"Once outside the zone we changed our direction and made for the French Border which passed somewhere betwen Mouscron and Hallcwyn without any trouble. Arriving in Lille, where we made a short visit, we slept in the roomy hall of The Station and gathered as much information from travellers as we could.
There was work in Albert near Arras so we headed for there on the direct line. On the train we got even better news about the ancient Soissons and Reims regions, they were building certain fortifications on the old ridge over there, we had to find out more, this could be important, maybe a second line or for the use of special weoponry. It turned out to be both. The contractors were busy engaging people when we arrived so we fell straight in there, we were installed in an old glass factory Gourcy-Aux-Loges near the crest of the hill. Firstly, we looked after the storage of the incoming material near a bend of the river which the Germans used for swimming, we had two guards with us all the time who looked like Austrians, more like Laurel and Hardy types.
One day we took off and hid in the straw to have a nap after investigating all the thick copper insulated wire coils we found stacked up, there was more of that than anything else to come. Something important was brewing in those hills!
We thought the guards would soon go but they stayed longer than we expected, all this time guarding a big barrelled fire extinguisher on wheels inbetween them, we kept looking behind the bale to see them go but they didn't, after a time, annoyed and fed-up, the Laurel one kicked the barrell in some place and by accident found a valve that opened up and something spluttered all over them, in a short time they were covered in a white liquid.
The Hardy character one swearing and telling the other one off, we burst out laughing and then crept out steathily. After us, the guards left and we had no time to set the place a light because of the soldiers entertaining themselves in the front. They took us to be delegated helpers and didn't take the slightest notice of us at as we passed them by. In one of those light moments we just managed to get out in time but kept in mind a chance for a later attempt, maybe night time would be better!
Soisson was a nice little town full of young girls our age looking for entertainment and pleasure as the war was dragging along, not marriage either, more serious matters could wait. This kept us fairly busy, the town's attractions of cinemas, dance halls and general sightseeing and roaming the wild hills nearby.
Soisson is known for the vase of the same name, where Clovis the King of Franks is supposed to have meted out a Solomon's judgement on two of his warriors who were arguing and drawing swords over the Roman Celtic booty. He just hacked the enormous and precious vase to pieces solving the problem at once, which is to this day depicted by the statue in the village square.
I believe Joanne of D'Arc slept and passed through Soisson too, anyway, the food was still edible, good bread and madeleines for us to fill up on. The dance halls were swinging to the sound of Tartacala the gypsy girl.
The sun shone on our trenches as we dug the windswept ridges to drop the big cables and ourselves in, after the roasting of potatoes enriched with butter or fat, cooked on a stick over open fires.
Occasionally, we dug up the bones of the old fallen soldiers from the 1914-18 War, which were cereomonially reburied by the villagers in the war graves cemetery.
Things went along like this for some time, until one day, I couldn't find George returning late from one of his escapades with the girls. He left a note for me to say that the Gestapo was after him, he'd packed up and returned to Ostend.
I thought I had better follow without making myself too conspicuous ..."
To be continued ...
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