The Lost Band of Brothers by Tom Keene Read Free Book Online Page A

had deepened: ‘M-P is a very stout fellow – we have a great deal in common. He is a keen naturalist, a great lover of the open air, of country places and, above all, of this England of ours and all its unique beauty and life.’
    Late summer fitness-training near Newmarket in Suffolk for No 7 Commando was disrupted in the autumn by that move north to Scotland and the outlying islands. Apple’s security-conscious letters home did not disclose its destination, but, with the unit’s headquarters now at Girvan on the west coast of Scotland, it was probably close to Arran, off the Firth of Clyde. Some 19 miles long and 10 miles wide, the steep, rugged hills of the island’s interior would now replace the flat countryside of Suffolk. The move north, in winter, represented a ramping up of their training, its close proximity to water a reminder that commandos were primarily raiders, and that raiders would come from the sea. Their living conditions too reflected that hardening of condition. ‘This is certainly going to be a “memorable” Christmas,’ wrote Appleyard two days before Christmas:

    but memorable because of its apparent lack of merriment and what-not. Actually, we shall manage to have quite a lot of fun. We are on an island, a tiny little place, with hardly any form of life whatsoever, but very picturesque and very lovely. There is no sort of amusement whatever for the troops, though, and there is not a pub within eight miles. We are living in a hotel which is only open in summer and is utterly unfurnished and empty except for tables and chairs. 17

    The officers were offered better accommodation in private houses nearby. Typically, March-Phillipps, Appleyard and some of the others chose to stay with their men. There was no heating beyond wood-burning open fires and no lighting except for the candles and the small oil lamps they brought with them. Running water was invariably cold, and cooking, sleeping and living were all done in the same room. For a bed – at least until his officer’s valise and camp bed arrived – Appleyard had a pile of blankets on the wooden floor. It was all, he admitted cheerfully, ‘a bit of a shambles’.
    Nearby March-Phillipps spotted a disused, laid-up, 5½ ton sailing boat owned by an ex-fisherman called up by the Royal Navy. He decided to buy it; or, rather, he decided his unit should buy it. The agreed cost of the I’m Alone , a yawl-rigged 32-foot vessel with a 9-foot beam and a 15hp auxiliary paraffin engine, was £35. Each man was required to stump up between 10 s and £1. It is doubtful if they were given the option:

    Her general condition is excellent, but she needs a certain amount doing before we can use her. We hope to teach the men how to sail, navigate, use a compass and run an engine and generally be ‘handy’ with a boat. But apart from that, it is an excellent thing to have her, as it gives the men a new interest – partly due to delay and postponement, and partly due to our training, the men were going very stale. This ship has really made them enthusiastic and given them a real interest. Also, it is a job of work to keep all really busy over Christmas when there will be nothing whatever to do … As you know, Gus is an experienced yachtsman and so is the ‘skipper’ whilst I have been appointed ‘first mate’! …
    We are getting quite a Christmassy spirit in our room as we have Christmas cards spread across the mantelpiece and tomorrow will be getting some holly to decorate the walls. I am thinking of you all continually and wishing you the very happiest of Christmasses. And now it is past midnight and all is silent in the room except for the snores of my companions and the crackle of a few dying embers in the grate. Good night, all!
    Very much Love,
    Geoff.

    They took I’m Alone out to sea in a gale of wind with a running sea and driving rain, not on Christmas Day but on 28 December:

    We were soaked through all day and took many a wave right over