Red Hawk Rising

by Peter William Hall

  As they came into the search area, the four vessels split up and headed for the search area each had been allocated. The vessels searched for nearly two hours and found nothing. It was decided to widen the search area. After another thirty-five minutes the southern-most fishing vessel reported having found hull timbers that looked like being from the Penny Jane but no sign of a person or body. After checking with the police vessel, Anderson turned his boat south to take Walmar to see if he could confirm that the timbers were from his boat. Fifteen minutes later, Walmar made the confirmation. When he handled the timbers he was near to tears. Seeing his friend’s grief at the confirmed loss of his vessel, Anderson put a hand on Walmar’s back to let him know the grief was shared. The skipper of the vessel that found the timbers, radioed the police vessel and confirmed that the find was the remains of the Penny Jane. The other vessels then moved down to join the search in that area. After another two hours of fruitless searching, the police called off the search. The police returned to Grimsby and the three fishing vessels headed for waters nearer home. They would have to wait for the tide to flow in enough to allow them to return to harbour.

  The two Special Branch men had looked closely around the area to see if they could find anything that would help in their investigation. There was nothing more to add to the reports already made. They had driven off to Louth and called in to the Police Station and arranged to have beaches searched and also to post a description of William Enderby and an order to apprehend and detain. Once the arrangements had been made they drove to Grimsby Police Station to conduct operations from there. As the day wore on nothing was found. There was the possibility of the dinghy from the Penny Jane being discovered. The searches drew a blank. Then the report came in of proof that the Penny Jane must have been hit by the freighter and had sunk. The search had not found Enderby, alive or dead. One conclusion would be that he went down with the fishing boat, ‘missing believed drowned’. As a precaution, the Special Branch would issue a circular with a description of the wanted person and see if anything turned up. They knew that they would inevitably get reports that would prove to be wrong but one report may be correct.

  It was now 15.00 hours and the Special Branch officers decided that they could do no more. They thanked the police in Grimsby for their assistance and left to return to their offices. Back out at sea the three fishing boats had let down their nets and were fishing. Jimmy Anderson had radioed in to the co-operative with the news and Yvonne telephoned Penny Walmar and let her know. Penny wondered what her husband would do after losing his fishing boat. She knew that they had money in the bank to allow them to survive for a while.

  ***

  At RAF Nocton Hall, Corporal Jamie Rogerson had wakened in the morning after a good night’s sleep and, during the course of the day, been subjected to a number of tests to check for brain damage. Much to the surprise of the doctors, he seemed to have come through well with no cognitive or memory problems. He was told that he could have visitors should a request be made. The doctor told him that his high level of physical fitness was most likely what had helped him to recover so well. He was also told that it would most likely be six weeks before he could return to restricted duties and possibly another month after that before he could return to his normal duties. Jamie had looked glum at the news but was relieved that he would not be impaired in any way.

  At the Russian Consulate in Manchester, Major Garasov received a message that the operative based at Parfleet St Peter had had to abandon his position due to the authorities becoming suspicious. Berin reported that a British agent had been searching the premises and he had taken corrective measures. This had been followed up by what appeared to be a visit from MI5. The report stated that their agent, Berin, had taken a fishing vessel and faked a drowning with the sinking of the vessel. The person had been sent to a safe house and would be evacuated as soon as possible. Garasov felt frustrated. He now had no-one locally to help obtain information on the Red Hawk project. It was obvious that their ‘mole’ in that fishing village would also be under suspicion. There was little, if anything, of importance that he could tell the British authorities. The codes and equipment were always controlled by their agents. If nothing could be proven against their ‘mole’ then he would be better left alone for a while. Now that the fishing vessel had been sunk, the ‘mole’ was of little use to them at this time.

  At RAF West Sanby, the JSTU went about setting up the missile system and preparing for the trials. Corporal Andy Hill was busy preparing the data recording and analysis forms from the specifications passed to the section. He was also busy training the progress clerks in what would be required. Later, when the recording equipment was set up, they would practise taking down information. The CO had issued an instruction that if all was ready by Friday lunchtime then the unit generally would be stood down for the weekend. The following week, shift rosters would be implemented as the unit moved to simulate operational conditions. This would all be part of the trials. Andy thought of the coming weekend and travelling up to see Alice. The thought of owning a car again brought a smile to his face. He knew that the Rover would be a good buy, if its current owner was anything to go by. Andy decided that he would go into Grimsby this evening and visit the martial arts club. He would need to borrow the kit since his own was still in storage.

  ***

  It was now 18.00 hours and, out at sea, the three Parfleet fishing boats paused in their fishing to have something to eat. In another hour there should be enough water in the harbour for them to return home. Despite the heavy swell, they had all fared reasonably well in the fishing. Anderson had a small stove for cooking and heating water in the cabin and they had gutted some fish and were frying it. This would go with the buttered bread they had with them. While his deck hand was cooking the fish, Anderson got on the radio to the other two boats and had a conversation with the skippers. Outside on deck, Rice and Walmar swopped wartime stories. Rice had been on destroyers on convoy escort duties before he was called back to London and other duties. Walmar talked about his escape and then his service with a Polish unit. They were interrupted by a call from Anderson for them to come into the cabin and have something to eat. They were each handed an enamel plate with a hunk of buttered bread and a fish fillet plus a fork to eat with. The deck hand made strong black tea and poured it into enamel mugs.

  While they were eating, Anderson said to Walmar, “Wal, I’ve been talking with the other skippers. We want you to go out with each of us in turn so that you can have a share of the catch. We’ll do that until you can get another boat. Your share of the co-operative profits will still happen. What do you think?”

  “I don’t know what to say. It will reduce your income if you do that,” Walmar replied.

  “No different to us having poorer catches, Wal. Besides, with your knowledge of your favourite fishing spots, we might all do better,” said Anderson.

  “Then I accept, and I’m very grateful,” Walmar responded.

  “Good,” said Anderson, “we don’t want to lose you from the village. You are part of us.” Rice listened with interest. He still had doubts about Walmar’s innocence but, so far, couldn’t prove anything. The offer from the other fishing skippers clearly showed the regard they had for him. It was an important point. Rice decided that he would talk to Hamilton about it when he got back to London. They all ate the fish with relish, tossing the bones over the side of the boat and washing the meal down with the black tea. Rice was really enjoying himself, feeling the movement of the waves under the vessel and getting his sea legs back again. He was getting too old for sea duty but the salt air, the wind-borne spray, the dirty-grey clouds torn by the wind as they were driven across the sky, the squall of rain bearing down upon them and spattering the rolling waves, all brought back feelings and a nostalgia for the sea. Listening to the conversation of these hard-working fishermen gave him a sense of comfort and satisfaction as he leaned against the wall of the fug-laden cabin. It brought back memories
of the ward-room and days when life’s problems seemed less complex than those he had these days. He took a cigarette offered to him, a Players Medium, and lit it from the proffered lighted cigarette. Inhaling, Rice looked out at the waves rolling past with the wind whipping spray from the tops of them and he sighed.

  Anderson looked at the clock on the binnacle and said, “All right, let’s pull up anchor and head in slowly. It’s time for us to go home.” It was a signal to the other two boats and as Anderson got under way they formed up behind him, their riding lights on.

  CHAPTER 14

  At the Shaolin Martial Arts Club, Andy met Mr Lee again and was welcomed warmly. He was introduced to other members there. Andy noted that out of the twenty people there, a dozen of them were Chinese and half of the Chinese wore black belts. He noted that there were two men he recognised as being from RAF West Sanby. One wore a black belt and the other a brown. Mr Lee arranged a uniform for Andy and explained that he would have to have a white belt. Andy said that he understood. He noted that Mr Lee was the Sensei, to use the Japanese term. He opened the meeting formally and then led the group in the warm-up exercises. After about fifteen minutes of these, the group broke up into groups of five, each led by a black belt. Andy was put with the novice section so that he could get an understanding of the Shaolin techniques. This section was led by a very serious Chinese man of about Andy’s age. He said that his name was Lin. After thirty minutes, they had a short break and the leader conferred with Mr Lee. The groups re-formed and worked for another twenty minutes on their patterns, working in pairs under the guidance of each trainer.

  Mr Lee then called a break and asked the group to gather around the main mat. He then called Andy out and explained to the others Andy’s background in martial arts. He wanted them to see a comparison of another form in action against the Shaolin. Mr Lee called out the Chinese trainer who had led the section Andy was in. The two men bowed to Mr Lee and then to each other. Neither was sure of what to expect and both knew that Andy could not use a number of jiu-jitsu moves to full effect since they could cause serious injury or death. Andy took up a defensive pose and waited for his opponent to make a move. Lin suddenly spun round on the ball of his left foot and lifted his arms up as if to balance. He turned through three hundred and sixty degrees and then, on coming round, shot his right leg out at Andy’s chest. It moved in an arc as it came up and out. Andy turned inside the movement so that it would miss his chest and, with his back now to Lin, grabbed the leg as it completed its reach and pulled hard . Lin was pulled off balance and fell backwards, rolling on his shoulders and flicking his left leg up to strike Andy on his rib cage. Andy let go and spun away. Lin bounced back onto his feet and readied for another attack. The two men sparred like this for another five minutes when Mr Lee called a halt. The two men pulled apart, faced each other and bowed, then turned to Mr Lee and bowed to him. He then invited a discussion from the group about the moves and counter-moves. There was a clear respect between Andy and Lin for each other, despite their different disciplines. They smiled and shook hands at the end of the evening session. Andy felt that he had gained a new friend. Mr Lee invited Andy to attend again and offered to lend him a book on the Shaolin discipline and art. Andy was pleased to accept. “Next time we talk about the fees,” said Mr Lee. “Tonight was free introduction.”

  Andy thanked him and headed out into Freeman Street, where the hall was located. It was quiet that evening. The Grimsby fishing fleet was still out in the Arctic waters. Before he could head away he heard his name called and the two RAF men came out. One said he was Flying Officer James Braidley and the other Sergeant Eddy Rawson. They were both on the Squadron. Braidley offered Andy a lift back to base. Andy accepted and the three of them walked down the street to where Braidley’s car was parked. Both men had heard about Andy’s exploits on the trip up from Luton and expressed their admiration. Andy thanked them but said that it was clear that he still had a lot to learn. On the way back to base, the three discussed the pros and cons of the different disciplines. Before parting at the base, Andy was invited to join the two men in the gym for their practice sessions. He got back to his bunk room feeling very satisfied with the evening.

  Thursday morning (13th) found Commander Rice driving down to RAF Nocton Hall accompanied by the police sergeant that had gone out to Parfleet St Peter. He had been informed that Corporal Rogerson had recovered enough to be interviewed. At the main gate he showed his credentials and was directed to the hospital reception desk. Ten minutes later they were being taken down to the room where Corporal Rogerson was located. He had been prepared for their visit and was propped up in the bed with a nurse in attendance. Commander Rice explained that he should provide a statement to the police sergeant and then he would want a private conversation with him that was of a military matter. The sergeant went through the formalities of asking Jamie his full name and address and contact details. He told the sergeant that he was on leave and had taken a working holiday. Jamie explained how he was wandering around and was attacked. “Can you describe your attacker?” asked the sergeant.

  “Not very well,” replied Jamie, “as I only got a glimpse of him. As far as I could tell he was the deck hand from Mr Walmar’s fishing boat. I think his name was Enderby. He came into The Hound and Pheasant a couple of times and I saw him working on the Penny Jane, Mr Walmar’s boat.” Jamie then described how he had fended off the blow.

  “Why do you think he attacked you,” asked the police sergeant.

  “I don’t know, Sergeant,” replied Jamie. “Maybe he didn’t like me going out with Yvonne, the lady at the co-operative shop.” The sergeant asked questions about time and Jamie’s movements and then thanked him for his assistance.

  He then turned to Rice and said, “Thank you, Commander, I’ll take a walk down to the reception area and wait for you there.”

  “Thank you, Sergeant, I won’t be long,” replied Rice. After the police sergeant had left the room, he turned to Jamie and said, “I’m aware of the real reason that you were working at The Hound and Pheasant. Now tell me the real version of events.” Jamie explained his suspicions and how he had been in the shed but couldn’t get into the accommodation area. As he was putting the key back in its hiding place he became aware of movement and used the pot to ward off the blow. Jamie explained that he had not found anything to incriminate either Walmar or Enderby. “Thank you, Corporal,” Commander Rice said. “In case you haven’t heard, Enderby took Mr Walmar’s fishing boat out to sea and it was struck and sunk by a freighter. We didn’t find a body so he may have gone down with the fishing boat. We can’t be sure of that, of course.”

  “I understand, sir,” replied the corporal.

  “Well, you had better get some rest. You won’t be on active duty for a while,” the commander replied. He nodded to Jamie and got up from the chair and left the room. Jamie sank back on the pillows. He felt tired from the interview. The nurse re-arranged pillows and bedclothes. Jamie thanked her and drifted off to sleep.

  Arriving back in Louth, Rice paid his respects to the police inspector and thanked him and his staff for their co-operation. He then drove out of Louth and made a radiotelephone call to the office from his car and advised them he was returning to London. Then, speaking to Hamilton, he briefed him on the result of the visit and said that he would see him that afternoon when he returned. After the call, Hamilton contacted Denby and brought him up to date. Denby then said, “If Enderby is who we think he is and he’s still alive, then they will want to get him out. We need to watch for any USSR vessels coming into one of our ports and then keep them under observation. I suspect that the opportunity may come next week.”

  “I get your meaning, sir,” said Hamilton. “We’ll keep watch.” He hung up and went back to the work on his desk, wondering what would happen next.

  ***

  Major Garasov was studying a notification from Moscow. It advised that information had been received that the trials of the Red Hawk SAM syste
m would start on 20th October. He looked at his desk calendar. “Today is the 13th October,” he thought, “so it would be in a week’s time.” The notification also informed him that a monitoring vessel would be in place the day before. He knew that this sort of information was top secret and most of the members of the RAF unit would not yet know the date. It meant that Moscow had a highly placed source of information. Major Garasov would have liked to have someone on the ground to report on movements on the RAF base that would indicate preparations for the trials but the man that should have been doing it was now in hiding. His only option would be to put a man into the area with a suitable cover, such as being a birdwatcher. It would have to be plausible. He pushed the buzzer for his assistant. Unbeknown to Major Garasov, a so-called marine scientist was receiving instructions in London to proceed to Parfleet St Peter and maintain a watch on anyone observing RAF West Sanby and to keep an eye on Walmar. If necessary, he was to apprehend them for further questioning. The pub at Parfleet St Peter had three accommodation rooms and MI5’s front organisation booked one of them, the second room having been booked already.