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HE FEAR OF INVASION WAS HIGH IN BRITAIN IN 1941 AND EVERYBODY WHO COULD WAS DOING THEIR BIT. BUT IN A SMALL SOUTH-EAST ENGLISH PORT THAT MEANT JIM CREWE, ALEX WRIGHT AND RICK ADAMS, THE YOUNGEST MEMBERS IN THE LOCAL HOME GUARD, WERE WIELDING PAINT BRUSHES RATHER THAN WEAPONS.
I DON’T THINK OUR HUT WAS EVEN NEEDING A FRESH COAT OF PAINT.
STORY MAC MACDONALD ART KEITH PAGE COVER KEITH PAGE
OURS NOT TO REASON WHY...
...ESPECIALLY WHEN CAPTAIN SPICK-AND-SPAN WARING IS BARKING OUT ORDERS.
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CAPTAIN WILLIAM WARING, A VETERAN OF WORLD WAR ONE, TOOK HIS ROLE VERY SERIOUSLY. HE WAS ALSO OF THE OPINION THAT LADS OF SIXTEEN OR SEVENTEEN WERE TOO YOUNG TO PLAY ANYTHING BUT A MINOR PART IN HIS COMMAND. IS THAT ALL YOU HAVE DONE? TIME TO SPEED IT UP A BIT OR YOU’LL NEVER BE FINISHED.
THE CAPTAIN MARCHED OFF. THE THREE FRIENDS, JIM AN APPRENTICE JOINER, ALEX AN APPRENTICE PAINTER AND ALEC AN APPRENTICE PLUMBER, EXCHANGED WEARY GLANCES. HE WON’T EVEN LET US DRILL WITH RIFLES! SAYS IT’S TOO DANGEROUS.
BROOM HANDLES INSTEAD! WE LOOK LIKE A BUNCH OF HALF-WITS.
EVEN BANNED THOSE PICK-AXE HANDLES WE BROUGHT ALONG. MADE US LOOK LIKE SAVAGES, HE SAID.
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THE LADS FELT THEIR SPIRITS RISE LATER IN THE WEEK WHEN RUMOURS WERE CONFIRMED THAT A FIVE-DAY EXERCISE JUST UP THE COAST WOULD INVOLVE THE HOME GUARD AS WELL AS REGULAR TROOPS. HERE’S THE CAPTAIN BACK FROM HIS BRIEFING. WE’LL SOON KNOW THE FULL STORY.
MY UNCLE SAYS THAT POLISH SOLDIERS FROM A CAMP FURTHER NORTH WILL PLAY THE PART OF NAZI PARATROOPERS TO MAKE IT SEEM MORE REALISTIC.
ALL THAT PROVED TO BE TRUE, BUT THE C.O. DASHED THEIR RISING HOPES BY INFORMING THEM THAT THEY WOULD BE BASED AT THE HUT TO MAN THE RADIO AND SUPPLY TEA AND SANDWICHES WHEN CALLED UPON.
BUT WE THOUGHT WE COULD JOIN THE SEARCH PARTY LED BY YOU, SIR. NOT AN OPTION, MY BOY. IT’S MAN’S WORK, NOT FOR BOYS LIKE YOU AND YOUR ORDERS ARE QUITE CLEAR, ARE THEY NOT?
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THAT WAS THE END OF ANY SERIOUS INVOLVEMENT AND THE THREE FRIENDS FELT PRETTY LOW ABOUT THAT. I HEARD THE CAPTAIN BRIEFING THE OTHERS. THEY’RE JUST MARCHING OFF ALONG THE CLIFFS WHEN I THINK THEY SHOULD BE SLIPPING UP THE COAST BY SEA TO LAND BEHIND THE POLES.
THAT SOUNDS A BETTER PLAN TO ME TOO.
THEIR STEPS HAD TAKEN THEM TO WHERE ALEC’S UNCLE KEPT HIS OLD BUT SEAWORTHY FISHING COBLE, WHICH HE USED OCCASIONALLY TO SEEK OUT CRABS AND SPRATS. NOW WHY DON’T WE JUST BORROW THE BOAT AND CARRY OUT OUR OWN OUTFLANKING MOVE?
BUT WOULD YOUR UNCLE LET YOU?
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ALL THREE WEIGHED UP THEIR OPTIONS. HE’D NEVER KNOW. HE’S OFF SOMEWHERE WITH THE NAVAL RESERVE. HAS BEEN FOR WEEKS.
I SAY WE GO FOR IT.
ME TOO.
RICK WAS ALL FOR IT TOO, BUT HE WAS ALSO AWARE THAT HE WAS NOT A GOOD SAILOR IF THE SEA CUT UP ROUGH. YOU ALL KNOW HOW SICK I GET IN A BOAT.
AND THERE’S NO WORD OF BAD WEATHER COMING IN.
BUT WE’LL BE HUGGING THE COAST ALL THE WAY IN CALM WATER.
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SO IT WAS AGREED. THEY MET LATER THAT NIGHT TO SET SAIL WITH THEIR PICK-AXES BROUGHT ALONG AS WEAPONS. ALEC TOOK THE TILLER, JIM AND RICK READY ON THE OARS.
NOBODY SAW US LEAVE AND IT’S A FINE NIGHT.
WE SHOULD MAKE GOOD PROGRESS.
BUT A VICIOUS STORM BLEW UP OUT OF NOWHERE, EVEN THE FIRST SIGN OF IT OMINOUS.
WOW, WHERE DID THAT COME FROM?
WE’LL NEED TO PULL FURTHER OUT TO SEA OR WE COULD BE DRIVEN ASHORE.
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JIM TOOK OVER THE TILLER BUT COULD GAIN NO CONTROL OF THE LITTLE BOAT. WITH THE OARS SHIPPED AND THE SAIL LOWERED, THE CRAFT WAS SOON AT THE MERCY OF THE FOUL WEATHER WHICH NOW PUMMELLED THEM.
JUST HANG ON IN THERE, RICK. I DON’T FEEL SO GOOD.
THIS WILL SOON PASS, I HOPE.
ALEC WAS WRONG ABOUT THAT AS ANGRY CLOUDS SHROUDED THE MOON AND LIGHTNING FLASHES THREW AN EERIE LIGHT OVER THE TEMPESTUOUS WAVES.
YE GODS, THIS IS ROUGH!
I REALLY FEEL SICK...
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DAY SCARCELY BROUGHT ANY INCREASE IN LIGHT, SO HEAVY WAS THE CLOUD COVER. THEY LOST ANY SENSE OF TIME. RICK WAS SEMI-CONSCIOUS BY THE TIME LAND WAS SIGHTED AND THEY WERE DRIVEN TOWARDS THE SHORE, FORTUNATELY A SANDY BEACH.
WE MUST BE FURTHER UP THE COAST THAN WE PLANNED TO BE.
WE CAN FIND OUT FOR SURE ONCE WE SEE HOW RICK IS FARING.
RICK WAS IN A BAD WAY AND UNABLE TO STOMACH ANY OF THE FOOD THEY HAD BROUGHT ALONG, ALTHOUGH HE DID SIP SOME WATER.
THEN ALL THREE RESTED THEIR ACHING BODIES, AND SLIPPED INTO THE DEEP SLEEP OF EXHAUSTION.