Red Hawk Rising

by Peter William Hall

  ***

  The crew of an old wooden but well-maintained fishing boat, looked up as the Pembroke banked from the RAF base to the north and headed inland. It was moored in the Parfleet harbour. The older of the two commented, “Must have had some ‘brass’ visiting. That type is used to ferry senior officers around.” He spoke English with a European accent.

  The other replied in flawless English, “We’ll get our chance to find out more about it soon.” His driving licence and other papers showed him to be William Enderby, born in Hastings in 1936. The reality was somewhat different. He had been born in a very different coastal city — Leningrad, formerly St. Petersburg. Oleg Berin had been a star pupil at school and excelled in sport. He came to the notice of the Party and was encouraged to join the youth movement. From there, Berin was sent to political school and then university. He showed an aptitude for languages and was selected to undergo special training. Berin went out with a senior partner on information gathering assignments in the Caucasus. Eventually he was deemed ready for foreign assignments and trained to go to England. The older man on the boat had escaped from Gdansk when Germany invaded Poland. He was second mate on a merchant vessel and the skipper sailed it out into the Baltic and headed north-west toward the coast of Sweden. They managed to escape detection and slipped through the narrow sea passage between Helsingor (in Denmark) and Halsingborg (in Sweden) at night and sailed up the Kaggerat and then through the Skagerrak into the North Sea. The ship headed east to Aberdeen and the crew volunteered their services to fight against Germany. Walmar had been a Communist sympathiser and, after the war, renewed his connection. He was told to stay in Britain and travelled south to become a professional fisherman on the coast of Lincolnshire. Walmar was set up as a ‘sleeper’ agent and he settled in Parfleet St Peter. In time, Walmar married a local girl and bought his own fishing boat. Now, he goes out fishing but has other duties decided by Moscow. Berin, alias Enderby, had come in on the last exchange. It wasn’t his first trip to the U.K. His main assignment for this tour of duty would be to gather information on the new British SAM system, “Red Hawk”. Being based a little south of the RAF base where the tests would be carried out was indeed fortuitous. Information had been sent to Moscow by other sources in Britain. It seemed to him that there must be a highly placed source that was passing the information on. His instructions would come in coded form by radio when they were out fishing. They tuned in to a certain radio programme beamed from Moscow and they picked up key words that provided his instructions when put together. His current instructions that he came with were enough for him to start work.

  Walmar had a shed in the harbour precinct with living accommodation at the rear. He had lived in it himself in earlier years when the season had been busy. Now it was reserved for his ‘crew member’, ostensibly as part of his wages. They left the boat and headed for the shed. Dropping tools and gear there, Walmar headed up the street towards his home while Berin headed into his living quarters. They would each have an evening meal and meet about 21.00 hours to head out on a full tide. For Walmar, it was a chance to have time with his wife and two children.

  ***

  About two miles to the north, Corporal Andy Hill was heading into the Airmen’s Mess for the evening meal. He noticed that it was a good mess and the food very good, which said that they had a good catering officer. A change of catering officer could dramatically change the standard of food in a mess. After getting his meal from the servery, he headed for the area reserved for the corporals. There were four others already there. They were from the operational squadron of SAM missiles on the base and were keen to quiz Andy on what was happening. With good humour, he put them off, pointing out that he was new and had a lot to learn. They chatted about sport and social activities. One of those activities was to go into the nearby town of Louth for a few drinks. They invited him to join them but he declined, saying that he was still settling in. The reality was somewhat different. Andy needed to spend some time sorting things out in his mind after receiving a letter with new instructions on his additional duties.

  The letter had a Lutterworth postmark and was ostensibly from a mountaineering club. The connection to its author was well hidden. The office of a mountaineering club did exist in Lutterworth and all its members were skilled in mountaineering but there were those whose other skills and occupations would cause some serious reflection by anyone discovering such facts. It was, in fact, a front for the ISU which had a specialised field of operation and didn’t compromise either MI5 or MI6 (Military Intelligence 6, responsible for external security related to Britain). One of Corporal Hill’s additional duties was to check out all the RAF personnel involved in security at RAF West Sanby. There was a concern there. He was due to tour all of the factories and get to know the equipment first hand. While MI5 was checking out personnel, he was to check on the systems and procedures relating to communications and documentation. He was to look for any weaknesses that could allow information to leak out. That was not going to be easy on some aspects of the civilian side. Still, the next two weeks should be interesting.

  While there was still some daylight, Andy Hill decided that it would be good to check out the sea wall not far from the base. He had seen people walking along it so it was clearly open to the public. He took a small but powerful set of binoculars from his kitbag and stuck them in his jacket pocket. Andy had changed into civilian clothes and headed out of the base and down the road. When he came to a farm track about four hundred yards from the main gate, he turned off and headed south. After a couple of hedgerows, he noticed that he was clear of the base fence and headed east toward the coast. Andy noticed that the farm track continued south for quite distance with branches off to farming land. He wondered if it eventually connected to another road. That was for another day. After walking for about five minutes, he came to a broad ditch alongside the sea wall. He backed up a few paces, took a run and landed on the other side, throwing himself forward to avoid sliding down into the water. Then he climbed to the top of the slope and found a beaten track along the top of the sea wall. Beyond the sea wall was about fifty yards of undergrowth to a narrow beach and the sea. He looked out to sea and saw freighters waiting for the high tide to enter the Humber River. Andy walked northwards along the track until he was about mid-way with the RAF base security fence. He then dropped down the seaward side of the sea wall and wriggled up to just see over it. He studied the base and, even without binoculars, could pick out the individual missiles and launchers, the radar unit and the hangars. In fact, it was obvious that someone could spend a day where he was and record all the movements on the airfield. Using binoculars, undetectable while the sun was in the east, a person could observe even more. It would be possible to work out the times of the regular patrols, movement of equipment and personnel. It would be obvious when the “Red Hawk” equipment arrived and was assembled. Before then, the assembly of the new Trials HQ building would indicate that something was afoot. Andy had seen enough and so he headed back to the farmland and then to the base. Tomorrow he would be heading for Grimsby and travel by train to Manchester. He thought that after visiting the different factories around England, it might be time for him to buy his own ‘wheels’. He had the feeling that he was going to need them.

  Back at the Parfleet St Peter harbour, Walmar and Berin took their gear onto the fishing vessel, Penny Jane, named after Walmar’s wife, and prepared to head out to sea. Three other vessels were also preparing to go out on the high tide and there were friendly calls and banter between the four boats as they prepared to leave harbour. For the crew of the Penny Jane it would be more than fishing as they sent reports and received instructions from Moscow.

  At about the same time, down in London, a woman in her early thirties was sitting by the fountain in Trafalgar Square, ostensibly reading a magazine. Her hair was cut in a pageboy style and she was smartly dressed and had the appearance of being a public servant. As she flicked through the pages, a man approached
the fountain and seemed to be heading straight for her. He was unshaven and looking a little unkempt — not the sort of man a woman would want to be accosted by. As he came closer, she looked up with consternation on her face, dropped the magazine and hurried off in the direction of the steps up to the National Gallery. The man paused and then hurriedly picked up the magazine and called after the woman. She looked over her shoulder but hurried on. He paused, shrugged his shoulders and ambled off with the magazine. At the edge of the square, a man stood watching the whole incident but not with idle interest.

  “If that was a ‘drop’, it was very well done,” he thought and decided to follow the unkempt male who was still carrying the magazine. The curious onlooker was a colleague of Hamilton’s from MI5.

  CHAPTER 4

  It was a fresh morning (Wednesday 21st Sept) and a touch of spring was in the air. Corporal Hill was boarding the diesel railcar from Grimsby to Sheffield. From there he would have to change trains to get to Manchester. Finally, a local train down to Hollinlane where he would check in to the JSTU section accommodated at RAF Handwell, a former MU (Maintenance Unit). The DMU (Diesel Multiple Unit) was clean and smelled fresh and fairly new. British Railways was in the process of phasing out its steam trains and replacing them with diesel. It was an open carriage with a small first-class section at the front, behind the driver’s cabin. The driver was in a smart green uniform that had not experienced the dust, smoke and steam of a locomotive footplate. He was an older driver, no doubt having been re-trained from steam locomotives. Andy noticed that the driver was developing a paunch, something you never saw on the crews of the steam loco’s. It was a two-car unit with a baggage section in the second car. Andy made his way to the rear of the first car and took a rear seat next to the connecting door. From there, he couldn’t be surprised from behind and he had a view of the whole car in front. He would also see what people were waiting to board the train as it pulled into a station. A person taking such precautions indicated the nature of his past and of his training. The other passengers appeared to be everyday folk. A couple of businessmen and a well-dressed lady went into the first-class section. Some passengers were clearly country folk and would most likely be getting off at stations between Grimsby and Gainsborough. The porter closed the doors, the guard blew his whistle and the train moved smoothly forward. The ride was comparatively smooth compared to the old steam trains. None of the jolting that one associated with the steam trains picking up speed or slowing down suddenly. No cinders or smoke coming in through open windows. He relaxed and opened the newspaper that he’d bought. At each stop, Andy would watch the passenger movements but there appeared to be no cause for concern. At Gainsborough there was a major change of passengers. The majority disembarked and a fresh group boarded. One man that boarded seemed to scrutinise Andy closely as he looked for a seat. He had an angular face with a sharp nose. His hairstyle looked decidedly military and the way he bore himself suggested army, even though he was in civilian clothes. Andy was, of course, in uniform since he was on duty. It may have been his uniform that attracted the man’s attention. He moved towards Andy but sat about three rows forward. The man obviously wasn’t a commissioned officer otherwise he would have been travelling first class. Andy put down his paper and watched the passing countryside. He thought back and wondered if he had seen that military-style man before but couldn’t place him. The train motored on — Retford, Worksop and finally Sheffield Midland Station. The railcar pulled into a terminating platform and the cry went up from a porter, “All change!” He pulled his bag off the rack and headed for the indicator board. The military man was ahead of him and gave Andy a backward look as he headed for the ticket barrier. Andy became cautious. He wondered whether he was being tailed. The indicator board gave a platform number for the Manchester train and he headed over the bridge towards it. There would be about twenty minutes before the train was due in. It was a train coming through from York. Getting trains cross-country in England was a tedious business. All the main lines were north-south.

  Andy headed for the buffet room and bought a coffee. It tasted a bit of chicory — more like war-time, he thought. He bought a sandwich to go with it. The woman who served him looked bored with her life. Clearly it was a job to her and no more. At least, for once, the cup was clean. He moved over to a corner of the room away from the door and sat at a table that had seen a few customers since it had been cleaned. Andy ate his sandwich and drank his coffee quickly, then moved out onto the platform to wait for the train. He didn’t have a seat reservation so he would have to take his chances. Most passengers would be around the middle of the platform so he headed down the platform towards what would be the front of the train. Andy found a spot and looked back up the platform and began to look over the other people waiting for the train. Again, no-one stood out but then a good tail wouldn’t.

  The train steamed into the station, pulled by an old Gresley Pacific A3. It would be a shame to see the last of these fine engines. It hissed steam as the brakes were applied and it came to a halt. Andy noticed that the carriages were corridor and compartment types. After passengers disembarked, he climbed on board the second coach, the front one being first class. The second compartment was empty and the luggage racks clear so he sat himself down by the window in the rearward-facing seat. A middle-aged couple opened the compartment door and asked if the other seats were taken. He shook his head and they took the seats by the door. The woman got knitting out of her bag and the man turned his newspaper to the back page and started doing the crossword puzzle. There was a slamming of carriage doors by the porter and a whistle blew, a release of the brakes and hissing of steam from the locomotive and the train shuddered as tractive power was engaged. The train moved slowly out of the station and gradually gathered speed. Andy started to relax and got a book out of his bag and settled down to read. After a couple of minutes, a man walked past, looking into each compartment. Andy heard the noise of the door to the next carriage opening and shutting as the man went through. Three minutes later he came back, paused briefly outside their compartment and he moved on.

  Passing out of the Sheffield suburbs, the train started to climb the Pennines. Soon it entered the tunnel from Totley to Upper Padley and he became cautious. The lights of the carriage flickered on quickly and there was the echoing sound of the train rushing through the tunnel as though desperate to get to the other side. The couple carried on stolidly with their activities, the woman’s knitting needles clicking away and her husband making occasional grunts as he struggled with letters and clues. The train came out of the tunnel with a roar, and daylight streamed into the carriage while smoke and steam were whisked away from the carriage windows to become part of the rural sky. Andy watched the rural scene as the train climbed the Pennine Hills. He noticed Win Hill to the north-east of the line, rising to about fifteen hundred feet. The compartment door slid open and the man who had passed earlier asked if they minded him sitting in the compartment. He had no luggage. Everyone shook their heads and he sat down in a middle seat facing across to Andy. The train passed Lose Hill and roared toward the Edale Tunnel. The man tensed up and Andy became alert. If the carriage lights didn’t come on as they should it could be the signal for someone to attempt something. He couldn’t shake the feeling that he was being followed for some reason that he hadn’t yet worked out. The carriage lights failed to come on and the carriage was plunged into an inky blackness. Andy rose and turned on the balls of his feet, lifted his arms in a defensive move ready for action. He heard a slight movement from across the compartment and waited. He felt an arm brush his and just at that moment the lights came on. The two men looked at each other and before they could act there was an exclamation from the lady, “Well, I never! What are you two doing?” They turned and looked in her direction and saw two startled faces looking at them both. The two men moved back to their seats and sat down, feeling somewhat sheepish. The train roared out of the tunnel and everyone relaxed. They were on the down slopes
of the Pennines now and heading towards Stockport-Edgeley and Manchester.

  As the train pulled into Manchester Piccadilly Station, the couple grabbed their bags and headed out of the compartment. Andy looked at the man across the compartment and indicated for him to go first. The man smiled grimly and got to his feet and headed out of the compartment. Andy picked his bag off the rack and followed him out. On the station concourse, he looked for the suburban network platforms and the time of a train to Hollinlane. He had about ten minutes to wait so he got himself a drink of milk and then headed for the platform. The man from the compartment was sitting on a seat in the concourse, ostensibly reading a newspaper but seemed to be watching movements in the station. Andy presented his ticket to the porter on the platform gate and moved through the barrier onto the platform. The train pulled up at the platform. It was electric. The suburban network of Manchester had been electrified as had the main line down to London. Andy waited and then headed for a compartment in which he saw several persons. He found a seat between two ladies, smiled an apology at them and sat down. The man from the compartment in the train to Manchester walked past, looking at compartments as he went. Andy caught his eye and the man quickly turned his head away. The train moved off smoothly and quietly with rapid acceleration, as these trains are wont to do. The suburban stations came and went and then he noticed Heald Green — next stop Hollinlane. It had taken the best part of the day to get here. As he got off the train at Hollinlane, Andy looked around him. A familiar face was leaning out of a compartment window in the next carriage. He would know that Andy was heading for RAF Handwell, a former maintenance unit. He would also know that it was due for closure in the not too distant future. Andy went through the barrier and headed out of the station. Seeing a taxi at the stand, he climbed in and gave the driver his destination. He didn’t bother to look around this time but Andy wondered why the interest in him, unless someone on the other side knew about his ‘special duties’. That would be a real concern. It was a quick trip and the driver pulled up outside the gate. Andy gave him the fare and a generous tip as it was a short ride. He presented his identification and orders at the gatehouse and the RAF policeman pointed out where he should go. Walking into the administration building, he walked down the corridor to the 28 JSTU sign and entered a general office. Corporal Hill introduced himself to the Senior Aircraftman (SAC) on the desk, who said that the Corporal Admin. was out for a few minutes. The SAC gave Corporal Hill the directions to get to the barrack block to drop his gear off.