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AR HAD COME AGAIN TO WRACK THE WORLD IN W 1939 WITH THE RISE OF HITLER’S GERMANY. BRITAIN STOOD ALONE IN THOSE EARLY YEARS OF THE CONFLICT, AND THAT MEANT CALLING ON EVERY ABLEBODIED CITIZEN TO FACE THE THREAT. THE MEN OF A HOME GUARD UNIT BASED ON SCOTLAND’S NORTH SEA COAST WERE READY TO DO THEIR DUTY.

CAPTAIN COLIN BAYNE

STORY MAC MACDONALD ART CARLOS PINO COVER CARLOS PINO

CORPORAL HECTOR MACKAY

4 FOR CAPTAIN COLIN BAYNE AND HIS SQUAD THERE WAS ANOTHER PROBLEM. YOUNG JOHN BEATTIE, THE YOUNGEST IN THE UNIT, HAD NOT TURNED UP FOR DRILL THAT NIGHT AND IT WAS WORRYING THE OLDER MEN LEFT IN THE HUT. NO SIGN OF HIM SO FAR. SHOULD WE GO OUT LOOKING FOR HIM?

I’D GIVE IT SOME TIME YET. HE’LL FEEL BAD IF HE THINKS WE BELIEVE HE CAN’T LOOK AFTER HIMSELF.

THE OTHERS AGREED TO THAT AND IT WAS BILL BROWN, THE VILLAGE GARAGE OWNER, MECHANIC AND BUS DRIVER, WHO BROKE THE FOLLOWING SILENCE. HE CAN ONLY BE FIVE MILES AWAY FROM HERE AT THE MOST. NOT LIKE THE REST OF US IN THE FIRST WAR...YOU OUT IN GALLIPOLI AND FRANCE, COLIN, HECTOR IN FRENCH MUD AS WELL. AND AS FOR ME...

BILL’S BATTLE DIARY BEGAN BACK WHEN HECTOR HAD HIGH-TAILED IT AWAY TO ESCAPE THE ATTENTION OF THE THUGS HIRED BY CYRIL SNEDDON, LOCAL LANDOWNER AND ARMY MAJOR.

5 A MECHANIC WHO WORKED FOR HIS FATHER IN THE VILLAGE’S ONLY GARAGE, BILL WAS THE LAST TO BID HECTOR FAREWELL.

I’LL KEEP IN TOUCH. HOPEFULLY THIS WILL BE ALL OVER SOME DAY SOON.

FOR ONCE A RECRUITING SERGEANT HADN’T SPOKEN WITH FALSE TONGUE AND THERE WAS A MECHANIC’S JOB FOR BILL WHEN HE ENLISTED.

LET’S HOPE SO. I WON’T BE LONG BEHIND YOU…THERE’S NOT SO MUCH WORK WITH THE WAR AND I WANT TO DO MY BIT. THEY SAID I COULD GET A MECHANIC’S JOB TOO.

GOOD WORK, PRIVATE BROWN. YOU HAVE A KNACK WITH ENGINES.

AND ALL TOO SOON HE WAS ON A CROSS-CHANNEL FERRY PACKED WITH TROOPS ON THEIR WAY TO FRANCE…AND THE WAR.

THIS IS IT THEN. I HOPE THE OTHER LADS ARE DOING ALL RIGHT. THIS WON’T BE A PICNIC FROM WHAT I’VE HEARD.

6 THERE WAS MUCH WORK TO DO AND BILL SETTLED IN FAST AT HIS NEW POSTING. HIS SKILL WAS SOON COMMON KNOWLEDGE. YOU GOT THAT PILE O’ JUNK GOING? IT WAS FOR THE SCRAP HEAP.

THAT’S WHAT I SAY ABOUT THE HUNS TOO.

HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE, MATE?

AMAZING WHAT YOU CAN DO WITH A TAP FROM A HAMMER IN THE RIGHT PLACE.

HE ALSO PROVED HE COULD WORK UNDER FIRE. ON ONE OCCASION HE WAS TRYING TO GET A BROKEN-DOWN AMBULANCE GOING BEFORE THE CASUALTIES IN THE BACK WERE WOUNDED AGAIN OR KILLED BY AN ENEMY BARRAGE.

ALMOST DONE. DO THE HUN ALWAYS SHELL YOU ON MERCY MISSIONS?

7 THE SHOCK AND ROAR OF A NEAR MISS ALMOST DROWNED OUT THE ANSWER.

DON’T AIM, JUST FIRE IS THE WAY OF IT THEN? MILITARY SCIENCE, EH?

IT’S NOT PERSONAL. LIKE US, THEY JUST LOB SHELLS OVER TO SHOW THAT THEY CAN.

THE FAULT RECTIFIED, THE AMBULANCE WAS SOON BACK IN COMMISSION. BILL PEDALLED FURIOUSLY OUT OF HARM’S WAY ON HIS TRUSTY BIKE.

I MEND THEM AND LOOK AFTER THEM, BUT RARELY GET A LIFT IN THEM. DOESN’T SEEM FAIR.

8 HIS ABILITY CAME TO THE NOTICE OF HIGH COMMAND AND HE WAS ALWAYS THE MAN THEY SENT FOR WHEN ANY OF THE STAFF CARS WERE PLAYING UP. IT ALSO BROUGHT HIM INTO CONTACT WITH SOMEBODY HE WOULD RATHER HAVE AVOIDED...MAJOR CYRIL SNEDDON, THE BANE OF THE LIVES OF HIS FRIENDS FROM BACK HOME. I KNOW YOU...

YOUR FATHER RUNS THAT GHASTLY GARAGE IN THE VILLAGE. COST ME THE EARTH TO GET MY CAR FIXED THERE.

LUCKILY SNEDDON COULD NOT READ MINDS, BUT HE STILL MADE HIMSELF CLEAR. AND YOU‘LL NOT HAVE PAID THE BILL YET EITHER.

I KNOW YOU WERE FRIENDS WITH THOSE VILLAGE LAYABOUTS, SO I’LL BE KEEPING AN EYE ON YOU.

PRIVATE LEN LENNOX, THE MAJOR’S LONG SUFFERING DRIVER, HAD HEARD IT ALL. HE SIDLED FROM THE SHADOWS ONCE THE OFFICER HAD GONE. I THOUGHT I HAD IT ROUGH WITH HIM, BUT YOU KNEW HIM BACK HOME TOO?

I’M AFRAID SO. I’LL GET HIS CAR FIXED AS SOON AS I CAN JUST TO SEE THE BACK OF HIM.

9 LEN SIGHED. IT SO HAPPENED THAT THE MISERABLE MAJOR WANTED TO GO ON A JAUNT LATER WITH SOME OF HIS PALS TO PARIS. I HAVE TO PRETEND IT’S A TOUR OF THE DEFENCES, AND IT WAS TONIGHT I WAS HOPING TO MEET UP WITH MY BROTHER WHEN HE PASSES THROUGH HERE.

AND YOU WILL. TRUST ME…

SO FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER IT SEEMED THAT BILL COULD NOT ALWAYS FIX AN ENGINE. THE HARASSED SERGEANT IN CHARGE OF THE MECHANICS WAS STUMPED AS WELL. WE CAN’T WASTE ANY MORE TIME ON THIS. TELL THE MAJOR THAT HE WON’T HAVE TRANSPORT TONIGHT AS ALL OTHER VEHICLES ARE SPOKEN FOR.

RIGHT, SARGE. IT SEEMS ALMOST LIKE THERE’S A BIT MISSING, DON’T IT?

IT DOES, AND IT’S IN MY POCKET!

10 LEN GOT TO MEET HIS BROTHER, SNEDDON’S CRONIES FOUND THEMSELVES SOMETHING ELSE TO DO WITHOUT HIM...AND BILL HAD THE STAFF CAR’S ENGINE RUNNING SMOOTHLY BEFORE BREAKFAST.

THE MAJOR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN OVER BRIGHT BUT HE WAS BLESSED WITH A VERY SUSPICIOUS MIND.

I WANT A WORD WITH YOU!

HERE WE GO …

I KNOW YOU SET THIS UP SOMEHOW, BUT I CAN’T PROVE IT! YOU WILL REGRET IT, HOWEVER! SNEDDON, FOR ONCE, KEPT HIS WORD. EVERY AWKWARD AND DIRTY JOB GOING LANDED WITH BILL AFTER THE IRATE MAJOR HAD BULLIED HIS C.O. INTO PLAYING ALONG.

I’M GETTING SICK OF THIS, BUT THERE’S NOTHING I CAN DO ABOUT IT.