The Way Ahead Page #9

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in the morning about the leave roster.

- Sergeant Fletcher?

- Yes, sir?

When you tell the men...

don't tell them what you're thinking.

- No, sir. Good night, sir.

- Good night.

And I was the only boy

- Nothing like a good old sing-song.

- Horrible noise coming from somewhere.

- I think it was Fletcher's lovely voice.

- It's this lot, harmonising.

- I used to sing in a choir till my voice broke.

- Aw, then they called you up.

- Just a moment.

- Ten minutes till lights out, Sergeant.

All right, I haven't said a word, have I?

Now, listen. I've got

some good news for you.

In October, we're all going off on a

special course of two months' training.

And I should say... it's

going to be very tiring.

So the CO has brought all

leave forward a bit.

That's something, anyway.

Well, I thought you'd like to know,

so that you can write home and so forth.

That's all.

The new leave list will be out tomorrow.

Good night.

Good night, sarge.

- We get our leave early, anyway.

- And the next later, don't forget.

I wonder what it is.

We've done everything twice already.

Well, I can tell you what it is.

They've got no real fighting for us to do.

So somebody says,

"What shall we do with the 9th Dogs?"

Somebody else says, "Why not give them a bit

of training? That always keeps them quiet."

Still, leave won't be so bad, will it?

I read in the paper the other day that we're

not going to open a second front till 1947.

If we don't get some action soon,

I want my cards back.

Perhaps we're going to be paratroops.

I'd like to see a battalion of motorised

infantry dropped by parachute.

- Who's room orderly tomorrow?

- I am.

Better clean out the inside of that stove.

It's full of fag ends.

OK.

I wonder why the sergeant was so pleased

with himself.

He wants to get home to his wife.

Yes, I suppose that's it.

She has my sympathy.

Fancy seven whole days with him by numbers.

It's a funny thing, but there was a time

when I couldn't imagine him having a wife.

Pity seven days is so short, eh?

- Goodbye, dear.

- Goodbye, Bill. You'll be back soon.

That's right, Hilda.

- Hello, Ted.

- Aye, aye.

- Hello, Bert. Have a nice leave?

- Yes. Fine, thanks.

It's very nice of you

to come and see me off, Thyrtle.

Pleasure, Davenport.

Pleased to have seen you again.

Take your seats on the 10.40.

- Hello, Luke. Have a good leave?

- Oh, grand, Sergeant, thanks.

- Will I take your coat?

- Thanks.

- Well, goodbye, dear.

- Bye-bye.

Funny sort of war, isn't it?

Here one minute and gone the next.

That's right. Is that Mr Perry over there?

- Yes.

- Looks all right.

Good as a regular... almost.

Goodbye, dear.

It's funny how much of our lives

we seem to spend on platforms.

Yes, the amount of times we've said goodbye

on this one in the last three years...

I wonder what we'll look like in 1970.

Darling, don't wait.

Jimmy,

if you should ever go away

without saying goodbye to me...

..I'd never forgive you, you know.

- You'd better get in, Geoff. We're due out.

- OK, Sid.

Now, don't forget. Any special thing

you want... It's your birthday soon.

- I'll let you know, Dad.

- Bless you, son. Take care of yourself.

I will.

I won't wait.

Goodbye, darling. See you soon.

Don't be too easy with Phyllis.

- Goodbye. Take care of yourself.

- I will. See you in a fortnight's time.

- Goodbye, dear.

- Goodbye.

- God bless you, dear.

- God bless.

Blinds down!

Goodbye!

She won't half be wild.

"See you in a fortnight," I said.

Don't worry, Ted.

We're going abroad to a nice warm climate.

I can taste the bananas already.

- Hello, sir.

- Hello.

- Any idea where it is we're going?

- The rumour's Burma.

- Jungle fighting.

- They say it takes a year to learn it.

Oh, not our platoon, sir.

Perhaps we're going for

a trip round the world.

I don't care where we're going. I'm ready

for anywhere, except maybe Iceland.

- We wouldn't go there with all this transport.

- They've made mistakes before now.

Not that way. Put the ring over the hook.

I wonder where we are going.

Ssh! Listen.

We're moving.

One, two!

One, two!

Deep! Get that lovely

fresh air in your lungs!

Come on, Mr Perry. I can see you.

Come on, sir. Come on.

Steady! Break off!

It's going round the ship

that we passed Gibraltar during the night.

- Is there any truth...?

- I have no idea.

- I think I saw the outline of the Rock, sir.

- It was the shadow of that ship out there.

I haven't heard anything.

When I do, I'll pass it on to you.

Where do you think we are, Beck?

Oh, I should say one...

no er... two days from the Cape, sir.

All right, sit down.

Well, we've just had some very good news.

Major Edwards is telling the rest of the

Company and I'm passing it on to you.

The 8th Army have just won a big victory at

El Alamein and Rommel is in full retreat.

Whoa! You haven't heard half of it yet.

Now, we, in this convoy, are part of a big

invasion force, American as well as British,

that is going to French North Africa

to remove the enemy from there

and then cut Rommel's only line of retreat.

We land about 40 hours from now.

I can't quite tell you where yet,

but I can tell you this.

This is the first step

in the great offensive

that's going to make Hitler and Mussolini

put up the shutters and go out of business.

Now, in the past,

we've all had our ups and downs,

and many of us have been pretty fed up

at times.

Not people like Brewer and Davenport,

of course.

However, that's all behind us now,

and it looks as though all this training we did

is going to come in pretty handy after all.

Now, I'll just give you what details I can.

Now, if we land at Phillipville,

there's a three-star hotel there

with an American bar

which would doubtless have beer in stock.

Those who prefer more exotic beverages

will find your curiosity amply satisfied

at the mysterious bazaars and coffeehouses

of the kasbah, or Muslim Quarter.

They ought to make you a corporal for that.

We did a brochure on Algeria in '38. Of course,

it's not the kind of beer we're used to.

He only started to drink ginger beer

before we left home.

I can't see us having much time for beer.

No, action, eh? With all this equipment.

Yes, I shan't be sorry

when we get going with it.

We won't half have something

to write home about now, eh?

Jerries are round again.

- What's that noise, mate? Guns?

- No, depth charges.

I shouldn't let anyone

catch you smoking in here, if I were you.

- Good evening, sir.

- Good evening.

- Good evening, sir.

- Brewer.

- I'll be glad when...

Stand still!

Now, walk to your boat stations.

Do that up, Luke. Rifle, Sidley.

Fletcher, go to the boat station.

No-one is to go near a

boat till they're told to.

- All right here?

- What was it? Torpedo?

Yes, on the port side.

Fire started in No.4 hold, sir.

Get that hose along! And

tell the engineers!

Clear that gear away from the bridge!

- Hodges?

- Sir!

- Woodward?

- Sergeant!

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