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RANCE, THE WESTERN FRONT, 1916. DEATH CAME FROM ENEMY BOMB, BULLET OR SHELL AND THOUSANDS OF FRENCH, GERMAN AND BRITISH SOLDIERS FELL. AND AMONGST THAT TERRIBLE TOLL OF THOSE WHO PERISHED WERE THOSE WHO FACED FIRING SQUADS MADE UP OF SOLDIERS OF THEIR OWN ARMIES. IT WAS, PERHAPS, THE ULTIMATE DISGRACE.

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STORY MAC MACDONALD ART VILA COVER IAN KENNEDY

4 AMONGST THE WAR’S HORRORS, ALAN ROUX, A PRIVATE IN A BRITISH INFANTRY REGIMENT, WENT ABOUT HIS DUTIES AS COMPANY RUNNER, BRINGING ORDERS AND INSTRUCTIONS FROM H.Q. TO THE FRONT LINE. IT WAS A DANGEROUS AND NERVE-WRACKING TASK. HERE HE COMES AGAIN, THE CROSS-COUNTRY CHAMPION. JUST A CUPPA TEA IF YOU WIN, A JERRY BULLET IF YOU GO SLOW.

NEVER MIND HIM, ALAN. SAME OLD JOKES, SAME OLD RUBBISH.

FURTHER ALONG THE TRENCH, LIEUTENANT SIMON RAIKE, A COMPETENT AND WELL-LIKED OFFICER, WAS “TAKING TEA” FROM A BATTERED TIN MUG IN THE COMPANY OF SERGEANT BILL BOOTHBY, THE UNIT’S TOUGH AND CAPABLE N.C.O.

ON THE BUTTON AS ALWAYS. WELL DONE, PRIVATE ROUX.

THANK YOU, SIR. A BEARER OF GOOD TIDINGS, I HOPE?

5 QUIET AND DEPENDABLE, ALAN JUST NODDED AND WAS READY TO LEAVE BUT SIMON HAD OTHER PLANS.

HANG ON A SECOND, PRIVATE. SERGEANT, SEND FOR OUR FRENCH GUEST.

BEFORE HE EATS ALL OUR GRUB, I HOPE.

THERE WAS A FRENCH REGIMENT IN THE LINE ON ONE FLANK, AND AN N.C.O. HAD BEEN SENT ALONG WITH A REQUEST. BUT NOBODY IN THE BRITISH SECTION SPOKE FRENCH WELL ENOUGH TO UNDERSTAND THEIR VISITOR…APART FROM ALAN.

RIGHT, I SEE. YOU HAVE A BIG-WIG COMING FROM PARIS TOMORROW. YOUR GUNS WILL BE BLASTING AWAY TO IMPRESS HIM, AND WE HAVEN’T TO THINK IT’S THE BOCHES ATTACKING.

OUI, OUI, MON AMI. I MUST GO NOW… AU REVOIR.

6 GERMAN GUNS WERE PUNTING OVER SHELLS BY THE TIME ALAN REPORTED TO SIMON, AND EXPLAINED WHAT THE POILU HAD WANTED TO PASS ON. THE LIEUTENANT GRINNED SHREWDLY.

YOU HELPED US OUT AGAIN. YOU SHOULD THINK ABOUT A COMMISSION. YOU HAVE THE EDUCATION AND THE INTELLIGENCE…AND YOU CAN CONVERSE WITH OUR ALLIES. NO, SIR, THAT’S NOT FOR ME.

NO REAL BELIEF IN HIMSELF. HE HAS THE MAKINGS, THOUGH, IF HE EVER REALLY THINKS ABOUT IT.

ALAN SLIPPED AWAY QUIETLY TO SHARE A MUG OF TEA WITH THE LADS HE USUALLY CHATTED WITH. THE LIEUTENANT STILL ON ABOUT YOU TRYING TO BECOME A SUBALTERN?

OH, GIVE OVER, HE’S JUST TALKING.

WELL, YOU’D PROBABLY GIVE MORE SENSIBLE ORDERS THAN MOST OF THE ‘OFFICERS AND GENTLEMEN’ WE HAVE TO CONTEND WITH.

7 THE JOKING AND BANTER WAS INTERRUPTED BY THE APPEARANCE OF PERPETUALLY SCOWLING LANCE-CORPORAL PAUL RYDER AND HIS EQUALLY UNPOPULAR SHADOW, THE BEETLE-BROWED, BURLY PRIVATE JIM LOGAN. THEY HAD JUST SPENT A NIGHT IN A MUDDY, COLD FORWARD POSITION. WELL, YOUR MATE AIN’T GIVING NO ORDERS TO ME. HE’S A RUNNER…ON HIS TOES AND OUT OF HERE WHEN IT GETS NASTY. NOT SLOGGING IT OUT WITH THE REST OF US.

GIVE IT A REST, RYDER. SAME OLD SONG AND IT’S A DIRGE.

RYDER JUST PUSHED HIS WAY PAST THE OTHERS WITH LOGAN IN TOW. THE LANCE-CORPORAL WAS BITTER TO THE CORE. AT LEAST IT’S IN OUR LINGO! NOT THAT FRENCH MUCK THAT HE CAN SPOUT. HE COULD BE TELLING THEM ANYTHING.

THE FRENCH ARE OUR ALLIES, MATE, REMEMBER? BUT THEY’RE ALL JUST JOHNNY FOREIGNERS TO YOU, AREN’T THEY?

8 THAT WAS TRUE. THE SCOWLING RYDER SLUNK OFF TO HIS DUG-OUT WITH THE LOURING LOGAN AT HIS HEELS. THEY’RE ALL FOOLS, EVERY ONE OF THEM. WE SHOULD NEVER BE HERE…JUST GOT UNLUCKY.

UNTIL RECENTLY THE PAIR HAD A VERY COMFORTABLE BILLET BACK NEAR THE ENGLISH CHANNEL IN A TRAINING CAMP. A BRIBE TO A CORRUPT SERGEANT HAD GOT RYDER HIS STRIPE, AND HE AND LOGAN HAD A PROFITABLE SIDELINE IN BURGLARY. HERE WE GO, NICE AND QUICK. GRAB ANY SILVER FIRST.

YOU’RE THE BOSS…

9 BUT THEY HAD MADE ENOUGH NOISE TO ALERT THE ELDERLY HOME OWNER WHO CAME TO INVESTIGATE.

RYDER TURNED TO RUN BUT LOGAN DID WHAT HE ALWAYS DID IN A TIGHT CORNER…LASHED OUT.

MON DIEU, WHAT IS THIS?

AAGH!

THE CROOKS FLED THE SCENE, AND FOR RYDER IT WAS THE LAST STRAW. HE HAD WANTED FOR SOME TIME NOW TO GET BACK TO ENGLAND. MORE MEN WERE BEING SENT TO THE FRONT FROM THE TRAINING CAMPS AS CASUALTIES INCREASED, AND HE DIDN’T FANCY ACTION AT ALL. WE GOTTA GET OUT OF THIS COUNTRY. YOU MAYBE KILLED THAT OLD GOAT.

I DIDN’T MEAN TO…

10 A CLERK WHO OWED RYDER MONEY BECAUSE HE GAMBLED WAS TOLD TO FIX A POSTING BACK TO BLIGHTY, BUT HE WAS CAUGHT SIPHONING OFF REGIMENTAL FUNDS.

THE MAN WHO REPLACED HIM DID HIS DUTY BY THE BOOK — AND THAT MEANT A POSTING TO THE FRONT FOR A FURIOUS RYDER AND A DISGRUNTLED LOGAN, WHO WAS UNDER HIS MATE’S THUMB MORE THAN EVER SINCE HE HAD HIT THE OLD MAN.

NOBODY KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT THIS. THEY JUST KNEW RYDER WAS ALWAYS PICKING ON SOMEBODY, ESPECIALLY ALAN. BILL BOOTHBY HAD NOTICED THIS AND WAS KEEPING AN EYE ON THE SITUATION EVEN AS ALAN HEADED BACK FOR H.Q.

THAT RYDER NEEDS WATCHING, BUT I’D LIKE TO KNOW WHAT REALLY MAKES ROUX TICK AS WELL.