Film , livre ebook

The Film
George Amos
Austin Macauley Publishers
2019-02-28
The Film About the Author Dedication Copyright Information Preface Introduction Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34
About the Author
Born in Hertfordshire in 1944 and growing up in London being regenerated in the early post-war years, author George developed a passion for writing historical events at an early age. After retiring from a busy business life and travelling to many countries from 1977 to 2015, he finally found time to write his first novel, The Film , ambition achieved.
Married to Jan since 1970, he has two sons and a daughter and now lives in Essex.
Dedication
To all the brave men and women who lost their lives during the First World War and the Second World War.
Also to my loving family.
Copyright Information
Copyright © George Amos (2019)
The right of George Amos to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.
Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.
ISBN 9781788788618 (Paperback)
ISBN 9781528948210 (E-Book)
www.austinmacauley.com
First Published (2019)
Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd
25 Canada Square
Canary Wharf
London
E14 5LQ
Preface
Significant wartime events have not been included in this novel and have been omitted due to the time frame. It is not in any way meant to diminish the valiant and courageous efforts and successes of actual campaigns by the Allied Forces, such as the Battle of Britain, the rescue of the British Expeditionary Force at Dunkirk, the victories of the Eighth Army in North Africa, and the campaigns in Italy. There are so many other events that deserve merit; however, they are too numerous to mention in this short fictional work.
Introduction
It was one of the darkest periods in British history. The Second World War, destined to become a global conflict, had almost reached the shores of the British Isles. With Britain teetering on the brink of defeat, and German forces preparing to invade, the nation stood alone, determined not to surrender. The fictional events of this story could have been real, had it not been for the courage and sacrifice of the RAF pilots during the Battle of Britain. Hitler was forced to abandon his invasion plans code-named Sea Lion following the failed attempt of Göring’s Luftwaffe to gain air superiority, and his strategy to ‘eliminate the English motherland’ came to an inglorious end.
Chapter 1
On 14 th May 1940, the people of the British Isles faced a catastrophic event. Not for a thousand years had the indigenous people of Britain been subjected to the humiliation of being subjugated by a foreign power. The British Expeditionary Force—defeated in northern France and Dunkirk—surrendered to the military might of the German forces, and Britain would soon be annexed by the tyrannical regime of Adolf Hitler. The Phoney War had ended, and with little remaining air and naval forces to defend the coast of England, Britain was at the mercy of the Axis power.
The Groves family had cherished their way of life. It was simple and uncomplicated, and their teenage children were healthy, polite and content. All this was about to take a sinister turn because of the Nazis, and their lives would change forever.
John and Mary Groves had lived in their family house since John inherited the property and his carpentry business from his parents. The house, situated on a quiet, cobblestoned road in Bethnal Green, was a small Victorian terrace with two small bedrooms, a scullery and a living room featuring a fireplace and hearth. When burning with coal, it was cosy and inviting and always something to look forward to after a hard day’s work.
The brown-painted, wooden front door led directly on to the street and a small, highly polished step, which was often used during the warm weather to sit, chat and drink tea with neighbours. The house also had a cellar, common in many Victorian properties, which was used as a useful storeroom. John often thought of making it into another room, but Mary considered it to be somewhat damp, so she discouraged him.
At the rear of the house was a small backyard with a toilet, a coal hole and John’s workshop, that was really a small shed. There was no hot water system, and washing and bathing were a lengthy business; they had to wait for an extremely large kettle to boil on the open fire. But it was their cherished home, and they had lived there since 1918.
Tension in the Groves’s household was almost unbearable that summer morning in July; day after day, for a week, they had waited in their home, listening intently to the wireless and BBC News broadcasts. Unable to sleep well, they were tired and apprehensive, wondering what their fate would be when the Germans eventually arrived in their district. The latest broadcast that they had heard two days ago contained the shocking news that Britain had surrendered to the German forces.
Mary had taken her annual leave at the hospital, while John had decided not to take on any more projects for a while as a self-employed carpenter. It was difficult to concentrate on anything other than the events in the news.
John was angry. “Why isn’t BBC keeping us informed about the Nazis, Mary?”
Mary did not need to reply, the answer came soon after when the crackled voice of a man with a German accent began to speak in English over the airwaves. “People of Britain, you are now under the administration of the National Socialist German Workers’ Party and must remain in your homes for your own safety until further notice.” The warning was stark but carefully worded so as not to cause panic.
The Gestapo had seized control of the London broadcasting studios at Portland Place in central London, and were swift with their inevitable propaganda.
“The Nazis are close, Mary,” said John as he moved to comfort his family.
John Groves was born in 1898. An enigmatic child, seemingly indifferent to normal pursuits that his friends enjoyed during their formative years, such as street football and the like, he was more interested in military battles that his father had told him about.
His favourite pastime was to play with his miniature lead soldiers that his father had acquired for him. Young John was fascinated by the bright crimson uniforms fastidiously painted on each model. They would be arranged to re-enact famous battle engagements during the Boer War at the turn of the century, and John would spend much of his spare time in his bedroom.
Attending the local school, John proved to be a bright pupil, passing exams with ease, and when he left school at fourteen years of age, he was ready to join his father’s small business as an apprentice joiner.
When he was seventeen years old in 1915, he sought to volunteer to fight in the First World War after seeing a poster with a picture of Lord Kitchener urging men to join the army or the navy. His father, who had served as a professional soldier under the command of Kitchener during the campaigns in South Africa against the Boers fifteen years earlier, had advised his son not to volunteer.
"Son, I know you feel left behind while everybody around you seems to be eager to go to war, but I feel many young men are using this as a means to escape from the monotony of their humdrum work at the factories, and they see it as glamorous, wishing to be heroes. The adventure they seek does not exist, and many will die in France just as they did back in my day in South Africa or will suffer injuries. I will not stop you, but take heed of my advice and wait, for the least amount of time you are at the front, the more likely you are to survive.
“Lord Kitchener has already made it public that conscription may be necessary early next year as volunteers alone will be insufficient to win this war. John, you have a good job working with me, and someday you will take over the business and run it yourself, so only go to France if you are conscripted.”
The advice of John’s father was sound and accurate, and conscription was introduced the following year.
After being conscripted, in January of 1916, followed by a brief training period, John was sent to France on the front line. Shocked by the terrible injuries and loss of men killed in action, he yearned for some normality even for a brief moment. He wrote home:
Dear Mum and Dad,
I hope my letter finds you both well.
I am really glad I did not volunteer like you advised me, Dad, as it is very difficult to be here. Some of my mates volunteered and have regrets as the war is not what they expected, and they have been here much longer than I.
We are all living in foul trenches twenty-four hours each day with terrible food—I miss your cooking, Mum, very much. Dad, I miss working with you a lot. Have you been to the doctor about your cough, like you promised?
Each day gets harder, but I am a strong person and will survive all the things they throw at me. I really am not frightened by any of it, so please don’t worry about me, and our sergeant says the war will be over soon and we can all get back to our homes.
I miss you both very much and love you.
Your loving son,
John.
Two weeks after writi