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DANGER
ETH YARROW HAD COME A LONG WAY FROM HIS FARM TO FLY IN THE DAKOTAS SUPPLYING THE ALLIED ARMIES FIGHTING THE JAPANESE IN THE JUNGLES OF BURMA. BUT HE WOULD NEED TO MASTER A MUCH OLDER MEANS OF TRANSPORT IN HIS MOST DANGEROUS MISSION YET, TAKING THE WAR DIRECTLY TO THE ENEMY ON THE GROUND.
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CONTAINERS AWAY!
STORY BILL STYLES ART OLIVERA COVER JANEK MATYSIAK
4 OUR STORY STARTS JUST BEFORE THE SECOND WORLD WAR. YOUNG SETH YARROW WAS A FARM HAND WORKING ON A SOMERSET FARM. HE WAS VERY STRONG AND COULD DO MOST JOBS WELL.
THIS IS HARD WORK BUT I DON’T MIND THAT AT ALL.
FARMING WAS IMPORTANT WORK, FEEDING A HUNGRY WAR-TIME BRITAIN, SO WORKERS LIKE SETH HAD NOT BEEN CALLED UP. THE FARMER KNEW THAT SETH WANTED TO JOIN THE ARMY, THOUGH. SETH’S A GOOD LAD, HE’D BE OUR BEST WORKER IF IT WASN’T FOR THE ANIMALS. BUT PERHAPS HE SHOULD DO WHAT HE WANTS AND JOIN UP. THE ARMY NEEDS KEEN MEN LIKE HIM, MORE THAN EVER.
COME BACK HERE, DOBBIN!
BUT SETH HAD A PROBLEM. HE WAS USELESS WITH ANIMALS. THEY REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING HE WANTED. FORTUNATELY, THE FARM MAINLY GREW CROPS.
HOLD STILL, BUTTERCUP! THAT’S ANOTHER MILK PAIL GONE NOW, FARMER WILL KILL ME!
5 AFTER WRITING MANY LETTERS TO THE RECRUITERS, SETH WAS FINALLY ALLOWED TO VOLUNTEER FOR THE ARMY. THE DAY CAME WHEN HE HAD TO SAY GOODBYE TO THE FARMER AND HIS WIFE. THEY HAD LOOKED AFTER HIM WELL. GOODBYE! I’LL COME BACK AND SEE YOU WHEN I’M ON LEAVE!
TAKE CARE, SETH!
GET RID OF THEM JERRIES FOR US, BOY…AND DON’T HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH ANIMALS, NEITHER! HA HA!
AFTER SIGNING UP, THE YOUNG MAN REPORTED TO HIS FIRST BARRACKS FOR INITIAL TRAINING. AFTER THE WEST COUNTRY, THIS WAS ANOTHER WORLD FOR HIM.
THIS IS LIKE AN OVERTURNED ANTHILL! WELL, I KNEW IT WASN’T GOING TO BE ANYTHING LIKE THE FARM.
6 SETH FOUND THE TESTS HE HAD TO DO VERY DIFFICULT. HE HAD NOT SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THEM BEFORE.
THIS IS VERY HARD. DON’T EVEN UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY WANT.
FIVE MORE MINUTES!
AFTER AN INITIAL LESSON, SETH STRUGGLED TO RE-ASSEMBLE AN OLD LEE ENFIELD RIFLE.
CAN’T REMEMBER ALL OF THIS!
YARROW! GET A MOVE ON, EVERYONE ELSE HAS FINISHED!
WHERE SETH DID WELL WAS ON LONG RUNS AND ROUTE MARCHES. HE WAS STRONGER AND FITTER THAN THE OTHER RECRUITS AFTER HIS FARM WORKING DAYS. THIS IS BETTER. I’D MUCH RATHER BE OUTSIDE IN THE FRESH AIR.
I’M DONE FOR!
ARRR! MY LEGS, CAN’T GO MUCH FURTHER!
7 THAT NIGHT IN THE BARRACKS, ONE OF THE NEW RECRUITS, FRED “TITCH” LEYTON, WAS THREATENED BY SEVERAL SOLDIERS FROM ANOTHER BARRACKS, WHO WERE BULLYING HIM. WHAT DO YOU WANT NOW?
WELL, NOW. WE’LL START WITH SOME RESPECT FROM YOU, YOU LITTLE HALF PINT!
SETH SAW WHAT WAS GOING ON. HE HATED BULLYING AND KNEW HE HAD TO STAND UP FOR FRED. HEY! LEAVE HIM ALONE, YOU’RE THREE AGAINST ONE! WHAT’S THAT TO YOU?
8 THE RING LEADER OF THE BULLIES THOUGHT HE HAD ANOTHER VICTIM. SETH MAY HAVE BEEN TALLER THAN HIM BUT THE THUG WAS HEAVILY BUILT AND USED TO FIGHTING.
YOU’RE THAT SLOW OLD FARM BOY, AREN’T YOU? CAN’T PUT A RIFLE TOGETHER…WE DON’T WANT YOUR SORT AROUND HERE!
PICKING ON PEOPLE IS WRONG. I’M NOT PLAYING YOUR STUPID GAMES!
SETH PUSHED THE BULLY AWAY. WITHOUT MEANING TO, HE USED ALL HIS STRENGTH AND FLUNG THE THUG AGAINST THE WALL, KNOCKING HIM OUT. THE OTHER TWO IN THE GANG DECIDED TO LEAVE – QUICKLY.
GET AWAY FROM ME! OOOOF!
LET’S GET OUT OF HERE! I’M NOT GOING NEAR THEM AGAIN!
9 THE CHIEF BULLY STAGGERED OFF AND WENT AWAY. SETH HAD SAVED THE DAY. THE OTHER RECRUITS KNEW THAT THE BULLIES WOULD KEEP AWAY FROM THEIR AREA NOW. I DIDN’T MEAN TO PUSH HIM SO HARD.
HE DESERVED IT! YOU’VE DONE US ALL A BIG FAVOUR, SETH!
TITCH WAS GRATEFUL TO SETH FOR HELPING HIM. NOW HE WANTED TO HELP SETH AND SHOWED HIM HOW THE RIFLE PARTS FITTED.
ALTHOUGH HAVING HAD LITTLE SCHOOLING, SETH WAS NO FOOL. WITH THE CLEVER TITCH AS TEACHER, HE SOON PICKED UP ON THE SKILLS HE NEEDED AS A PRIVATE. THE OFFICER IN CHARGE OF INITIAL TRAINING LET HIM TAKE THE SELECTION TESTS AGAIN.
HEY, THAT WAS MUCH EASIER NOW I UNDERSTAND THE QUESTIONS BETTER!
THAT’S SO EASY! I WISH THEY HAD SHOWN ME THAT WELL IN THE CLASS, FRED.
THE SARGE DOESN’T EXPLAIN THINGS VERY WELL. CALL ME TITCH, EVERY ONE ELSE DOES!
TIME! PUT DOWN YOUR PENS!
10 THANKS TO TITCH’S ADVICE, SETH DID WELL ENOUGH TO PASS HIS INITIAL TRAINING. THEN IT WAS TIME FOR THE PASSING OUT PARADE. SETH WONDERED WHICH REGIMENT HE WOULD BE JOINING AND WHERE HIS FIRST POSTING WOULD BE. WELL DONE, MEN. SOON YOU WILL TAKE THE WAR TO THE ENEMY! GOOD LUCK!
HOPE I JOIN THE ROYAL WESSEX RIFLE BRIGADE, THEY’RE THE VERY BEST.
SETH WAS CALLED TO THE C.O.’s OFFICE TO SEE LIEUTENANT-COLONEL GILBERT SMYTHE, AND BE TOLD HIS POSTING. HE STILL HOPED TO JOIN THE ROYAL WESSEX RIFLES, HIS LOCAL REGIMENT.
THE YOUNG PRIVATE WAS PLEASED TO FIND THAT TITCH LEYTON WAS AMONG THE OTHER NEW RECRUITS POSTED TO THE SAME 14TH ARMY UNIT. THEY TRAVELLED ON THE SAME TROOP SHIP ON THE FIRST PART OF THEIR JOURNEY. GLAD TO BE TRAVELLING WITH YOU, TITCH. IT’S GOING TO BE A LONG JOURNEY.
YOU HAVE DONE VERY WELL IN PHYSICAL TRAINING, PRIVATE YARROW, AND YOUR TESTS WERE MUCH BETTER THE SECOND TIME AROUND. NEARLY DIDN’T TAKE YOU.
BUT I CAN’T GIVE YOU YOUR FIRST CHOICE, I’M AFRAID. THE JAPS ARE ON THE MOVE IN BURMA AGAIN. WE NEED TROOPS FOR THE FOURTEENTH ARMY OUT THERE SO THAT’S WHERE YOU’LL GO.
YES, GOOD TO HAVE A FRIEND LIKE YOU AND SOME OF THE OTHER LADS TO TAKE ON THE JAPS WITH.