I felt naked without my battledress but I hurried over the dunes towards the lights. Darkness had fallen and I knew that I would be hard to spot in the dark. I took a chance and headed for the beach and the shore line. I reached the sea and the tide was on its way in. I strolled as though I was a fisherman who had finished work for the day. I put my hands in my trouser pockets. I just tried to look as though I didn't care if I was seen. I worked out that the worst thing I could do was to look furtive.
When I neared the town I climbed the dunes to get a better view. It was a smaller place than I had thought. I had been wrong about what was here. There were what looked like holiday homes but I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the half a dozen fishing boats drawn up on the sand. There were a couple of larger ones tied up to the jetty. I wandered to the road which led into the village to afford a better view.
I was so excited at my discovery that I failed to hear the approach of two German guards. They spoke to me in German and I nearly made the mistake of answering them in the same. I shrugged my shoulders and said, in French, that I did not understand them. One of them tried French. It was execrable! "What you do here?"
"I dropped my pipe on the beach and I was looking for it?" I spoke slowly as though to an idiot.
"Pipe?" He did not understand the word. I mimed smoking a pipe and he nodded. "Go home!" He struggled for a word and then said, in German, "Curfew!"
I pointed to the boats. "I sleep on my boat."
"Then go!"
They watched me descend to the beach. I knew I was taking a chance but if I had walked into the village then they might have seen my trousers in the light. They would have marked me, along with my boots, as British. It was why I had mimed. I wanted their attention on my face and my hands. My moustache and rough growth of beard had also helped with my disguise.
I wandered down to the boats. There was no one near them. I walked to the smallest of them. It looked like it would hold no more than four crew. There was a tarpaulin across it and I lifted it. I risked a furtive look up at the road. The two Germans were heading back down the road. This was obviously their duty. They would walk to the end of the jetty and then back into the village. I saw that the boat had a coil of rope and a couple of buckets. I quickly fashioned them into a pile which might resemble a body and then I pulled the tarpaulin back over it. When the sentries came back they would see the bump and assume it was me. I did not want them investigating it. Of course the fishermen would be confused when they came the next morning.
I did not climb the slope to the road. Instead I headed back down the beach. I wondered if I would remember where the others were. I saw my footsteps where I had descended to the beach and after another hundred yards or so I headed into the dunes. After a few moments I heard a hiss, "Here Tom!" I turned in the direction of the voice. Willy's grinning face greeted me. "Well?"
"Where's the Corp?"
"I'm here." He appeared behind me. "I was just keeping an eye out in case you were followed."
"There are fishing boats but the Germans have a curfew. There are guards watching the boats."
"That's that then."
"No, Corp, it isn't. This is better than we could have hoped. The tide was on its way in when I walked down there. In a couple of hours it will turn. We can slip back and steal a boat."
"A boat? We need someone to sail it. We have to get some French fishermen to take us."
"That wouldn't work, Corporal. Firstly we would have to risk being in the village amongst people secondly if the French took us they would risk being arrested when they returned. I can sail."
"I know you have many talents, Harsker but don't start making them up now."
"I'm not Corp. I swear to you I can sail the little fishing boat I saw. It has a simple sail and we have a compass. We head north west and we are bound to bump into England. It's either that or we fight our way to Dunkirk."
I saw him chew his fingernail. I put on my battle dress and my greatcoat. I had already decided. I was going to sail home with or without him. He nodded, "Right then! But I hope to God you know what you are doing because I am no sailor."
"Right, we go down the beach." I took a deep breath. We will need to get rid of the two sentries." I saw the Corporal nod. I took out my new knife, "Silently!"
I led them back down the beach. It would be light in less than four hours and I was taking a chance but the sentries would be getting towards the end of their duty and they would be tired. Now was our best chance to escape. I waved them both to their knees when we came close to the end of the dunes. I took off my packs and my greatcoat. I suddenly realised I had left my helmet behind. It was too late to go back for it now. The other two copied me. I took out my newly acquired knife. I led the other two up the slope of the dune. It was hard going for my feet kept sinking into the sand.
Once near the top I stopped and peered over. They were just twenty feet away and they were talking and smoking. I heard them say how the British army was trapped at Dunkirk and that soon they would be invading England. The other two joined me and I mimed slitting throats. They both nodded and we rose and moved towards them. Willy was not watching where he was going and his foot disturbed a pebble. It clattered onto other stones. I leapt the six feet which separated us and my left hand went towards the German sentry's mouth. We crashed to the floor. His teeth fastened on to me like a dog but I heard the gasp as the wind was driven from him. I rammed my dagger up into his throat. I pushed so hard it went up into his skull.
I rolled on to my back and saw that the other two had disposed of the other sentry but the Corporal was clutching a bleeding arm. There was no time for first aid now. We ran down the dune and grabbed our gear. I led them along the beach towards the boats. I tore the tarpaulin from the boat and cut through the rope securing the anchor. We had no time to haul it aboard. I pointed to the boat and they clambered awkwardly into it. The tide had not quite turned. This was as good a time as any to leave. I threw my great coat and pack into the boat and pushed it out into the water. When the water was up to my chest I tried to pull myself up. My trousers were too sodden. Willy reached down and hauled me up. We nearly flipped over as I landed in the bottom of the small boat.
I went to the sail and, grabbing the sheet, began to hoist the sail up. I had not had the time to check the wind. If it was a headwind then we were dead men. We still dared not speak. I gave the rope to Willy and mimed holding it tight. The Corporal would have to tend to his own wound. I went to the tiller and pushed it to port. Looking up at the masthead I saw that the wind was coming from the south east. Willy was not looking at me and I kicked him. He looked around, affronted, I mimed loosening the rope a little. He did so and was nearly thrown overboard as the wind caught us. I pointed to the port side of the boat and he moved. As soon as he did we levelled out. We were just a hundred yards from the beach and we still had to keep silent. I realised I should have briefed them in the dunes. I would have to give sailing lessons while we sailed.
As soon as the lights of Wissant disappeared I risked speaking. "Sorry about that Willy."
"It's all right Tom. I thought I was going over for a minute."
"I'll just tell you when to change sides, is that all right?"
"Aye no bother. Piece of cake this sailing lark."
"What till we see the white cliffs of Dover before you get cocky." I looked ahead, "You all right Corp?"
There was silence. "Willy, there is a cleat next to you."
"A what?"
"A piece of metal. Wrap that sheet around it a couple of times and then drag the Corporal back here." He looked at me blankly, "Sorry we call ropes sheets."
"Righto!"
I looked up at the mast head. The pennant had not moved. It was too dark to see my compass and I was sailing where the wind took us. The boat began to pitch as Willy dragged the unconscious Corporal towards me. "Keep it steady, this is not the Queen Mary! Take off his great coat and battle dress." I watched in trepidation. There was a great deal of blood. I saw, from the battle dress, that the German had bayoneted Corporal Higgins. The blade had entered his lower arm. I breathed a sigh of relief. It was a loss of blood that had made him pass out. There was nothing more serious.
"Willy, put a tourniquet on his upper arm." When he had done that the blood stopped flowing so freely. I reached over with the bailer and cupped some sea water. "Pour this over the wound to wash it. The salt will help disinfect it. Then stick a dressing on it."
I glanced up and saw that wind had veered a point or two and the sail was not taut. I turned the tiller slightly and our motion became smoother.
"Cover him with the three greatcoats and then open the last tin of sweetened condensed milk. Get some into his mouth."
"How?"
"Lift his head, hold his nose and then when he opens his mouth pour it in."
"Why?"
"He needs the sugar. The body will make up the lost blood but the sugar will speed things up." I mentally thanked my mum for telling me such things.
Once he was covered and Willy had forced some of the milk down his throat I could concentrate on sailing. "Right Willy, untie your rope again. We are going to have to come about."
"What?"
"You are going to have to change seats."
"Oh right."
"Ready? Go!"
Once on the other tack we sped through the water. Willy was a quick learner and we began to operate as a team. It was when the wind began to get up that I worried. Willy could not shorten sail and if I left the tiller then we risked capsizing. At least we were free from the Germans; for the present.
When dawn broke we were not a pretty sight. Willy and the Corporal were covered in blood and their faces were rimed with salt. As soon as I could I took out the compass. We were heading too far to the north. The currents had carried us off what I had thought was the correct course. "Willy we are going to have to come about again."
I saw the Corporal stir.
"Willy, give the Corporal the rest of the condensed milk."
The Corporal turned his head, "Where are we?"
"Admiral Nelson here is sailing us back to Blighty. Here you are, Corp, get this condensed milk down you. You need the sugar apparently."
"I'm all right! I don't need the milk."
"Now don't argue with the ship's doctor, Corp, or the admiral here will have you keel hauled."
I smiled. Willy's sense of humour had returned. The Corporal obeyed. "Corporal could you get into the front end of the boat. It will make it easier for Willy."
"Aye aye captain!"
Once he had moved I risked a turn. For a moment we were beam on to the rollers and the boat tipped alarmingly. If we had not moved the Corporal we would have capsized. Willy shouted, "Whoa, you bugger!"
"Come about!"
I put the tiller over and Willy moved. We became more stable and, once again we flew. After twenty minutes of smooth sailing the Corporal shouted, "How long until we get home?"
"I haven't got the first clue, Corp. It could be a day or two. I just don't know. We are only twenty odd miles from Dover but we have to keep tacking. The visibility isn't great but if you want to get to the bow and have a shufti you might see the coast before we do."
Willy groaned. "That's all we need." He pointed into the sky. "A Jerry!"
"Take off your battle dress." I did the same. "When he passes over just wave. He might think we are friendlies."
I saw that it was a Messerschmitt 109. They were extremely fast and powerfully armed. If he chose to fire at us then we would all end up at the bottom of the Channel. He flew low over us and we waved. He was only fifty feet or so from the sea. I saw him climb and head east. Willy said, "That fooled him he's… oh bloody hell. He is coming back!"
We had one chance and one chance only. Dad had told me that at a hundred and odd miles an hour you only had a stationary target in view for a few seconds. The 109 was much faster than that. I saw him wave hopping. "Willy, get the machine pistol. When I give the word then give him a burst. He won't be expecting that and brace yourself. I am going to try something."
The Corporal said, "Give me the machine gun. You made a right cock up of it the last time."
Willy handed him the machine gun. I knew the German would not waste bullets. He would wait until the last moment to fire. He was closing so fast that I thought I had misjudged it. "Fire!" As the Corporal fired I turned the boat into the wind so that we just stopped dead. The German's machine guns tore into the water just twenty feet from us.
"Come about." I had played my only ace. We had to get moving and hope that he had no more ammunition. It was a vain hope for we saw him bank and turn east. He was coming again.
The Corporal suddenly shouted, "I see the coast!"
Willy murmured, "I hope they find our bodies then because this bugger is going to get us for sure this time."
"Ready with the gun, Corp?"
He shook his head, "Out of ammo!"
I turned to look on my death. The yellow propeller grew ever closer. I braced myself for the impact of the bullets. When I heard the eight Brownings I could not believe it. The Spitfire's bullets tore into the 109. He had been so keen to finish us off he had not noticed the Spitfire diving to attack. As the 109 crashed the pilot gave a victory roll. I shook my head, Dad would not have approved of such a manoeuvre.
An hour later we saw a destroyer heading from the east. She changed course to intercept us. Once alongside a young lieutenant came to the scrambling nets and said, "One of the Brylcreem boys said there were three unlikely sailors who needed a lift. Care to join us?"
We clambered aboard an already packed destroyer bringing back the BEF. We had made it. We would get home.