So it was that, after last minute use of the toilets, we boarded the vehicles, pair by pair, and set off, into what was soon to become enemy territory, so as to arrive at about 22.00 hours, the time the exercise was due to start.2 If captured we were to go 'quietly' with our captors who would be expected to interrogate us, and we were only to divulge our individual Service Numbers, Rank, and Name.
I must explain that in 1952 there were no motorways, there was comparatively little vehicular traffic, street lighting was dim to non-existent, there were many more branch line railways than exist today, and trains ran throughout the night.3
The journey to our dropping zone took about an hour and we were worried that our vehicles might be seen and recognised before we were even set down. We also thought that we had been driven round in circles in order to mislead us. As it happened, neither opinion was borne out in fact.
Ginger and I were dropped off about 3 minutes after the previous pair and dashed for cover into some bushes in case we had already been seen. We lay low, listening to see if anyone was about. We also listened to find if our vehicle dropped anyone else close by so that we might team up, but its engine droned on into silence without stopping. Cautiously we emerged and attempted to get our bearings on our hitherto unseen maps. Warwickshire is a big county and we could be anywhere.
There was occasional light drizzle but there were gaps in clouds, sufficient to let through a little moonlight. It was a good night for evaders and at the same time sufficiently unpleasurable and demoralising for defenders who, under those conditions, we hoped would soon lose their enthusiasm.
On looking around there were two features which caught our attention. One was a railway line, and beyond it on a slight rise, a square water tower. We were in farmland but there were houses about as though we might be on the edge of a suburban area. The position of the moon initially helped us to get a sense of direction but it was some time, using closely shaded torchlight that we found the water tower on the map. The presence of the railway helped us, but at first we had no idea which railway. Goods and passenger trains passed fairly frequently so we deduced it was a main line. Eventually we were happy we had the right spot. We were north of Nuneaton and the nearest safe house was not far from Rugby some 20 miles off. The other was about twice the distance away so was at once discounted as an option. We needed to make rapid progress as early as possible before defenders captured any of us and found in which directions we were all heading and thus concentrate their forces in areas where they assessed our destinations to be.
We made our way along the road towards Nuneaton, but quickly had to dive into a ditch when a heavy vehicle approached. It was an Army wagon. It didn't see us in its headlights and drove on slowly. We decided to walk in the fields alongside the road but found that tough going, and very slow, because we had to get through fences and hedges. It was far too slow. Then we came to a wide stream, so back to the road we went. Making sure that no-one was about, we crossed the bridge using, as far as possible, the grassy road edges because our footfalls were quieter than on the tarmac.
Only half a mile was travelled in over an hour. We had to speed up to gain sufficient ground to allow us time to lie up somewhere and rest for a while during daylight. We reasoned that there were houses on roads and with them, a much greater chance of being seen, whereas there are no houses on railway lines. The railway it was to be. After crossing two fields, we were negotiating the tight wire trackside fence when a passenger train passed, its carriage lights illuminating us as it went by. That was another lesson learned; lie down whenever a train came. It was a
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2 I am ashamed to admit that I have since forgotten the name of the student with whom I was paired that night. I shall therefore hereinafter refer to him as 'Ginger'.
3 This is being written 52 years after the event. Even after this time some memories are very vivid. 242