Chapter 74

Victoria quickly settled in. She had worried that without helping Jean Whitty she would be bored just housekeeping but, with Mark's help, she met several of the 14th/20th wives and rode with them. That in itself made for a wider social life. She also made it her business to team up with Simon Hartley's wife, Moira, and get involved in the Wives' Club, something that Janet was absent from.

Inevitably she saw more of Janet. They did not return the dinner hospitality immediately but Victoria invited her round for coffee or to go on shopping trips. Gradually she gained Janet's confidence.

"Robert quite likes his booze," she said one day. Janet looked at her questioningly.

"Oh, sorry," said Victoria without meaning it one bit. "It's just that when we came to dinner he had two very stiff whiskies and then most of a bottle of wine."

Janet looked at her feet and said nothing.

"It worries you, doesn't it?" asked Victoria gently.

There was a long silence and then Janet nodded. "Desperately," she said. "It could ruin his career and our marriage."

"How long have you been married?"

"Coming up four years."

"You've obviously decided to wait to have children then."

"He did. And now most nights he's so drunk he can't get it up." She burst into tears.

Victoria held her until she calmed down.

"Has he been violent?"

"Not yet but I worry about it. He's so rude and abusive when he's tight that I don't think it would take him much to move on to hitting me."

"If that ever happens you must come straight over to us."

"Oh, Victoria, I can't burden you with our problems."

"Yes you jolly well can. Would you leave him if he becomes violent?"

"Probably."

"Well then!"

Victoria let the subject drop but Mark reported the conversation in his next letter to Tripoli.

In the meanwhile Mark was winding the company up for a major exercise in September. His old 3 Division were rotating a brigade at a time through Libya for desert warfare training and the Green Howards were acting as enemy.

The finale for the first brigade exercise was for the Green Howards to attack a brigade defensive position. Peter Instead realised that a battalion attack against a brigade was doomed to failure but hoped to cause as much trouble as he could. The brigade was defending an area of high ground. He ordered Mark's company to mill round in the desert to the south of the position in the hope that the brigade would redeploy and then he would attack with the rest of the battalion from the east.

As usual Robert had left everything to Mark but then, in the midst of the diversionary manoeuvres, he decided to interfere.

"I'll keep this lot going," he said, "but you take 3 Platoon round to the east and move up the wadi. You can then break out of it and surprise them again."

"I'm not sure that's a very good idea, Sir," replied Mark. "We might mess up the CO's main advance."

"Nonsense! You'll be well to the south of them."

"But we will pull the enemy's attention back to the east which the CO would not want."

"Oh, stop arguing, Mark, and do as you're told."

"There's one more thing, Sir. My map shows the wadi to have World War II mines in it."

"There's nothing shown on my map."

"Maybe not, Sir, but I've got one of the oil company maps and they are much more reliable about mines."

"Phooey. Get on with it, man, and just remember that I am your company commander. You're bordering on insubordination."

Mark was tired. Not just after forty-eight hours without sleep but after four months of trying to lift the company out of the slough that this man had led it into. He realised reluctantly that unless he was careful he would lose his temper and there would be a public row, which would not do anyone any good.

"Very well, Sir," he said. He summoned 3 Platoon Commander, Tony Thorpe, on the radio. He showed him on the map what they intended to do and pointed out the mine warning.

"We are going to do this slowly and carefully," he said. "I will lead. There is to be a gap of not less than fifty yards between vehicles and each is to follow in the tracks of the one in front. If I stop everyone is to stop and stay in their vehicle until I say so. Clear?"

"Yes, Mark." There was apprehension in the young subaltern's eyes.

"Don't worry, Tony. I'm the one that'll get blown up." He rolled his eyes and Tony could not help but grin.

He then briefed his driver, Private Hudson, and his radio operator, Corporal Skinner. "I shall stand and mine spot," he said. "If I say stop you stop immediately. First gear all the way and crawl. Got it?"

"Yes, Sir. You bet I'll crawl."

They set off and disappeared into the wadi. They had about a mile to go until they were to come out of it. Mark kept his eyes peeled, as did Hudson.

After some four hundred yards Mark spotted a mine about ten yards ahead. "Stop!" he yelled. Hudson did so, so sharply that Mark was nearly catapulted over the bonnet.

"Can you see any others?" he asked. All three peered nervously ahead. They saw no others.

"Go round it about five yards to the right," Mark ordered. He radioed to Tony what was happening and they crept forward again. They passed it and got back onto their original line.

Suddenly he saw another one. They repeated what they had done before. Mark was inwardly cursing Robert. "This is no fun at all," he thought.

That was his last thought before there was a flash and a deafening bang. Their land rover was thrown on its side. Mark felt a piercing pain in his right thigh and then no more as his head hit the ground and the land rover fell on his left leg.

Tony's reaction was immediate. He radioed company headquarters. "No duff," he said to indicate it was not an exercise message. "Sunray Minor's vehicle has hit a mine and turned over. He's trapped under it. Driver trapped in vehicle. Radio op thrown clear. Send medical help immediately. Suggest helicopter casevac. Out."

He ordered his leading section to dismount and move forward. He ran forward. He reached Corporal Skinner first. He was conscious and moving about. Apart from some abrasions he was not bleeding badly. He ordered two men to stay with him and keep him still in case he had injured his neck or back.

He raced on going first to Hudson. He was dead.

Mark was unconscious. Tony ordered his men to lift the land rover, which they managed to do, while he pulled Mark clear. Mark's right thigh had been ripped open and was bleeding profusely. Fortunately his femoral artery was intact. Tony opened his first aid pack and stuffed the First Field Dressing into the wound. He had to use Mark's as well and then took a third from one of his men to bind them in place. Mark's left leg was clearly broken and he decided not to move it as it was not bleeding heavily.

He radioed back a casualty report giving Mark's blood group and called forward the rest of his platoon. He gave orders to his platoon sergeant: "Using bayonets as prodders I want an area fifteen yards square free of mines for a helicopter landing point. If anyone finds a mine or thinks they do, it is to be marked with white marker tape. Mark your start line and your left and right boundaries with tape and the outer boundary when you get there. Keep it moving but don't take chances. We can always move the boundaries but we've got to have a helicopter landing place and a safe path back to the 2IC."

At company headquarters Robert Johnson lost it. He had made a major mistake ordering Mark into the wadi. His career was in jeopardy. He was totally untouched by the fact that one of his soldiers had died, that his second in command was badly wounded and that another NCO was injured. He was troubled about himself and his future. He was aware that his conversation with Mark had been overheard. He panicked.

Fortunately, Mr Winstanley was there and took control. He relayed Tony Thorpe's messages to battalion who in turn passed on the situation to the exercise directing staff. The exercise was cancelled and the brigade field ambulance was alerted. In minutes a helicopter with a doctor, orderlies and plasma was in the air. Tony was patched through to the helicopter and had to hold it for several minutes until they had a clear area for it to land. He stressed to the pilot that the landing area was small and that there was a risk of his downdraft setting off other mines.

The pilot radioed back that he had no winch and would have to land. Tony acknowledged and told him to approach from the South and to land as near vertically as he could. In the meanwhile he ordered every one else back to the trucks where they were to shelter under them until given further orders. He sheltered beside Mark behind the land rover from the landing zone.

The helicopter landed without trouble. Corporal Skinner was carefully moved to a stretcher and put on the helicopter. The medical officer with orderlies then moved to Mark.

"Who applied the First Field Dressings?" he asked.

"I did," said Tony.

"You saved his life. It's still going to be a close run thing but I think we've got him in time."

The First Field Dressings were replaced and Mark was placed on a drip. He was still unconscious and so was put on a stretcher without suffering pain from his left leg. He and Corporal Skinner were whisked away to the hospital at RAF El Adem.

It was then up to Tony Thorpe to extract his platoon and Hudson's body. He used the cleared area of the helicopter landing zone to reverse his vehicles and they then carefully followed their incoming tracks back out of the wadi.

Robert was still in no state to cope and Mr Winstanley was very much in charge.

"Well done, Sir. From all I gather Captain Bowers will live. Corporal Skinner will be treated and you've brought out Hudson's body and your platoon in one piece. You also made a safe landing place for the chopper. That rates pretty high in my book, Sir. There's a beer apiece for each of your platoon and then I suggest you hit the sack. We're not going to move for some hours."