of Ruth’s aunts and uncles and liked them all. One insisted on pulling his leg about Ruth just to see him blush, for Alex was still a shy boy at heart.

  Ruth’s grandmother was an invalid, she had had a stroke but was still well enough to want the Annual Party to be held at her house at Christmas. Her large family agreed and to everyone’s surprise she insisted that Ruth took her boyfriend as well. Alex went hot and cold when Ruth told him, and she went into peals of laughter at the sight of his face. He was nervous at the thought. There would be about sixteen people there, all related, and himself. He tried to excuse himself but Ruth would not accept a refusal, so Alex had to agree to spend Christmas afternoon in Winterbourne.

  A few days before the holiday Alex was detailed to be NCO in charge of the PAD centre, a cleansing room for gas casualties in time of an attack. This meant that he could not go far from the Centre in case the alarm went off. It was seldom that the alarm bell went in the evening. It was usually about two o’clock in the morning when the soldiers, half asleep, had to report to their various stations. Alex knew this and decided to take a chance and walked down to the village to see Ruth at home. Ruth was surprised, she had been told by Jackie that he would be on duty. They spent a very pleasant hour together and then horror of horrors, in the distance, could be heard the alarm bell. Alex jumped up, startled, grabbed his hat and ran. It was about eight hundred yards to the camp and never has a half-mile been covered so quickly. He raced past the astonished guard and straight to the PAD centre. He hadn’t time to collect his respirator. He turned the corner and there talking to the rest of the picket was the Regimental Sergeant Major. Alex stopped short, what was his excuse? He marched smartly up to the RSM. “L/Cpl Waters reporting for duty sir.”

  The RSM turned slowly, his face was red, and his moustache bristled. “Well Corporal Waters, so you have decided to join us, how nice of you.” Alex quivered, he knew the RSM only too well. When he used such sarcasm there was going to be a storm. He was right, the RSM gave him a ten minute lecture on the subject of security, interposed with a few lurid descriptions of one L/Cpl Waters. Having finished he told Alex to report to the Orderly Room at 0900 hrs. next day.

  Alex walked slowly back to his billet, trying hard to think of a suitable excuse for being late on parade. Suffice to say that at 0900 hrs. L/Cpl Waters was marched into the Orderly Room by the RSM and at 0906 hrs. Sapper Waters was marched out of the Orderly Room by the RSM.

  Alex went back to the barrack room to find that instead of being taunted by his friends, he was quite a hero. The underdog was being taken care of. Ruth was waiting next night anxious to hear what had happened and was very upset at the news.

  “You lost your stripe because of me,” she said.

  “I’d lose more than a stripe for you dear,” he replied gallantly, “I love you”.

  She looked at him for a moment then kissed him. “Please don’t take any more risks for me,” she said quietly, “I’ll wait for you.”

  Alex went to the Christmas party as a private soldier but luckily Ruth had spread the word and no one mentioned it except Ruth’s favourite aunt, who whispered in his ear, “Ain’t love grand?” and Alex blushed to the roots of his hair. He behaved himself as a gentleman and took great care with his speech. Since meeting Ruth he had lost most of his Tyneside accent, although he had not and could no
t imitate the softness of the Southern accent.

  The village hall was a popular venue for the soldiers and when the committee held a dance there, it was packed with men keen to dance with the village girls who turned out in force. Most of these men were good dancers, whereas Alex could not dance. It was on these occasions that he cursed his shyness of his pre-war days when the village youth descended on the colliery welfare halls and learnt to dance and he did not go – preferring to cycle, camp or, on a summer’s night, to play tennis.

  Ruth was an extremely good dancer, carrying herself regally around the floor and so she never missed a dance at these functions. One Saturday night a soldier had persistently asked her to dance in spite of having been warned off with a baleful glance from Alex. On returning Ruth to her seat he passed a remark to the fuming Alex whose jealousy took control and he told the soldier to stay clear, or else………..

  Ruth heard all this and was incensed – so much so that she left the dance immediately, forbidding him to follow her. Alex walked miserably home, a dejected suitor, well aware that his jealousy had led to this. How could he live without her? He spent a dreadful night and his woebegone face told his own story to his friends who laughed but expressed no sympathy.

  The next evening he walked down to the village hoping to see Ruth but there was no sign of her as he dawdled past her window. Her brother, Alan, then came out. As he was passing, Alex told him the story. Alan listened and then said “Why don’t you come to Salisbury with me. I’m going to Johnson’s for dancing lessons, it’s only a shilling a lesson. Once you’ve learnt you’ll have no more trouble.”

  Alex looked at him, grinned and agreed to go with him. This went on for several nights and Alex quickly picked up dancing.

  Ruth studiously avoided him for a week and then he met her in the Church Hall. Alex went up to her and apologized profusely, his eyes begging her to make it up. She looked at him and saw that he had suffered, as she herself had, and she smiled. Life began again for Alex and he went back to barracks with a light heart and a spring in his step. A few days later Alex was chosen with another three soldiers and a sergeant to build a shelter in the copse above the camp. The job entailed chopping down several trees and making a frame for a crude shelter. The sergeant explained what they were going to do and work began. Suddenly a tree fell the wrong way and trapped the sergeant’s foot. The injury necessitated the sergeant going back to camp for medical treatment. He told Alex to carry on. Alex did so and eventually the job was completed and they returned to camp, reporting the job completion to the sergeant who was surprised but delighted at the result.

  The task was inspected next morning by a young officer and later that day, the Major sent for Alex, congratulated him and promoted him to A/U/L/Cpl, adding that he hoped he would keep this one a little longer than he had kept the last one. Alex couldn’t wait to get down to the village to pass on the good news.

  --0--

  Several happy weeks went by and then Alex received some news which he accepted with mixed feelings. His unit had to go to France to join B.E.F. His joy at seeing some action and travelling abroad was tempered with the thought of leaving Ruth. He had known for some time that he would be going abroad but it did not lessen the sorrow of parting. Ruth accepted it well for she knew that it was a Training Battalion and that the soldiers were training for war. There was a sad farewell evening and Alex left Ruth at her gate, both with tears in their eyes. Next day however, provided a surprise. The departure was delayed for a month and they were confined to barracks. Alex had been prepared for some while for this possibility and had persuaded Ruth to volunteer to help in the Y.M.C.A canteen in the camp twice a week. He then went to his Major and explained with blue eyes wide open, that his girlfriend was working in the Y.M.C.A. and had to walk, alone, down to the village at 10 pm. Could he obtain permission to walk her home afterwards? The Major looked at Alex, suppressing a smile and gravely accepted that it was a gallant thing he was wanting to do and that he agreed to it. Shouting for the Sergeant Major, he instructed him to give L/Cpl Waters a pass to go out two nights a week. The Sergeant Major’s eyes bulged and his lips twitched as he carried out the order.

  “You’ll go far in this man’s army son,” he said. So Alex was the only soldier in the camp who left the barracks at night and everyone admitted that he deserved the girl after what he had done.

  The delay in going abroad was short-lived and soon he was on a troop ship en route to France, together with another thousand men and hundreds of gas bombs. Life took on a new meaning for both the young lovers. Ruth wrote weekly to Alex, promising to be faithful and giving him all the local news, while he learned all about War, and the French. He was horrified when some of his friends tried hard to get him to visit certain houses in France and felt sick when they spoke of their ‘adventures’. Alex spent most of his time writing letters to Ruth, long letters, full of love and hope for the future. He didn’t drink anything intoxicating so the fact that ‘vin ordinaire’ was only 2d a bottle meant nothing to him.

  The first few months passed quite quickly and gas training carried on as normal, then one day all the gas and appliances were taken away and Alex became involved in preparing bridges for demolition as a Royal Engineer.

  News was filtering through that the Germans had broken through and this was confirmed when the Major moved the Company to defend a hill, Mont le Quatre, a few miles away. The soldiers quickly dug in and endured the regular bombing and machine gunning from the German planes, several were wounded but Alex and his friend Jackie remained unscathed.

  A few days later the Major gathered his soldiers together and told them that he was sending them back to the beaches at Dunkirk. They would travel in parties of twelve led by a Sergeant. Alex and Jackie set off, led by Sergeant Morris. They marched smartly with their rifles hanging from their shoulders, the remainder of their kit left behind. After an hour or so, the Sergeant called a halt and ordered them into a hut on the side of the road.

  Alex and Jackie lay down, glad of a rest but the others sat around, some enjoying a smoke. Their enjoyment was cut short by the arrival of a German tank which opened fire with its machine gun. The hut disintegrated and many of the soldiers were killed or wounded. Alex and Jackie, lying on the floor escaped the bullets. A German soldier entered and with a pistol in his hand ordered them outside. The wounded were carried away and Alex and Jackie were put in the back of a lorry which contained a few prisoners. Alex was unhappy, he knew that as a prisoner of war, it would be years before he would see his beloved Ruth again. The lorry started up and made its way to a prisoner camp. Alex looked at the other prisoners and caught the eye of an old soldier who appeared to be in command of the situation. Oblivious to the German who stood against the tailboard of the lorry with a gun in his hand, the sergeant muttered to Alex, “Look out son!” and winked.

  Alex was all attention and watched as the old soldier produced a cigarette case and lit a cigarette, as an afterthought, he said to the German, “Cigarette!”

  The German paused, nodded, said “Danke,” and put his hand out to take the cigarette. In a flash, the Sergeant grabbed that hand and Alex thinking quickly grabbed the other and before the German realised what was happening, he was being thrown over the tailboard of the lorry and crashed onto the road where he lay unconscious.

  “Come on lads,” said the Sergeant and hopped over the tailboard on to the road. Alex and Jackie quickly followed and all three ran into a wood beside the road. They waited a few minutes to see if the lorry driver had seen their escape and then the old soldier said, “Off you go you two! I can’t keep up with you. I’ll be alright. Don’t worry about me!”

  Despite protestations he chased them off and they began to run and walk, run and walk. The roads were full of refugees, desperately trying to flee the Germans. They were all old people, women and children, but the Stuka dive-bombers repeatedly machine gunned them much to Alex’s anger. The two soldiers made their way to the beaches but knew that they ha
d at least 50 miles to go to get to Dunkirk.

  “Look,” said Jackie, “there’s an officer’s car in the ditch, I wonder if it is okay. Can you drive Jackie?”

  “Aye,” he replied, he was another Geordie, coming from Leadgate. They dashed to the car and Jackie switched on the engine. It started first time but of course it was in a ditch. Both men got down into the ditch and heaved and pushed until the front wheels were on the road. Fortunately, it was a light car and soon the back wheels were also out of the ditch.

  “Whacko!” shouted Jackie, “anyone for Dunkirk?” And the two young soldiers clambered into the car. They were about to move off when Alex put out his hand and stopped Jack moving off.

  “Just a minute, I heard a groan from over the hedge!” Alex looked over the hedge and saw a wounded officer lying in the field. He was a Major, a Padre from the Light Infantry. They took out their field dressings and bound up the wounds as best they could and lifted him into the car. Jack started up and once again they were on the road to Dunkirk.

  They had gone about 10 miles when Alex spotted what looked like a German tank half a mile ahead. So Jack took the next left turn and after a while they saw the town of Poperingle ahead. It was being shelled and a French Artillery Regiment was badly hit, its horses were going crazy, some were injured and some were trying to get out of the gun traces. It was utter bedlam, but Alex spotted a sign on a tree – FIELD AMBULANCE – written in English. “Stop Jackie and we will hand over the Major to the medics.”

  Jackie stopped and together they carried the wounded Padre into the hospital where he was welcomed and given medical treatment immediately. Alex and Jackie left.

  Nearing the car Alex gasped. The car was on fire! A bomb had dropped nearby setting it alight. Once again, Alex and Jack were on foot. They trudged into the town, which was virtually deserted due to the bombing. Then Alex smiled, “Manna from heaven Jack, look over yonder!”

  Jack looked, there were some bicycles leaning against the walls of a building. The cyclists, members of a French Cycle Regiment, were inside the building, leaving a sentry guarding the bicycles. “Jack, go to the far end and steal a couple of bikes whilst I talk to the sentry in my best Blaydon Grammar School French.” Jack sneaked off, while Alex engaged the sentry in a conversation using his small vocabulary of basic French. Jackie waved, unseen by the Frenchman and Alex beat a retreat to join Jackie with the bicycles. Two delighted soldiers pedalled away, grinning all over their faces. Unfortunately, the sentry had noticed two bicycles were missing and presuming the Englishman had taken them gave chase. One mile on, he caught up with the miscreants and demanded the bikes be returned. They handed them over and hurried away, not wanting to be put in a French jail.

  The two men walked on in silence, tired and weary. They had stopped at various farms asking to buy food but the farmers denied them, probably afraid of the following-up Germans. Eventually, Alex suggested that they should have a rest somewhere, and seeing an empty cottage they entered and walking upstairs found a bed and both dropped exhausted onto it. After what seemed like five minutes, but was probably two hours, Alex awoke with a start. He had heard something. Quietly he rolled out of bed, he had no weapon so he upended a small table and broke off a leg. Silently he moved downstairs. He could hear someone coming up the path. Alex stood behind the door, table leg poised to flatten any newcomer. He waited a few seconds and someone tried the door. The door opened and Alex prepared to bring his weapon down upon the intruder’s head. Suddenly he froze! The arm had a blue uniform. Alex sighed with relief; it was a French soldier, not a German. The Frenchman beckoned to two others, and they too came in. The visitors had biscuits which they shared with Alex and Jackie and there followed a light-hearted party. Dawn was breaking so Alex and Jackie decided to leave for the coast, thereby leaving the three Frenchmen to have a sleep.

  Feeling much refreshed after a short sleep, some biscuits and some black coffee they made quite a fast journey to the coast. They arrived at the coast, about five miles from Dunkirk and it was chaotic so they decided to walk to Dunkirk. They walked along the sand dunes, diving into shelter whenever the Stuka dive bombers came along, raking the dunes with machine gun fire.

  When they reached Dunkirk they stood aghast. There were thousands of men standing, sitting and lying awaiting transport home. In the harbour were naval vessels and several small boats. They reported to an officer who gave them a number which, when called out, meant there was a boat to take them home. Alex kept thinking of Ruth but also of his dear mother who was so proud of him.

  Suddenly a call came for Royal Engineers, “Come on Jackie! We’re going home,” said Alex. It was not to be. The engineers were required to build a jetty along which soldiers could walk to the boats. For two days they worked on the jetty then they were given permission to leave. They swam to a destroyer which brought them to Portsmouth, albeit lying on the deck, clothes torn and exhausted but alive.

  After two days resting in Portsmouth Castle they were given leave and soon Jackie was on his way to Newcastle and Alex to Winterbourne, before going north. The village awaited the return of the heroes and made them very welcome. Ruth waited, hoping and praying that Alex had survived; then she saw him coming up the lane, but she waited, too shy to run and meet him. She waited in the garden and her tear-stained face was a joy for Alex to see. He stayed for three days and then went home to see his mother and father, who too had prayed for his survival.