"Comfortably seated we made for the frontier leaving my Mother with verbal messages about possible rendezvous points for George, if he followed later.
At the border we waited till the guard was changed and the french guards came along and when we were alone, we had cigars to give them. The growing of tobacco in Belgium had no restrictions unlike in France. It was taken as a gift. They knew that we were all involved by now and so were they but we helped each other.
In no time we made for Compiegne and I didn't like the police who were watching the station. They gave us a long look! Carefully, I went to Gourcy dodging them and fulfilling my mission and using the pass without arousing any suspicion. Once there it didn't take too long for me to find out that the place was hot and reeking with treason.
We quickly retraced our steps and took a different route making for Paris instead. George couldn't have possibly found us if he had escaped from any incarceration, but you never know, I also knew that he would still try. The advantage with Daniel was that he had an uncle seventy kilometres south of Paris in Pithiviers district well hidden behind the Orleans-Forest. His Uncle was a horse dealer and well known to other farmers. This was the place to hide for a while with lots of food available and dense woods to hide in. We just skimmed Paris and got out as quickly as we could in a great haste.
We made good time to Pithhiviers and everything was as we expected and we received a marvellous welcome. Daniel's uncle collected us at the station as he had been pre-warned of our arrival by telephone. His aunt and uncle talked to us for hours afterwards. Daniel's cousins were a nice couple of boys working hard and helping out on the farm most of the time. Their dad said that when the time came he would hide them in the nearby forest where there was already a group of The Resistance and they would join them.
There were still wild boars in these woods. We saw the damage they did on his land to his vegetables the following morning. We stayed over a week and left loaded with an extra bag just filled to the brim with food. On the way we stopped in a town with a big cathedral along the railway. I think it must have been a famous one!
We arrived in Bordeaux safely and went to a lonely bistro close to the harbour. After a good meal without ration cards! we got to talking to people who knew and pointed out a contractor who was looking for workers to help him in the "Landes" repairing a bridge. The company was from Paris called "Sotramet" and so this was the ideal chance for us to proceed with caution to our destiny.
George we never saw again till after the war, he told us that he went as far as Bordeaux and then turned back. The contractor took us to a place called Belin-Belier. A Gestapo man in plain clothes looked at our papers but the boss said we were in his employ and he would look after us, so we were left pretty well alone.
The break was needed to enable us to slowly explore our re-entry to the coastal zone and also to build up our finances again so that we would have money when we needed to move on. The work was pretty hard, it consisted of repairing a worn out and frail bridge. There were lots of mosquitos in this place, it being moors and fen country, forested, lots of beautiful grass snakes and turtles. The food was different here and the work was harder than we had envisaged. Artichokes and beans every day with little or no meat. Rations cards were arranged and issued to us, so this made us in order for the rest of the area.
The crew, like us, consisted mostly of hide-aways, some from as far as Paris, some were Spanish - republicans and maqisards at the ready, it was like a transit camp. When at work on the river, we had our problems with the swift current underneath, boards dropping down and then having to get them back.
Once we had an argument with a bad tempered Spaniard who disappeared at different times in a deep hole in the river while pulling the planks back and dragging a pontoon but it turned out alright in the end. The friendship was tense but bearable. We had started to sing the Volga boat song for him and he was not amused about that.
We even managed to see a bull-fight in Bordeaux at the weekend put on by Portuguese, but shame on them, the Spaniards had to save the situation and jumped into the ring just when the air-raid alarm went off. When everything was over we all left and had a swim instead. My dive from the high board was quite enough and turned out to be a complete flop so I had had enough of it!
Returning home again we were harrassed by the same Gestapo man of before. The manager was present and vouched for us again and got us out! That is something, I remarked to Daniel, we have got to avoid travelling on this line!"
To be continued ....
Monday, 16 January 2012
Sunday, 15 January 2012
Day 20 - Madam De Nile and saying Goodbye to my Mother!
"I took a last look around the countryside aware that something was going on! There was more than the eye could meet. Nearing the top of the slope I turned to the right and noticed split sticks with a piece of paper containing words at intervals with more of the same containing messages that could be arranged pertaining to assembly points and times of droppings.
I walked on until I came to an open field, more like a short landing strip to me, which indeed it was. After all this I came back to my starting point and noticed a little hamlet almost hidden by the foliage which stirred my curiousity. I first went to the Cafe-Bistro where some of the locals were playing billiards and they invited me to have a game. It is probable that they had seen me and had watched my movements for a while before this. After a few pernods, we chatted away and it turned out that they decided to take me into their confidence. They were doing resistance work and were interested in getting new recruits.
After taking my leave, I was glad of the information I had gathered and quickly left Gourcy-aux Loges bearing in mind that the trail I had recently found was not because of my friend George! I returned to Compiegne junction to get the first train back to Brussels. I was lucky because my pass was in good order still and I found no harrassment on the train.
I went straight to my Aunt Helen and after a good reception and telling them of my urgency to get to England because of my close association with George and his pursuers. My Aunt got someone to come over who cross-examined me and asked all about the information I had gathered in Soissons, concerning the cables and bunkers in the ridge. It turned out that this area was intended to be used for some of the new weapons they had in mind and the General Headquarters which were to be installed there in case of an invasion.
The lady in question was told by my aunt of my wish to get to England and the fact that I was being pursued because of my previous exploits. She looked me straight in the eye and said: "You go to St. Jean-De.Luz, to Hotel-Du-Tourisme and tell them you are sent by me - mentioning her name, Madam De Nile, and that was it; for all the contacts I had had this one was the most important and I just knew I had to take her advice...
With this information I proceeded on my way to Ostend, looked up George but he had literally gone underground and instead I met Daniel who had just received his shoes and papers, ready to be transported to Germany... "There is no time to lose" I said, "ÿou come with me"!
At this point, it was the goodbye's to my mother that I will remember for ever, she knew that something was in the offing and came with me to the small cross-country train which I was taking as a precaution. The departure was very moving of course, like the soldiers going to the front in "Farewell to Arms".......
To be continued ...
I walked on until I came to an open field, more like a short landing strip to me, which indeed it was. After all this I came back to my starting point and noticed a little hamlet almost hidden by the foliage which stirred my curiousity. I first went to the Cafe-Bistro where some of the locals were playing billiards and they invited me to have a game. It is probable that they had seen me and had watched my movements for a while before this. After a few pernods, we chatted away and it turned out that they decided to take me into their confidence. They were doing resistance work and were interested in getting new recruits.
After taking my leave, I was glad of the information I had gathered and quickly left Gourcy-aux Loges bearing in mind that the trail I had recently found was not because of my friend George! I returned to Compiegne junction to get the first train back to Brussels. I was lucky because my pass was in good order still and I found no harrassment on the train.
I went straight to my Aunt Helen and after a good reception and telling them of my urgency to get to England because of my close association with George and his pursuers. My Aunt got someone to come over who cross-examined me and asked all about the information I had gathered in Soissons, concerning the cables and bunkers in the ridge. It turned out that this area was intended to be used for some of the new weapons they had in mind and the General Headquarters which were to be installed there in case of an invasion.
The lady in question was told by my aunt of my wish to get to England and the fact that I was being pursued because of my previous exploits. She looked me straight in the eye and said: "You go to St. Jean-De.Luz, to Hotel-Du-Tourisme and tell them you are sent by me - mentioning her name, Madam De Nile, and that was it; for all the contacts I had had this one was the most important and I just knew I had to take her advice...
With this information I proceeded on my way to Ostend, looked up George but he had literally gone underground and instead I met Daniel who had just received his shoes and papers, ready to be transported to Germany... "There is no time to lose" I said, "ÿou come with me"!
At this point, it was the goodbye's to my mother that I will remember for ever, she knew that something was in the offing and came with me to the small cross-country train which I was taking as a precaution. The departure was very moving of course, like the soldiers going to the front in "Farewell to Arms".......
To be continued ...
Day 19 - Something was brewing in those hills!
"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 ...
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 ...
Friday, 13 January 2012
"Day 18 - The Passes were Perfect! Spring 1942!
"Otherwise we had a pleasant day in that town gathering presents and tins of biscuits unattainable at home. Our exploits and earnings here enabled the people at home to have an extra ration for once while we were being fed here. One of the other objects we bought was a beautiful knife with an inlaid bone handle, a spanish style flick knife, made for hand to hand fighting, which we knew we could use to defend ourselves if necessary.
I then spent time in another place south of Cherbourg named Brickebec and Quetehou. While I was there I became ill and during my stay in the barracks with a fever I became acquainted with a secret group of Gaullists and other resistance groups doing the same as us, infiltrating and monitoring.
They talked me in to being available for operations with their cause. Things were going our way. They only one left with me now was Everaeart who joined them and was there when the invasion took place. I didn't recuperate well enough and was sent home on sick leave.
As the people at home knew of my endeavours they tried to circulate news to help me find proper contacts. I still had to physically improve my weakened condition left me feeling short of breath and coughing. I also had my arm lanced because of infected boils. My Mother was worried so I took it easy for the winter and continued studying at the trade school. It was a welcome interval, we all had come to know each other again.
There was no respite from the regular bombing which were intended for the convoys and flak guns. Our Allies considered our position and tried for military targets only. I gave information on all the things and installations I had seen to the monitoring teachers at school and this information found its way to England and everything was kept up to date.
Some cinema's are reopened and were showing German U.F.A. films and propoganda pieces grossly overrated. Austrian films showing comics were not too bad. In this way we heard of Zarah Leander who turned out to be a Russian spy in the midst of the German High Command. We also saw Marika Rok a Hungarian dancer and cabaret star.
There was also boxing still at its peak with Karel Sys going to fight Ole, Tandberg in Sweden. He was a Cassuis Clay style of boxer and not damaged in any way. In fact, the whole team were excellent boxers. They would pay for their collaboration after the war with their promoter, Theo Vanhaverbeke.
I didn't hear from John anymore, I couldn't trust him too much and then one day I was watched by a blackshirt while at the doctors. I was sure it was me that he was after, one got that feeling of being under observation.
There is little I can say about this episode except that I passed the time studying more and one evening under the curfew, I fell into the cellar of a bombed house after leaving the cinema. I lost consciousness for a moment and then somebody helped me out of the hole. I had cut the side of my face open which held me up for a while. In the interim I met two old friends George and Daniel and I asked if they would come and join me in going to England or North Africa. They were interested and by the Spring of 1942 we were ready for this operation to begin.
I took George on a trial run and Daniel was nowhere to be found. George was an expect at forging passes and official stamps, we passed the coastal limit zone across Pachendael's old bridge controlled by the Germans who saluted us. The passes were perfect."
To be continued .....
I then spent time in another place south of Cherbourg named Brickebec and Quetehou. While I was there I became ill and during my stay in the barracks with a fever I became acquainted with a secret group of Gaullists and other resistance groups doing the same as us, infiltrating and monitoring.
They talked me in to being available for operations with their cause. Things were going our way. They only one left with me now was Everaeart who joined them and was there when the invasion took place. I didn't recuperate well enough and was sent home on sick leave.
As the people at home knew of my endeavours they tried to circulate news to help me find proper contacts. I still had to physically improve my weakened condition left me feeling short of breath and coughing. I also had my arm lanced because of infected boils. My Mother was worried so I took it easy for the winter and continued studying at the trade school. It was a welcome interval, we all had come to know each other again.
There was no respite from the regular bombing which were intended for the convoys and flak guns. Our Allies considered our position and tried for military targets only. I gave information on all the things and installations I had seen to the monitoring teachers at school and this information found its way to England and everything was kept up to date.
Some cinema's are reopened and were showing German U.F.A. films and propoganda pieces grossly overrated. Austrian films showing comics were not too bad. In this way we heard of Zarah Leander who turned out to be a Russian spy in the midst of the German High Command. We also saw Marika Rok a Hungarian dancer and cabaret star.
There was also boxing still at its peak with Karel Sys going to fight Ole, Tandberg in Sweden. He was a Cassuis Clay style of boxer and not damaged in any way. In fact, the whole team were excellent boxers. They would pay for their collaboration after the war with their promoter, Theo Vanhaverbeke.
I didn't hear from John anymore, I couldn't trust him too much and then one day I was watched by a blackshirt while at the doctors. I was sure it was me that he was after, one got that feeling of being under observation.
There is little I can say about this episode except that I passed the time studying more and one evening under the curfew, I fell into the cellar of a bombed house after leaving the cinema. I lost consciousness for a moment and then somebody helped me out of the hole. I had cut the side of my face open which held me up for a while. In the interim I met two old friends George and Daniel and I asked if they would come and join me in going to England or North Africa. They were interested and by the Spring of 1942 we were ready for this operation to begin.
I took George on a trial run and Daniel was nowhere to be found. George was an expect at forging passes and official stamps, we passed the coastal limit zone across Pachendael's old bridge controlled by the Germans who saluted us. The passes were perfect."
To be continued .....
Thursday, 12 January 2012
Day 17 - Tod's and Caught in the Middle Again!
"The next day John arrived and gave me a good telling off. I told him that I had missed the train. He than told me that my mates had told him everything...!He was responsible for me and said put it all down to experience. The same evening we were back in the fold with the others after a hectic trip across Normandy and arrived at "Le Petite Swiss Normande. The Tod organization was present with architects and supervisors, also with a few ramrods assisting. It was a quasi militarised organization of drop-outs, army rejects and a few old ones. They were dressed in light khaki uniforms.
In the morning, after John had introduced us, we were briefed and John departed to go back somewhere, Belgium? We were taken to an open clearing at the summit of a hill. From what I could make out it was a pyramid built tower structure with a central control and a huge screen similar to that found in a drive-in cinema but grilled and facing the seaside. It appeared to be Radar but not quite as sophisticated as the British Radar. Their specialists resembled air force personnel.
The work we had to do was jolly hard work. The rock face was hard and difficult. The slower we worked the less the Germans would be able to use the Radar but the ramrods and supervisors saw to it that we kept hard at work. Moving the tiploaders tracks I found back breaking. I seemed to get all the load to myself.
When we had finished the building and screen on the hill they took us further afield to Beaumont on the left side of the Cherbourg Peninsular, then to St. Pierre LÉglise which was in front of a large convent. I believe, that later, Pierre-Eglise was used by the Americans during the invasion as a landing sight, near to Utah Beach. Beaumont had another Radar that was very vulnerable to straffing and attack.
One of the Tod men in charge was a typical bully ordering everybody around in the worst possible manner and we thought he was in need of a hard lesson. One day we decided to teach the bully a lesson. While he was picking up dirty cement bags he called us "Dirty French", he then made a huge pile of the cement bags and set light to it. The flames went up very high and burnt the camouflage nets... His smile quickly froze when he saw the chain reaction.
Most of us acted as though we hadn't seen anything till he started screaming fire and then he started to panic, running frantically with buckets of water until it was under control. He then suddenly disappeared from the scene and we were never bothered again.
We also had a fearless strong man in our group called Jan. One day, it didn't take too long for a fight to start after the German soldier's started singing, "We are sailing against England" and referred to the bombing of Coventry. Jan was involved in the fight and got stabbed in the back by a short dagger like bayonet as he was tackling two of them at the same time. The rest of us got rounded up by Tod's military police and transferred to "Tod's" security jail. Jan was taken to hospital and lost a lot of blood but survived he was given sick leave and never came back. The rest of us had a day in the cooler and afterwards we had to run behind their bicycles towards the convent a couple of miles away before we were dismissed.
On our last day, we had a shopping spree in Cherbourg. As there was no suitable transport we took our chances and travelled partly in a french dustcart standing upright, holding our noses and then later in a picturesque little train rolling along the coast. We finally reached Cherbourg in safety to find that a raid had been made on the beach incurring a number of casualities. Some of the casualties were from our group who had been mistaken for Germans. This was our lot to be caught between the various fighting factions. An unpleasant situation inflicted on us because the German's presence was everywhere".
To be continued ...
In the morning, after John had introduced us, we were briefed and John departed to go back somewhere, Belgium? We were taken to an open clearing at the summit of a hill. From what I could make out it was a pyramid built tower structure with a central control and a huge screen similar to that found in a drive-in cinema but grilled and facing the seaside. It appeared to be Radar but not quite as sophisticated as the British Radar. Their specialists resembled air force personnel.
The work we had to do was jolly hard work. The rock face was hard and difficult. The slower we worked the less the Germans would be able to use the Radar but the ramrods and supervisors saw to it that we kept hard at work. Moving the tiploaders tracks I found back breaking. I seemed to get all the load to myself.
When we had finished the building and screen on the hill they took us further afield to Beaumont on the left side of the Cherbourg Peninsular, then to St. Pierre LÉglise which was in front of a large convent. I believe, that later, Pierre-Eglise was used by the Americans during the invasion as a landing sight, near to Utah Beach. Beaumont had another Radar that was very vulnerable to straffing and attack.
One of the Tod men in charge was a typical bully ordering everybody around in the worst possible manner and we thought he was in need of a hard lesson. One day we decided to teach the bully a lesson. While he was picking up dirty cement bags he called us "Dirty French", he then made a huge pile of the cement bags and set light to it. The flames went up very high and burnt the camouflage nets... His smile quickly froze when he saw the chain reaction.
Most of us acted as though we hadn't seen anything till he started screaming fire and then he started to panic, running frantically with buckets of water until it was under control. He then suddenly disappeared from the scene and we were never bothered again.
We also had a fearless strong man in our group called Jan. One day, it didn't take too long for a fight to start after the German soldier's started singing, "We are sailing against England" and referred to the bombing of Coventry. Jan was involved in the fight and got stabbed in the back by a short dagger like bayonet as he was tackling two of them at the same time. The rest of us got rounded up by Tod's military police and transferred to "Tod's" security jail. Jan was taken to hospital and lost a lot of blood but survived he was given sick leave and never came back. The rest of us had a day in the cooler and afterwards we had to run behind their bicycles towards the convent a couple of miles away before we were dismissed.
On our last day, we had a shopping spree in Cherbourg. As there was no suitable transport we took our chances and travelled partly in a french dustcart standing upright, holding our noses and then later in a picturesque little train rolling along the coast. We finally reached Cherbourg in safety to find that a raid had been made on the beach incurring a number of casualities. Some of the casualties were from our group who had been mistaken for Germans. This was our lot to be caught between the various fighting factions. An unpleasant situation inflicted on us because the German's presence was everywhere".
To be continued ...
Day 16 - Louis at the Gate to Buchenwald!
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| Translation of the sign on the gate means "To Each His Own" or Everybody Gets What He Deserves! |
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
Day 15 - Paris and Stage One!
"We were soon cosily tucked up on our train to the South-West and for Le Mans now, the landscape changing to sunnier and more pleasant countyside, not so harsh looking as the North.
As we listened to the French talking we gathered that they had had more than enough of the Boche. Eventually, we were taken to be northern Boche with a more proud bearing. We had another stop over at Le Mans for Cherbourg. Long enough for another visit to town. We had a good hearty meal in the German canteen for which John had coupons. The meal was typical Nordic, a thick soup and a big plate of meat, potatoes and veges, with custurd pie for dessert.
We walked up the sloping avenue till we reached what looked like the central square. It is always amazing how one can pick up exactly what one is looking for. In this case, a biggish bistro with girls which turned out to be a brothel of course. After ordering the wine the girls came in to join us and we had one called Suzanne Bardot. To this day I still wonder about that connection!
There were Germans around going up and down the stairs in full force. At the same time you could notice the French patriots everywhere talking and sitting conveniently at the tables. Somehow, they realized that we did not come for the usual information. That is the way it was done and we have fallen into the right place. Suzanne told us very trustingly that every week or so an English agent came for pick-ups and took them to the coast of the Vendee or Bretagne, to be transferred from the French fishing boats to the Royal Navy trawler somehow under the nose of the Germans.
There it was the contact just like that! On this she left and attended to other customers. We had found what we needed. Now, we had to lose John and stay behind and make good for a week or so. We had no rations or passes and didn't know anybody or have much money left on us either.
It had to be done alone, a group of three or four was too compromising. So we left the bistro deep in thought seriously pondering the whole subject. I decided I would make a go of it somehow while strolling back to the station because time was up.
John was ready for us and at any moment the train would arrive. Once on it the train would take me far away. I had to look for an opportunity to stay in the station. The locomotive came hissing and steaming in on the other track like a huge monster. My nerves were tense and I kept to the rear of the group quickly looking everywhere. John in the lead ran with the pack to the other tunnel to get to the other track. I was trying to lag behind them when they all entered the tunnel.
I passed stealthily along the other side of the wall and took the stairway. Down they all went in a rush not observing my absence in their hurry and excitement. They climbed on the train which suddenly departed quickly in the same manner as it had arrived. Nobody seemed to miss me and I kept a bit in the shadows out of their view. Good bye! When the train was a good distance I have to laugh loosening the tension of my subdued fears and now in relief, I had made it to the first stage!
I could just imagine John looking all over the train compartments and starting to ask questions. I hoped they would keep quiet for my sake. The first thing was getting my bearings here. I started chatting to two french porters, telling them I was lost, after missing my train, which was the unvarnished truth after all.
They told me that the best thing to do was to go to the Renault works as they needed people and from there get myself established. Well and good I walked towards the place after looking around to find it and then in the process got myself an enormous aperitif. On going back to get my few belongings I took a chance in the German canteen again. Indeed, I got myself another hearty meal but also the attention of a nosy lieutenant asking me all kinds of questions. He tried German in my dialect but ended up talking English which we both had a working knowledge of. From there, after excusing himself, he somehow got to a telephone and soon I was picked up by the German police and taken to their headquarters.
I don't know if John had signalled from somewhere and somehow but they treated me well on someone's orders! They were not yet Gestapo and I had a comfortable room but was closely watched....."
To be continued
As we listened to the French talking we gathered that they had had more than enough of the Boche. Eventually, we were taken to be northern Boche with a more proud bearing. We had another stop over at Le Mans for Cherbourg. Long enough for another visit to town. We had a good hearty meal in the German canteen for which John had coupons. The meal was typical Nordic, a thick soup and a big plate of meat, potatoes and veges, with custurd pie for dessert.
We walked up the sloping avenue till we reached what looked like the central square. It is always amazing how one can pick up exactly what one is looking for. In this case, a biggish bistro with girls which turned out to be a brothel of course. After ordering the wine the girls came in to join us and we had one called Suzanne Bardot. To this day I still wonder about that connection!
There were Germans around going up and down the stairs in full force. At the same time you could notice the French patriots everywhere talking and sitting conveniently at the tables. Somehow, they realized that we did not come for the usual information. That is the way it was done and we have fallen into the right place. Suzanne told us very trustingly that every week or so an English agent came for pick-ups and took them to the coast of the Vendee or Bretagne, to be transferred from the French fishing boats to the Royal Navy trawler somehow under the nose of the Germans.
There it was the contact just like that! On this she left and attended to other customers. We had found what we needed. Now, we had to lose John and stay behind and make good for a week or so. We had no rations or passes and didn't know anybody or have much money left on us either.
It had to be done alone, a group of three or four was too compromising. So we left the bistro deep in thought seriously pondering the whole subject. I decided I would make a go of it somehow while strolling back to the station because time was up.
John was ready for us and at any moment the train would arrive. Once on it the train would take me far away. I had to look for an opportunity to stay in the station. The locomotive came hissing and steaming in on the other track like a huge monster. My nerves were tense and I kept to the rear of the group quickly looking everywhere. John in the lead ran with the pack to the other tunnel to get to the other track. I was trying to lag behind them when they all entered the tunnel.
I passed stealthily along the other side of the wall and took the stairway. Down they all went in a rush not observing my absence in their hurry and excitement. They climbed on the train which suddenly departed quickly in the same manner as it had arrived. Nobody seemed to miss me and I kept a bit in the shadows out of their view. Good bye! When the train was a good distance I have to laugh loosening the tension of my subdued fears and now in relief, I had made it to the first stage!
I could just imagine John looking all over the train compartments and starting to ask questions. I hoped they would keep quiet for my sake. The first thing was getting my bearings here. I started chatting to two french porters, telling them I was lost, after missing my train, which was the unvarnished truth after all.
They told me that the best thing to do was to go to the Renault works as they needed people and from there get myself established. Well and good I walked towards the place after looking around to find it and then in the process got myself an enormous aperitif. On going back to get my few belongings I took a chance in the German canteen again. Indeed, I got myself another hearty meal but also the attention of a nosy lieutenant asking me all kinds of questions. He tried German in my dialect but ended up talking English which we both had a working knowledge of. From there, after excusing himself, he somehow got to a telephone and soon I was picked up by the German police and taken to their headquarters.
I don't know if John had signalled from somewhere and somehow but they treated me well on someone's orders! They were not yet Gestapo and I had a comfortable room but was closely watched....."
To be continued
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