The Boy and the Battleship

by Christopher Cummings

  “Bloody mines!” Graham growled. “What have we got that can sweep mines?” He was uncomfortably aware that he had not purchased any minesweepers, even though they were on the price list.

  “Any ship could, by streaming Oropesa sweeps or paravanes,” Peter explained. “Although they risk hitting a mine while they do it.”

  “Only if they are moored contact mines,” Graham said, remembering the lecture on the LCH. “If they are Influence Mines they have to be located by a minehunter, then blown up by divers or robot subs.”

  “These are the old types anchored on a wire,” Peter replied. “Our game is before all those new types.”

  “But how did the minesweepers get rid of the mines without being blown up themselves?” Paul asked.

  Graham could answer that. “They couldn’t. They just had to run the risk; but they were small and cheap so the navy could afford to lose them. But they could sweep a wide channel and mark it with buoys.”

  “Sounds pretty dangerous then,” Paul commented.

  “I think it was,” Graham agreed. He had been grappling with how to get his fleet of big ships safely back to harbour, at least till he could deal with the subs. In the end he had to use his two corvettes as minesweepers while the destroyers held off the subs and counter-attacked them. Graham managed to get his fleet in, but lost one of the corvettes on a mine. The other had to stay to replace the missing boom defence vessel. The big ships were saved but the game came to an inconclusive end from lack of time, the mines and subs having driven both battle squadrons to the safety of their harbours.

  “That was a bloody good game,” Graham replied, “but I hated those mines. We should ban the bloody things.”

  “No! They were good!” Paul cried.

  “I will get a few minesweepers next time,” Graham said.

  As Graham went downstairs with Peter he glanced into the workshop under the house. “What model is that Pete?” he asked, catching sight of another ship under construction.

  “You weren’t supposed to see that till Sunday,” Peter laughed. “Come and look. She is my new carrier.”

  The model was of an aircraft carrier. It was fully 80cm long and already had a flight deck crammed with thirty planes and lined with AA guns. It was a model of a US Essex-class carrier and really excited Graham’s envy. He noted that Peter had glued the cardboard flight deck to a thin sheet of balsa, which made it much smoother and stronger. He had also lined the hull with cardboard to hide the rough wood and that made it look even better. By comparison, Graham’s model of the Glorious looked quite shabby.

  That inspired him to another burst of model building. As he rode home he vowed to match Peter’s carrier. As soon as he got there he opened books with pictures of carriers and decided that he would make the British equivalent: HMS Indomitable. Plans were hastily drawn and a baulk of pine found for the hull. It was only 75cm long but was the best he could find. He set to work to saw and rasp it into shape.

  Once again his mother ordered him to bed. He retired resentfully and lay dreaming of the models he would make and how he would beat Alex and Max next weekend.

  Next weekend! That is when these Yank ships arrive. What on earth should I do? he worried. But he dropped off to sleep undecided.

  Chapter 32

  DECISION

  As he rode to school on Thursday Graham knew he had to make a decision about the conversation he had overheard. All the arguments for and against churned around in his brain. He tried to tell himself it was none of his business; but he knew that was not true. The fact that it bothers me so much means I can’t just ignore it and hope it will go away, he thought.

  On arrival at school he met Thelma and she helped increase the pressure he felt. She smiled and was friendly and even brushed against him several times so that his heart began to thump eagerly and his hopes shot up. Somehow he kept talking about anything but ships, but all the while he turned over in his mind how to find out if Thelma was going to be involved in the demonstration. The question was becoming urgent.

  Those two ships arrive tomorrow, he thought. I have to know. Oh! What should I do?

  At that moment Graham made his decision: he would tell someone in authority. But who? As he puzzled over this he saw Andrew Collins in the distance. Andrew might know, he thought. So he caught up with Andrew, who grinned and said, “Hi Graham! Not sitting with the love of your life today?”

  Is it that obvious? Graham wondered. He shrugged and grunted, then said, “Andrew, I’ve got a bit of a problem. Could you spare me a minute?”

  “Sure. What is it?”

  Graham led Andrew out of the stream of students and outlined what he had overheard. As he finished he asked: “Who do you think I should tell?”

  Andrew rubbed his chin and frowned. “You could tell the CO. He would know who to pass it on to. Let’s ask big sister. She will know.”

  So they sought out Carmen and Graham had to retell the story. He found it harder this time as it involved recounting how he had been kissing Thelma and that hurt as it was private and very personal. He glossed over what he and Thelma were doing in the garden and concentrated on what he had overheard.

  Carmen agreed with Andrew. “I think you should tell Commander Hazard. He will know what to do. But you had better hurry. The ships come in tomorrow afternoon.”

  “How do I get in touch with him?” Graham asked.

  “At his work I suppose. He has a ship’s chandlery down near Portsmith,” Carmen replied.

  Graham did rapid calculations. To get to Portsmith he needed his bike. I was hoping to walk home with Thelma after school, he thought, but his estimation of timings made it rapidly apparent he would not have time to do both. He bit his lip as the cruel choice became clear. “Perhaps I could phone him?” he suggested.

  Carmen nodded. “Yes, do that first,” she agreed. “Come on, there’s the bell. We will be late for class.”

  Graham made his way unhappily to class. What will I say to Thelma? Will I even tell her? he agonized. He felt very much the traitor yet perversely felt relieved at having made the decision and told someone. On arrival at the classroom he saw that Thelma was already seated with Janet. Thelma met his eye and smiled quizzically.

  Graham smiled back but he felt sick inside as he did. Will I tell her? What will I say? he wondered. All through the morning lessons he sat mulling over his options, steadily becoming more and more miserable. How will I face her? he wondered.

  At morning break he got part of the answer. He went to the tuckshop but Thelma wasn’t there. So he walked over to where she normally sat. As he came around the corner he saw Janet talking to Jerry Denham. He heard Janet say: “She says he is SO boring; and that he is such a…”

  Denham saw Graham and flicked his eyes significantly. Janet stopped in mid-sentence and turned. Her lip curled and she said sarcastically, “Oh hello sailor. How is your battleship this morning?”

  “Fine thanks,” Graham replied, trying to sound off-hand. He was hurt but did not want to show it. Was she talking about me? he wondered. Was Janet repeating something Thelma had told her? What was he? He felt annoyed and embarrassed. But still hopeful he kept on walking, his mind seething with worry and resentment.

  Then, in the distance Graham saw Thelma, but it took him an effort of will to walk over to her. He wanted to find out if what he had overheard was about him but could not think of a way to even hint at it.

  Thelma smiled and seemed quite happy to see him which calmed his fears somewhat. They sat and chatted until the bell went. But during the middle session classes Graham sat with maggots of doubt crawling in his brain.

  At lunch time he got part of his answer. He saw Denham talking to Edmonson and he made a point of walking past close enough to overhear them. As Graham approached, neither Denham nor Edmonson noticed him. Denham said, “You bring the placards and…” At that moment he saw Graham and he stopped talking and gave Graham a sidelong glance that had no friendliness in it.

  Edmonson w
as worse. “What do you want anal cadet? Piss off and mind your own business.”

  Graham went red. He made no reply but kept on walking. The insult had cut deep and he resented it very much. Mongrels, he thought. I’ll show you! I will tell the authorities. That will spoil your plans.

  After that Graham had to sit through the boring afternoon lessons while all he wanted to do was rush off to tell Lt Cdr Hazard. As he sat there mulling over his options he became steadily more and more miserable.

  When the final bell went Graham packed up slowly, still hoping he could somehow find the time to walk Thelma home, and then go to see Lt Cdr Hazard. To add to the pressure she put him on a spot immediately by asking: “Are you walking with me Graham?”

  Faced with her bright eyes and smile he gave in. “Yes, if you like,” he replied.

  She smiled again and while chatting about nothing continued to pack her school bag. They walked down the stairs together and Graham collected his bike and met her at the side gate. For the next 20 minutes they strolled slowly along. As they did he agonized over the possible future of their relationship.

  Thelma suddenly said, “What’s wrong? You seem a bit unhappy.”

  Graham nodded. His throat choked up and he blurted out, “I am. I’m worried about tomorrow. Are you going to be in this demonstration against the American ships?”

  Thelma raised her eyebrows then said, “Yes, I am. Do you object?”

  That put him right on the spot. His mind raced. If I answer this wrong I could lose her, he thought desperately. But equally he did not want to lie. “I would prefer you didn’t,” he replied.

  “Well I’m going to. I might like you, but I don’t like warships, particularly nuclear armed ones,” she replied.

  Graham was about to bite back and ask her how she knew they were nuclear armed but he held his tongue. He did not want a fight with her. After all he now had his answer. “I am just worrying. I don’t want you to get hurt, or to get into trouble,” he said.

  “How could I get into trouble?” she asked.

  “The police might arrest you,” Graham replied lamely.

  Thelma snorted. “Piffle! They only arrest one or two and they never charge them with anything.”

  Graham struggled for words but did not want to remind her of what she may have overheard in the garden too. Instead, he said, “I will be going to watch them tie up.”

  Thelma grinned. “Ooh good! You can join us then.”

  Graham shook his head. “I will be with the navy cadets.”

  She turned her nose up. “Oh them!”

  They walked in uncomfortable silence for a while. Graham managed to change the subject. It was too painful and he did not want to let on what he was planning to do. He felt a real Judas. At the corner of her street they stopped. She asked, “Are you coming over for afternoon tea?”

  Graham shook his head. “No. I… I’m going to Peter’s again,” he lied. The words nearly choked in his throat.

  Thelma nodded and said, “OK. Have a good time. See you tomorrow.”

  Graham nodded. He felt so miserable he did not trust himself to speak. Thelma turned abruptly and walked off and he stood and watched her for a minute. Once she looked back, frowned then waved. He waved and turned away. For the next block he struggled with his conscience.

  I can still change my mind. I don’t have to tell anyone, he argued.

  But sadly he realized he already had. Carmen and Andrew knew. The heart of the matter, he admitted to himself, was that he did not want to betray or hurt Thelma. With a great sigh he stopped at Peter’s. He was at home and busy mass-producing another hundred Russian tanks. He came to the door at Graham’s knock.

  “G’day Graham. I didn’t think you were coming over this arvo. Paul’s not here so we can’t play.”

  “That’s all right Pete. I just wanted to use your telephone if I could,” Graham replied.

  Peter grinned. “Sure, as long as you aren’t ringing London long distance,” he replied. He led Graham in to the phone. “Afternoon tea?” he asked then tactfully withdrew, leaving Graham alone. For several minutes Graham stood and looked at the phone as though it was something liable to bite him. Tears were close and he felt terribly torn. With a shudder he reached down and picked up the phone book. A minute of searching provided him with the number he needed. Then he sat and again looked at the phone.

  Peter put his head in the door. “Go on, ring her. She can only say no,” he said. He went away again. The comment struck deep. Graham sighed and picked up the handset. His secret hope that Lt Cdr Hazard might not be there was squashed instantly. The CO answered the call.

  “Hello, who’s that speaking?” he asked.

  “Recruit Kirk sir,” Graham replied. He faltered, even now wishing he had not made the call and wanting to back out.

  “Yes? What do you want? Graham isn’t it?”

  “Yes sir. Sir, it’s… it’s something I’ve heard. I… I don’t want to say over the phone. But I think you should know about it.”

  “I see. Is it about cadets?” Lt Cdr Hazard asked, plainly puzzled and concerned.

  “Well… sort of sir. It concerns those two American ships that are arriving tomorrow. I have overheard the demonstrator’s plans. They are going to cause trouble and have a big demo planned. I… I wondered who I should tell,” Graham said.

  There was a moments silence while the CO absorbed this. Then he said, “Can you tell me more?”

  “Yes sir,” Graham replied. Now that he had started he felt the need to explain. Taking care with his wording he gave an outline of what he had heard. This took quite a while and during it Peter twice glanced in to see if he was finished and to tell him afternoon tea was ready.

  When Graham finished, Lt Cdr Hazard said, “This sounds serious Graham. Where are you now?”

  “At my friend’s place sir. I can come over if you wish,” he answered.

  “No. That is a long way for you to ride. I’ll tell you what; I will do some enquiring. Could you be home at your house after 5 o’clock? I can’t just leave work. Would that be all right?” Lt Cdr Hazard asked.

  “Yes sir. I will do that.”

  “Fine. What is your address?”

  Graham gave the CO his home address and phone number. Lt Cdr Hazard then thanked him and rang off. Feeling both relieved and upset Graham hung up.

  Peter appeared in the doorway. “Did she turn you down?” he asked sympathetically, seeing Graham’s long face.

  “It wasn’t a girl,” Graham replied. “It was the CO of the navy cadets. Sorry. I can’t tell you about it. How is your aircraft carrier coming along?”

  “Finished,” Peter replied. “Come and eat.”

  He led the way to the kitchen. Graham glanced at the wall clock and saw that it was only 4pm—an hour yet. Feeling nervous and tense he sat down and began to discuss model ships over cordial and biscuits.

  Peter asked: “Are we still going to play Battleships on Sunday?”

  “Yes,” Graham replied. He hesitated then asked in turn: “I am going down to the wharf tomorrow afternoon to watch these two American warships come in. Would you like to come?”

  “Yeah. Should be quite an event,” Peter replied. “I’ve heard that there is going to be a real demo against them. Apparently there are several busloads of demonstrators coming from Townsville and other places to take part.”

  “Who told you that?” Graham asked sharply.

  Peter raised his eyes at Graham’s tone but replied: “I heard two of the Year 12 girls talking about it; that Ozgood sheila and another one,” Peter replied.

  Graham nodded and felt even more unhappy. Peter looked hard at him then said, “That’s what is bugging you isn’t it? Your beloved is friends with Janet Ozgood and they are both anti-navy.”

  Struggling to hold back tears Graham nodded again. “I’d better go home. I am expecting visitors at 5 o’clock,” he said.

  They said goodbye and Graham got on his bike and pedalled home. This ti
me he detoured away from Thelma’s street. Without thinking about it he went along the street Margaret lived in and, as luck would have it, she was out in her front yard. She saw him and her face lit up. She waved. He waved back, feeling a sharp stab of guilt as he did.

  “I can’t stop,” he called. “I have to be home by 5 o’clock.” Poor kid! he thought. He felt a heel.

  At home Graham found Alex making more German tanks. He chased Graham out of his room. Feeling very upset Graham retreated to his veranda and sat to work on his new model aircraft carrier. By then he was strongly regretting having contacted Lt Cdr Hazard and wished he could somehow back out. As he worked he continually kept glancing out at the street. Kylie came home with another friend, Emma. She put her bike away and came up the steps.

  “Home already?” she asked.

  “Yes,” Graham replied defensively.

  “Did you walk little Miss Rabble Rouser home again?”

  Graham was shocked. How did Kylie know he had walked Thelma home? He reacted. “She isn’t a rabble-rouser!”

  Kylie curled her lip. “Yes she is. I saw her with a group of them yesterday afternoon; that bearded fellow who led the demo the day we visited the HMAS Hobart. Besides, I’ve heard even worse about her,” she said.

  Graham went red, remembering the scene of Thelma and the other girls topless on the yacht. There had been quite a few comments about it at school. He was appalled that the gossip might have gone from his High School to Kylie’s Primary School.

  At that moment their mother arrived home. As soon as she came upstairs Graham met her. “Hello mum. I hope you don’t mind but Lt Cdr Hazard is coming over to see me soon.”

  His mother at once frowned and looked worried. “You aren’t in some sort of trouble?”

  “No mum. It… it’s something I heard. He wants to hear the full story. It’s not about cadets.”

  Kylie heard the tail end of this and Graham did not want her or Alex to know any more so he clammed up. To avoid further questioning he went out to the front and waited. The minutes then dragged past, Graham becoming more anxious with every one.