Red Hawk Rising

by Peter William Hall

  On the RAF base, the JSTU personnel were busy with making the unit ready to start internal trials. Simulated attacks by aircraft would not start until the spring. All personnel were looking forward to the free weekend before the rosters started on the Monday. Personnel were looking forward to weekend passes. More personnel were being posted in to build up the unit to full strength for the trials programme. A Flight Lieutenant Administration had been posted in and relieved Flight Lieutenant Gaskin of that work. He now was able to focus fully on his primary responsibilities, briefing Corporal Hill on what was required and going through the equipment to be used.

  One team in the analysis section would monitor voice recordings of the aircraft crew while plotting its track across the radar screen. Another team would analyse the print-outs of the devices monitoring the SAM system. The two sets of analyses would then be compared. Before this, a series of system trials would be carried out to ensure that the Red Hawk system was fully functional. There would be simulated firings and re-loadings to ensure that it all worked to specifications. These would take several weeks. By the time the trials with aircraft took place, the system should be functioning smoothly. The JSTU personnel, except for its commanding officer, were unaware of the trials date with an aircraft that Air Vice-Marshal Denby had put out as bait.

  ***

  It was 14.00 hours on the Friday (14th) and the JSTU was shutting down for the weekend. The unit was still being brought to readiness for trials but the CO, Squadron Leader Dawson, had ordered an early stand-down. Personnel were heading for the domestic site to get changed into civvies and pack their weekend bags to head out of the base to a variety of destinations across the country. By 14.30 hours, three corporals were climbing into a car for the drive up to Corbridge in Northumberland. Andy was pleased that they were getting away early because it meant that they would get to the Waltons’ earlier and he would be able to pick up the car and get to Alnwick at a reasonable hour that evening.

  At the same time that they were leaving RAF West Sanby, Milburn’s Garage in Hexham was finishing a service on John Walton’s Rover. He had already received his new car and it was sitting in the garage at his home. The Rover was to get a wash and polish before Mr Walton picked it up. Three young women at different places of employment were trying to keep their minds on their work. Each was looking forward to meeting their beau again. Judith Walton was busy making up the bed in the guest bedroom. She wondered about the romances of her two daughters. Lance and Anne were steady types and their attraction for each other was built on mutual interests. They had known each other for a while now and their romance would most likely proceed at a steady pace, as it had done so far, and she was comfortable with it. Alice and Andy were a different proposition. It had all happened very quickly. Judith was concerned for her daughter. Knowing Andy’s parents made things easier but Andy’s work in the RAF didn’t seem to be simple like Lance’s. The newspaper reports pointed to something else. She sighed, put the clean towel and flannel on the end of the bed, cast an eye over the room and headed downstairs.

  Lance pulled the car up outside Margaret’s home and Dan got out with his weekend case. It was 6.30 p.m. “Be ready to leave at 6.00 p.m. on Sunday, Dan,” Lance said. Dan smiled, waved and nodded his head. Hearing the car, Margaret had already come to the front door. Lance pulled away with a wave and headed up the street to the Waltons’ home. Soon they were pulling up outside the house. The front door opened and the twins came out and stood waiting for Lance and Andy. There were smiles and greetings as the young men got out of the car. In the house, Lance and Andy greeted John and Judith Walton.

  “Why don’t you boys freshen up and then we can all sit down to dinner,” said Judith. “John will telephone your parents, Andy, and let them know you have arrived here. Lance, Anne will show you your room and you can drop your case there.”

  Lance replied, “Thanks, Mrs Walton,” and followed Anne as she headed for the staircase. Five minutes later they were all seated in the dining room and Judith Walton was serving out steak and kidney pie. Tureens of vegetables stood on the table. The aroma of the meal lifted the spirits of the two airmen. John Walton said grace and there was a hubbub of conversation as they started the meal. It was as though the telephone conversations and letters had conveyed too little detail of their individual lives. John tried to talk to Andy about the car but was talked across by his wife and Alice. He gave up in the end and concentrated on eating.

  After the meal, Andy and Alice prepared to leave. John Walton took Andy out to the Rover and went through its features and then handed him the keys. “Drive carefully and let me know your decision when you get back on Sunday, Andy. What route will you take to Alnwick?”

  “I’ll drive up through Cambo and Rothbury. That will be easier than going round Newcastle and through Morpeth,” Andy replied.

  “It’s a fine night so you shouldn’t have any problems. Take care of Alice,” John Walton said.

  “Certainly, sir,” was the reply. Alice came out, accompanied by her mother. She hugged each of her parents and got into the car. Lance and Anne came out and waved as Andy drove off. Andy drove up the A68 and turned off at Colwell, then drove up through Cambo and, after passing through the village of Forestburn Gate, Andy pulled off the road and stopped the car. He turned off the headlights but left the engine running. Alice understood what Andy was doing for there was a tension that had to be expressed. Andy put his arms around Alice and kissed her. They stayed like that for what seemed a long time. No words were spoken. They pulled back a little and Alice’s eyes said so much that Andy had to kiss her again. When they stopped he noticed that the windows were steaming up and with a laugh pulled away from Alice. “Too much heat being generated in the car!” he exclaimed. The cold night air outside the car caused the condensation. He pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket and wiped the windscreen and the side windows clear. “We’d better get going, Alice,” he said as she gave a little giggle at the situation. Eventually they drove across the Coquet River and into Rothbury. At that time of the day the town was quiet. There was noisy laughter coming from one of the pubs as they drove through; smoked curled up from many of the chimneys in the town and the water of the river gurgled over the rocks as they drove by the Coquet. It was a popular spot with anglers who would drive up for a weekend of fishing. As they drove on, Edlington Castle loomed up on their left and it was quickly left behind. Eventually they drove into Alnwick. Andy pulled up outside his parents’ house and switched off the lights and the engine. It had been a pleasant drive up. He smiled at Alice and she squeezed his arm before getting out. The front door of the house opened and light streamed out over the pathway. Margaret Hill came out to greet them. Alice went through the gate that Andy had opened for her and, as she walked up the path, Margaret came forward and gave her a big hug.

  “It’s so lovely to see you again, Alice,” she said.

  “Thank you, Mrs Hill. It’s nice to be here again,” Alice responded. Andy followed them into the house carrying both their weekend cases.

  The house was warm and felt cosy after the cold night air. Tony Hill stood in the hall and greeted them as they walked in. Andy put the cases down and shook hands with his father. They all moved into the sitting room where it was warmer. “I’ve got supper prepared,” said Margaret Hill and disappeared into the kitchen.

  “Sit yourselves down,” said Tony Hill, “and relax.”

  Margaret re-appeared wheeling a tea-trolley with scones and fruitcake and hot drinks. “The Horlicks is for Tony and me and the mugs of Ovaltine are for you two,” she exclaimed. “Help yourselves or you’ll go hungry.” While they ate, Tony Hill asked Andy about the drive up and how the car felt.

  “It’s pretty good, Dad. As you know, the Rover 10 is a bit heavy on the steering but it drives well. I like it. The car is five years old but well maintained. You can have a look at it tomorrow.” Tony Hill nodded his assent. They all talked about plans for the weekend. It was agreed that they would
spend the morning together and Andy and Alice head out on their own for the afternoon, joining his parents for dinner. After the supper, Margaret Hill said that she was retiring for the night and then looked meaningfully at her husband. He understood and said that he would follow her up shortly. Tony Hill cleared the supper things away and took the tea-trolley out to the kitchen. Andy and Alice could hear him rattling the dishes in the sink and then washing up the supper things. They sat quietly enjoying their own company. The lounge door opened and Tony Hill came in to say goodnight and then closed the door behind him and went upstairs.

  As his footsteps receded, Alice moved closer to Andy and snuggled in, laying her head on his shoulder. She sighed in contentment. The fire sizzled and hissed as the flames attacked the coal and a lump split open. A flame flared up and a small piece of coal fell out of the grate and onto the tiled surround. It rolled over and was stopped by the brass fender. “I used to have to polish that thing to earn part of my pocket-money,” said Andy.

  “It most likely did you good,” teased Alice. Andy turned to her, smiled and put his arm round her. She smiled back and lifted her face up to be kissed. Time passed as they were lost in each other’s company. The fire died down and the room started to get cooler.

  Andy said, “It’s getting late. I think we had better go our separate ways.” Alice nodded, wishing they could just stay with each other on the settee. They drew apart and headed upstairs to their separate bedrooms, Andy giving Alice a goodnight kiss outside her bedroom door. He went into his room and closed the door; his thoughts were full of Alice and the JSTU was forgotten for a while.

  Come Saturday morning and Margaret Hill wanted to go to the market square so they all went in the Rover 10 with Tony Hill driving. While Margaret and Alice went shopping, father and son took the vehicle for a spin. Tony Hill nodded his approval. They drove back to the market square and found a parking spot near where they had agreed to meet the ladies. “When we get home, I’d like to look under the bonnet, although I’m sure that it will be spotless and no oil leaks,” Tony Hill remarked.

  “Sure, Dad,” was the response. The ladies returned with their purchases and they all went back to the house. The rest of the morning passed pleasantly and, after lunch, Andy and Alice decided to drive up to Holy Island since it was low tide. The drive up from Alnwick gave good views both of Bamburgh Castle and Holy Island. They turned off the A1 at Beal and were held up at the railway crossing by a south-bound express train. They heard the scream of the locomotive’s whistle and, with a roar, the train hurtled past, the carriage wheels clacking on the points and then it was gone and the quiet returned. A railwayman in uniform opened the crossing gates and they were able to drive on. The road wound down towards the shore between the hedgerows and once they had to pull over as a tractor headed towards them on the narrow road. The last bend in the road revealed a line of tank traps — great concrete blocks set in place during the Second World War. Before them, the causeway stretched ahead and, to the right, the long line of poles that marked the Pilgrim’s Way. They drove on across the causeway and to the village. On the sandbanks to the south of the causeway they saw seals basking in the autumn sun. Plovers and other estuarine birds hunted for food while the gulls wheeled overhead. Parking in the square, they walked over and explored the Priory ruins. From there they walked down to the harbour, taking photographs of it and the castle. Back in the village they had afternoon tea and then bought locally caught crabs to take home with them. It was time to drive back to Alnwick and they agreed that they should come again. The evening passed pleasantly, with Andy’s parents telling Alice more about their son’s younger days, much to his embarrassment. Andy’s parents again left the young couple to have time on their own.

  Next morning, Andy and Alice went to church with his parents and after the Sunday lunch he and Alice drove back to Corbridge. Andy spoke to John Walton about the car and they went into his study to complete the purchase. Both men were pleased at the result. A little while later, Andy took Alice for a short drive down to the River Tyne. He parked the car and they walked along the river bank hand in hand. Both felt a great happiness at the growing relationship. Near a clump of rhododendron bushes, they stopped and embraced. Andy felt a tenderness towards Alice that was fairly new to him and at the same time a great respect for her. He wondered if this could all be real and yet it was clear that his feelings toward Alice were reciprocated. Tempted as he had been to go beyond the present relationship, he had remembered his father’s and Mr Walton’s comments and had kept his feelings in check. Soon they walked back to the car and Andy drove back to the Walton residence. Mrs Walton had packed him sandwiches and a flask of coffee for the journey back to base. Lance and Anne were still out on a drive somewhere. Andy said his goodbyes and drove out of the gate and headed for the A68 that would take him south past Consett Iron Works and towards the A1. He left behind a starry-eyed young woman who had pretty well made up her mind that this was the man she wanted to marry despite the short time they had known each other. Two hours later, Lance and Dan followed the same route that had been taken by Andy. As the two cars were driving south, fellow members of the JSTU were also heading back to base from different parts of the country.

  Sailing from their arctic fishing grounds, with holds full of cod for the tables of Britain, was the Grimsby-based trawler fleet. The first trawlers in would get the best price for their catches and the fleet would all arrive over two or three days. It would mean that Grimsby would be a noisy place in the days to come as many fishermen spent their money in the bars of the town.

  ***

  Monday morning (17th October) and the CO, Squadron Leader Dawson, called for the whole unit to be assembled in the unit hangar. He then briefed the unit personnel and warned that the hard work was about to begin. All personnel would be on rosters for trials preparation and during trials there would be no leave except on compassionate grounds. No timetable would be issued for security reasons. Section commanders would brief personnel as necessary. He then warned personnel to be on the alert for any evidence of non-unit members attempting to breach security and also to report any persons seen lingering on the sea wall near the airfield. The personnel were dismissed and dispersed back to their sections.

  Corporal Hill and his team moved into their office in the new headquarters building. Flight Lieutenant Gaskin called Corporal Hill into his office and advised that a corporal progress clerk had been posted in and would be arriving that afternoon. “His name is James Jackson and he will take over the defect documentation from you, Corporal Hill, and you will be responsible for the analysis work and preparation of the reports,” Flight Lieutenant Gaskin said. “Two more progress clerks will be posted in and you will need to assess them and determine which are better at analysis work and which for the recording. How long do you need for training, Corporal Hill?”

  “Two days should do it, sir,” Corporal Hill replied.

  “Very well, report back to me on his progress on Thursday morning.”

  “Yes sir,” responded Corporal Hill. Flight Lieutenant Gaskin nodded and said, “Thank you, Corporal.” Corporal Hill came to attention and then left the office.

  Their section had a large room at the end of the headquarters building with a number of desks in it, not all of them occupied. SAC Malcolm Donovan, one of the progress clerks, called out to Corporal Hill and said, “Corp, there’s a large box been delivered to us containing something called a photocopier. What’s that?”

  “I’ve heard of them but never seen one,” replied Andy. “Let’s get it unpacked and have a look.” They put the carton onto a table and unpacked the machine. Also, in the carton were chemicals and positive and negative papers. Studying the instruction book, they assembled the machine and put chemicals into the bath. “It’s a photographic process,” said Andy, “just like developing photographic film.” They took a letter from a file and placed the negative paper against it, put both on the light box and closed the lid. Andy set the exposure t
ime and pressed ‘start’. A thin ribbon of light showed from under the lid. When the light went off Andy opened the lid and quickly slid a positive sheet onto the exposed negative sheet and fed them through the rollers to go through the chemical bath. The result was not good. Part of the negative sheet had been exposed to daylight and therefore didn’t copy. The rest of it had much of the letter but it was faint. They both realised that using this machine was going to take some practice. In time to come they would learn more about the machine’s foibles. Andy gave SAC Donovan a list of supplies that had been ordered and told him to check on their arrival. He was particularly concerned to know that the slide rules and logarithmic tables had arrived. Andy wanted to take the airmen through their use of them. He also wanted to check their skills in the analysis and graphic presentation of data so that he could determine how to divide up the duties.

  Just after 15.00 hours, Corporal Mike Armstrong brought Corporal James Jackson down to the trials analysis section and introduced him to Corporal Hill. The new man was under six feet in height but built like the proverbial ‘barn door’. He spoke with a Liverpool accent. Corporal Hill shook him by the hand and welcomed him into the team. “Corporal Jackson has already been settled into his billet, Andy,” said Corporal Armstrong, “so it’s over to you.”

  Andy turned and thanked him and said, “See you in the mess later.” He got a smiled nod in return as Corporal Armstrong left the room. “How do you prefer me to address you,” Andy asked.

  “Call me ‘Jim’. James is a bit too formal and I’m not keen on ‘Jimmy’,” was Corporal Jackson’s reply. “Right,” said Andy. “I’d better take you into meet Flight Lieutenant Gaskin, our section officer, and then I can start explaining things to you.” They walked across the office and Andy knocked on the door of Gaskin’s office.