I soon caught up with them and took the lead. We crossed the first stream and headed down the trail. I intended to change direction soon. I recognised where we were. This wood was quite extensive. Dad and I had hunted here because it was so remote. We had little chance of accidentally shooting an innocent walker. There were plenty of streams and we used those to replenish our supply of water as we made our way south. At the second stream I swapped with the Corporal and we changed to a north westerly direction. It took us away from the coast and I hoped that it would throw any pursuit off. After an hour the Corporal replaced Willy. It was as we were changing over that we heard a dull crump. They all looked at me. "They have found where we bound Nev's wound. I left them a present. We are nearly there. Willy, take over from me in half an hour. Keep on this trail until then."
I was now worrying about pursuit. The Germans could move much faster than we could. I hoped that the booby trap would have hidden our trail. I knew we had another turn to come and that would, I prayed, be enough to hide us from the Germans. I whistled, "Time, Willy."
He came back and we swapped. I point to the right. "We are going through that scrubby bit of land. You go ahead and I will tidy up our tracks. Wait just over there."
Corporal Higgins said, "You are giving a lot or orders, Harsker."
"Sorry Corp. I didn't think we had time to be a debating club."
"Just so as you remember who is in charge, eh son?"
"Right Corp." They headed through the bushes and I lifted the branches and leaves through which they had trodden. It would fool a German briefly. I went down to the left and found a stubby tree. I hauled myself up to the lower branches and then swung myself to land on a few stones which lay there. I hoped from stone to stone until I caught up with my bemused comrades.
Nev laughed, "Tarzan the bloody ape man."
"Just trying to put off the pursuit."
I ran ahead and led them through a twisting path which was almost overgrown now. When we had lived there this had been much easier to use. It gave me hope that the cottage was still hidden. I approached it from the rear. There was a hedge fence and a wicker gate. The gate only opened reluctantly. The cottage looked to be deserted but I took the safety from my rifle as I went towards the door. We never kept it locked and I turned the handle. The hinges creaked as I pushed it open. The musty smell told me that no one had been here since October 1938.
"It's safe. Bring him in. There is a bed here in the back room or he can use the seat in the front room." I took off my helmet, packs and greatcoat.
I went in each room just to confirm that it was empty. I knew we needed hot water but I was reluctant to use the fire. I decided to risk it. I took some kindling and lit the stove. The dry wood would not give off smoke and we had to see to Nev. I grabbed a pan and slipped out of the front door and went to the well. I dropped the bucket and heard the reassuring splash. The well had never let us down. Dad and Uncle Ted had dug it and lined it with bricks when I was still a toddler. I filled the pan with water and went back inside.
The Corporal had cut the trousers off Nev. "How is he Corp?"
"I have no idea. I did a first aid course but this needs surgery. The bullet has gone through."
"Then we just clean it up and apply a field dressing. I have some water boiling on the stove. I reckon he needs splints."
Willy said, "I thought the water was for a cup of tea!"
For some reason that made us all laugh. "I am sure there will be enough left for tea." I turned to the Corporal. "Do you want me to give you a hand or shall I get things sorted out here, Corporal Higgins?"
"It is your house. You know where things are."
"Righto."
I had not opened the curtains when we had gone in. They were heavy duty black curtains which kept out all light. In hot, bright summers they kept the cottage cool while we were walking or out for the day. I took an oil lamp from the cupboard and lit it. "Here, Corp, it helps if you can see what you are doing."
I checked all the cupboards. I only vaguely remembered what was here. I found the tea, a little old now but still usable and a teapot. There was sugar but, obviously, no milk. I took them back into the kitchen which doubled as a sitting room. Dad had told me that was how Albert had had it and he liked the idea. It was comfortable. There were two bedrooms on one side and two on the other. Mum liked the idea that we could have guests. The rooms were cosy but they suited us. I went to the wardrobe and rummaged around. I found a pair of dad's trousers and a few pairs of spare socks. A soldier could march all day on a clean pair of socks!
When I walked in I could see that they had bandaged the leg. I threw the trousers to Nev. "Here you are. You can at least have a little dignity. I found spare socks for you all too."
"This is damned civilised, Tom." Nev's words came through gritted teeth.
"You are welcome Nev."
"I have cleaned it up as best I can but I don't think he can move for a few days."
I nodded, "We have the supplies we were given by the sergeant and we have these." I went to a cupboard and opened it. There was an array of tins. To my delight I saw some condensed milk. We could have milk with our tea. "We won't starve."
"Tom, you are a wonder. Willy, get that tea poured."
In the distance we heard the sound of an engine. Everyone started. "Don't worry. The road is a mile from here. Cars and lorries, even buses, pass up and down all the time. I will walk to the end of the lane and have a look see if it will make you all feel happier."
The Corporal nodded and I left. I suppose the Corporal was right to worry; if there were Germans on the road then we were, effectively trapped. I was gratified that the overhanging trees had not been damaged by traffic and that the track was overgrown. No one had been here for some time and we were, effectively, hidden. I did not go to the end of the track, instead I forced my way through the undergrowth and peered through the leaves. If I remained still then no one would see me. I had always been the last one to be found when we had played games of hide and seek near to the air fields when I had been growing up. I heard the steady grind of a struggling engine. An old lorry came past driven by, what I assumed, was a local farmer. I did not recognise him. After another ten minutes of watching I saw no military vehicles of any description. We were safe, for a while.
I turned to look at the cottage as I walked back up the greenway. I was gratified to see that there was barely any smoke visible from the chimney. We were so far from anyone else that the wind would dissipate the smell and the smoke. When I got back to the cottage there were just Willy and the Corporal. They were smoking and drinking tea. Willy handed me a cup. "Where's Nev?"
The Corporal gestured with his cigarette, "We put him in one of the beds. He was all in. I'm afraid the sheets will be a mess. There was a little blood seeping from the wound."
"Don't worry; mum was a nurse although I am not certain she will be back here for some time eh?"
He laughed, "Still this is a little life saver; literally. You know that even when we do move he is going to slow us down."
"I know."
"By that time our lads might have held them and started pushing them back."
We both looked at Willy who was looking cheerful. "Holden, we have barely stopped running since the Germans started their attack. What makes you think we are going to change that now?"
"The Lieutenant said that we were going to hold them at Arras."
The Corporal nodded and took out the map. He jabbed his finger at Arras. "Do you see where Arras is?"Willy nodded. "And do you see how close the coast is?"
"Yes Corp but the trenches were here in the Great War and we held them then!"
"Aye and they didn't have Stukas, heavy bombers and tanks then. No, my son, we are going to be pushed back to Blighty. As soon as Nev can move then we are going to make for Boulogne. That was one of the three places the Lieutenant mentioned. If they manage to hold them at Arras we might even make it there before them." He stubbed his cigarette out and
folded up the map. "Of course we have to work out a way how to get a one legged man more than seventy miles to Boulogne."
"Through German troops."
"Aye you are right."
I went to the cupboard and brought out a walking stick. "There is a stick here but we will need to re-splint his leg so that he can put weight on it.
"I was going to do that but we'll leave it until just before we actually leave. We need to build up his strength."
"Then we make sure that he eats for England."
Willy threw his empty cigarette packet into the stove. "Any cigarettes in this Aladdin's cave?"
I shook my head, "Sorry, Willy, dad smokes a pipe. If you find one of his old pouches here you will find some dried up tobacco inside but that's all."
He sank back into his seat, "Well that is a bugger!"
I smiled. That was the British soldier all over. He could endure almost anything so long as he had a cup of tea, an occasional meal and his cigarettes. I went to a wall cupboard and brought out a bottle of local brandy. It was rough and mum used it for cooking but it was drinkable. "Here, lads, we can all have a drink and it will help ease Nev's pain!"
"Harsker you are like Merlin the bloody magician! You'll do for me old son."
The Corporal emptied his dregs into the sink and poured himself a measure. We slept well that first night. We were so tired and full that we even forgot to set a sentry. When we woke undisturbed we risked it every night. We recovered far quicker that way.
We enjoyed three days in the cottage. Nev spent most of the time in the bedroom with his leg raised. That had been my suggestion. I had learned as much from mum about nursing as I had from dad about flying. We might have stayed longer had we not heard the distant sounds of battle coming from the south about the twenty first of May. The Corporal had more experience of these sorts of things and he estimated it to be about twenty to thirty miles south of us. We looked at the map. Arras. The Lieutenant had been right; we were trying to hold them. The morning after we were woken by the sound of heavy vehicles moving down the road. Without waiting for an order I ran down the greenway. I did not even get to the end for I saw the German trucks moving west. I ducked into the trees as I saw German infantry with them. Our holiday was over. We were going back to war.
Chapter 10
"The Germans are here!"
We had been ready for such an eventuality. Willy and I began to pack the bags with as much food as we could carry. We were leaving bare cupboards. The Corporal went to splint Nev's leg with sturdier wood we had taken from the forest. Nev would not be able to carry anything and so we split his belongings between us. We had cut two sturdy branches from the trees around the cottage and we took them with us in case we had to make a stretcher. Two greatcoats and the branches would suffice. Nev insisted that he would walk. I was not certain. That would slow us down but he was a determined man.
When he was ready I led us out of the back. There was a track which led to the village of Dadizele. We would then head to Ypres. I hoped that the Belgians still held that most symbolic of places. We intended to avoid roads. This time we were in no position to fight and run. If trouble came then we would fight and die.
The first two miles were the worst for Nev. His leg had been rested but the shock of using it brought waves of agony. After a mile we stopped and added another branch to splint both sides of his leg and that made it easier. We reached the outskirts of Ypres just after noon on that first day and we approached no further. The German flags fluttered from the buildings we could see and the road was thronged with Germans soldiers. We heard, to the north, firing.
Safe in the woods and hedges some mile or so from the road we debated our next course of action. "It looks like Ypres is out of the question. That rules out Dunkirk and Calais. It will have to be Boulogne which is closer."
"That's further to travel, Corp."
Nev shot an angry look at Willy. "We are going to get home, Willy, so button it!"
I knew it was the pain talking. I took out the compass I had picked up in the cottage. "Then we need to head a little south of west. We head for the sun."
We made slow progress across country. Corporal Higgins looked at the pain on Nev's face. "We need to use the road. We'll make quicker time."
"I'll be fine."
"I am still in charge, Wilkinson. We will wait up in those woods by the road. We will risk the road tonight."
The three of us took turns to watch while the others slept. I know in my case it was a cat nap but it was better than nothing. I watched columns of Germans marching west and, more alarmingly, columns of British soldiers being marched east. They were prisoners. It was not a constant traffic; sometimes there was no movement for twenty or thirty minutes. I was woken, after the sun had set. I ate a handful of food and washed it down with a mouthful of water. We headed down to the road. The click of Nev's stick seemed to echo and reverberate in the dark. I stopped, "Look Corp if Nev drapes his arms around our shoulders he can swing himself forward on his good leg. We will travel faster and make less noise."
We tried it and found that we could go at normal marching speed. There was little extra weight and it was pain free for Nev. We had to keep stopping when a vehicle came down the road but we used that as an opportunity to change our carriers. We covered almost twenty miles in the dark. We found another place to hide, this time a semi destroyed barn and we waited for nightfall.
The lines of British, Belgian and French soldiers continued to trudge disconsolately east. It confirmed that things were not going well. We made excellent progress again that night and dawn found us close to Eperlecques. The French signs told us that we were within twenty miles of the port of Boulogne. During the night we had taken a smaller side road which was north of the main road to Boulogne. There had been more nocturnal traffic and we knew we would have to cross their lines sometime. We hoped it would be easier on the smaller side road than the main one. As we ate our frugal meal and listened to the sporadic firing, which seemed to always be in the distance, the Corporal said, "What worries me is that we haven't heard heavy guns and machine guns. At least we haven't heard any to the west. We have heard them to the north and the south but not the west."
"You think that Boulogne might have fallen?"
"It looks that way Nev."
I angled the map to catch the little light which remained, "We could head north now then. Make for Calais."
The others nodded their agreement. Willy shook his head, "More marching."
"Have you got something else planned, my son?"
"No, Corp, just saying."
I was woken by a sudden burst of gunfire during the late morning. I grabbed my rifle but Corporal Higgins shook his head and mimed for me to be silent. I bellied up next to him. Willy and Nev were already there. There were two dead Tommies lying in the road just forty yards away. There were two Germans and they had a soldier on his knees. One had a Maschinenpistole 42; a deadly little machine gun while the other held a standard German rifle fitted with a bayonet. I heard one of them say, "Another English coward who thinks to surrender!"
"He is not worth a bullet. Use your bayonet."
I pulled up my rifle and shouted, "They are going to kill him!"
I fired as the bayonet entered the soldier's belly. The killer flew off to the side of the Tommy. The machine gunner tried to turn and fire at the sudden sound. He was thrown from his feet by three bullets. We ran to the soldier who lay in a pool of blood. I saw, from his badge that he was from the Lancashire Fusiliers. He opened his eyes as I tore open his battle dress. "I hope yer got the bastard."
He was a Scouser, he was from Liverpool.
"Aye, he's dead. Lie still."
"Ave yer got a ciggy there lah?"
"Sorry we are all out."
Corporal Higgins said, "Willy, search the Krauts." He cradled the soldier's head. "What happened, son?"
"We was in Boulogne when it fell. That was two, three days ago." He winced. Willy had found some Ger
man cigarettes and he lit two and gave one to the Scouser. "Thanks pal, you're a life saver." He took a long drag and coughed, "Jesus Christ if they smoke this shit then they are bound to lose the war."
"Then Boulogne has fallen?"
He nodded, "Aye and Calais. We were trying to get to Dunkirk we heard a rumour that the army was going there. We had been hiding up when these Krauts found us. Bastard SS!" He closed his eyes and I thought he was dead. He opened them and said, "Joey there," he gestured to one of his dead comrades, "coughed when they were near and they opened fire. I put my hands up to surrender. I'm not stupid and…"
I looked at the wound. The bayonet had torn his stomach open when the German had fallen to the side and I could see intestines and guts. I shook my head.
"I know pal. I ain't going back to Liverpool. Could you do us a favour. There's a letter for me mam in me pocket. See she gets it and me watch. Th…" He rolled back and he died.
The Corporal said, "We have to get a move on. Those shots might bring someone else and we know now there's no point in surrendering. Not with the SS around. Nev, get the dog tags and any other papers from the lads."
I took the blood stained letter and the watch and put them in my own pockets. Corporal Higgins took the machine gun and the spare ammunition. I saw that one of the SS had a black handled dagger. It was smaller than the bayonet I used as a knife and I grabbed it. It was not a souvenir. I knew it would come in handy.
We hurried back to our cover and then headed west. As we were going cross country Nev had to use his stick. We were not able to move as fast as on the road. When we were a mile away from the massacre we stopped. It was mainly to give Nev a breather. We slumped to the ground. "Well we are up shit creek without a paddle. What do we do, Corp?"
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