MAURICE

Maurice

 

Maurice was the charge hand to our group.

He was always calm even during emergencies.

When I had to attend to a situation where there could be an explosion, he ensured that I was calm and in control of my emotions.

“Keep your mind on the job in hand and don’t think about the possible outcomes.” 

 

One day when discussing the past one guy said don’t you know Maurice's past no I didn’t.

Maurice has a ‘Distinguished Service Medal’. He was a one-man submarine pilot. Three times he went up the Norwegian fjords, to plant explosives on to German shipping.

 

On his last trip, He was dropped off from a submarine at night three miles off the Norwegian coast, just after sunset.

He made his way to the shore then began to look for a safe place to hole up for the day.  

He had a map. He set out towards the anti-submarine net with a few possible places marked from information passed by the Norwegian resistance, he had been trained to read a map using a dim blue light.

He found a spot just before dawn, the area was full of scrub and small bushes, there were bushes by the water's edge with overhanging branches.

The only thing was that there was a German camp just behind.

 

He maneuvered his craft under the tree branches and found himself a hollow and settled down to wait for darkness to return.

 

Late in the afternoon, a party of German troops made their way along a path behind; they had some dogs with them. He prepared his knife ready, should one of the dogs catch his scent and give the game away. No, they passed noisily on their way.

 

It was a busy fjord with military; freight and fishing boats passing during the day

 

As the light faded, he prepared to set out on his mission. 

He had twenty-four limpet mines in pockets either side of him. He checked the timers, they had a two-hour fuse; he had to switch them on as he attached them to each ship, the timers were not accurate, that meant they would go off haphazardly, creating the maximum confusion.

 

Now it was dark enough for him to move out from his hiding place, and slowly make his way upstream keeping close to the sides.

As he entered the narrowest part of the fjord, he saw lights.

 

He didn’t remember anything on the maps on recent photos of anything in this area, an anti-submarine net had been installed; he would have to cut his way through.

 

He put on his breathing apparatus and made to dive when a ship appeared, he could see the navigation lights and the dim light of the control room, it could be a warship, they would lower the net for her to pass through.

As the ship passed, he dived and moved alongside and followed her through.

 

He began to work round the little harbour setting two limpets to the larger ships and one each for two smaller boats which looked like patrol boats. The one he had followed in was, in fact, a destroyer, it was now tied up, he planted his last two limpet mines on that.

Now to escape.

 

Still submerged he made his way towards the anti-submarine net. One of the ships he had mined earlier had set sail. He waited and followed it through the net.

 

Once clear he pulled across to the side. 

As he reached the side the first mine exploded followed a minute or so later by the second one. He could now hear further explosions from the harbour area. 

 

One of the mined ships was setting out to leave. He followed. This would be his best chance to get away, but it was fraught with danger, should the mine go off as he was following it; his own craft could be disabled; the ship could roll onto him and crush him inside his craft.

He had to go with it. His only chance. He followed close. They would keep the net down for the shortest time possible.

Once through the net he pulled away to the side.

 

The mine exploded, as he pulled away, he felt the shock wave, it stunned him for a while, coming round he could see

The stricken ship, had veered across the fjord, tipping over on its side as it sank, blocking the way for any ship except the two disabled patrol boats.

 

Now to find a safe place to hide, he looked down close to the mouth of the fjord. He saw an old, dilapidated boathouse. It was in an isolated spot and would take his craft.

 

Once inside he broke radio-silence to send a single two-word message “Happy Birthday”.

 

He listened for the reply “Aunty is 22 God bless her” meaning his get-away submarine would be out at sea looking for his signal from 22.00hours for four hours. If he hadn’t made contact by 02.00hrs they would leave, and he would be left to his own resources.

 

As it got dark he made his way to a prearranged headland. 

He scanned to open sea for a sign of his transport,

A faint steady blue light; 

He couldn’t tell the distance, using his blue light sent out a Morse Code ‘V’ (three one-second flashes followed by one three-second flash) a wait of five seconds and the ‘V’ was returned.

Then the blue light remained on to guide him.

 

Once at the awaiting submarine willing hands pulled him aboard, he was whisked away below decks to the ‘officers mess room’ given, a change of clothes and a warm meal.

 

His mini-submarine had been hauled aboard and taken into the hold;, the submarine submerged and made its way towards home.

 

Nearer home they surfaced stopping out at sea off the Northumberland coast a motor launch came out to pick him up,

A second boat came for the one-man submarine, that was loaded onto a Royal Navy truck and covered with a tarpaulin and whisked away.

 

Maurice was taken to a Royal Marine base near Edinburgh for debriefing.

The reconnaissance photos showed the fjord completely blocked for large boats and only small fishing boats still untouched.

 

Wild Rose

December 2019