That evening Jamie Rogerson received a telephone call from Lutterworth. He went and asked his boss if he could go to Parfleet St Peter the next day and get some more seafood for the pub. He had received some instructions. Bob understood and told him to take the van.
Down in Luton, the JSTU team were having a final meal out together before they moved to RAF West Sanby. Andy had been invited to join them. The news of the missing MLT had reached them and they were discussing the possibilities. Andy kept his peace on this but listened with interest. He had completed his work and also had looked at the various construction processes and found them to be secure. His concern was that delivery from factory to the RAF could possibly be compromised. The solution would be for the RAF to take delivery from the factory itself. That would go in his report to Lutterworth. The RAF collecting the launcher this time could be a ‘one off’ and he needed to make the point.
While Andy and the team were having their meal in Luton, Berin was arriving in Sleaford, driving Walmar’s van. He went to the address he had been given and rapped on the door in a coded sequence. There was a pause, footsteps inside and rapped reply. Berin completed the sequence and then the door was opened. He went inside and the door shut behind him. Four men gathered round him and questioned him. Berin gave satisfactory answers and was introduced to the person he had to take back to Parfleet St Peter. They shook hands and the man gave his name as John Matheson, obviously an assumed name, Berin thought. Matheson went and got a metal case and a leather hold-all. The metal case contained a set of photographs and drawings and notes. Kharkov had the drawings and notes photographed as well as the vehicle. Matheson and Berin climbed into Walmar’s van and left. Shortly afterwards the truck and other van, loaded with all the equipment, pulled out of the warehouse and the doors were locked. The van drove to a real estate agent’s office and an envelope with keys was put into the letterbox. The van then linked up with the truck and both vehicles headed south down the A15 to Peterborough and on to London.
Early that evening, Walmar received a telephone call from Manchester to advise him that he was to delay the promised delivery until the next evening. Penny asked about the telephone call and Walmar told her it was a customer wanting to delay receiving an order. He didn’t give any further explanation and Penny sensed that she shouldn’t ask further. There were private orders from time to time that he didn’t tell her about but as they seemed to be well paid for the orders she didn’t ask questions. Penny was sure that her husband was an honest man and wouldn’t do anything outside the law. For Walmar, it was a bit of a headache. It meant keeping a stranger out of sight until they sailed. The man would have to stay in Berin’s quarters at the shed. Later in the evening he went down to his shed and found lights on and his van inside. There were voices in the flat and Walmar knocked on the door and called out to Berin. The door opened and Walmar went in. Berin introduced him to ‘John Matheson’. They shook hands and then Walmar gave news of the delay. Matheson cursed but was told to stay calm and that he would have to make the best of it. Walmar decided that they would not fish that night but go out on the afternoon high tide and fish until nightfall. They would then rendezvous with the ‘pick-up’ and come back in on the high tide. Matheson would be passed off as a friend of Berin’s going out with them for the experience. Berin would make up a bed on the settee for Matheson. After a short discussion, Walmar headed for his home and family. Penny was pleased when she heard that her husband was not going fishing that night.
Friday morning (7th) came and Eddy Dennis was taken to Grimsby Railway Station for his train. He had thoroughly enjoyed the hospitality of the Sergeants’ Mess but he had a head-ache as a result of it. Still, he would be pleased to get home. Back at the JSTU hangar the team were busy putting the MLT through a series of checks to ensure all was well. At Davis Aviation, a RAF Leyland Hippo arrived at 10.00 a.m. to pick up the launcher and replacement parts. It would also take the team’s toolboxes and test equipment. Hearing that the truck was going directly to RAF West Sanby, Andy Hill asked if he could travel back on the truck and the driver agreed. When the truck pulled out he was sitting on the ‘gunny’ seat between the driver and co-driver. The JSTU team would travel up on the Monday as previously planned.
At 9.00 a.m. Jamie Rogerson took the van and headed for Parfleet St Peter. On arrival at the village he parked the van by the harbour and walked around. Jamie noticed that Walmar’s fishing boat was still in the harbour. Another was also in but it was clear that someone was working on the engine. Walmar’s deck hand was sitting at the front of the shed working on cray pots. Jamie nodded to him and headed for the fishmongers. As he walked in, Yvonne greeted him with a warm smile. “So nice to see you again. I wondered when you would be back.”
Jamie gave a warm smile in return. “What’s the situation with fresh fish?” he asked. Yvonne told him that they had a little but it would be best to return on the high tide if
