“I rather like to encourage initiativeamong the men, Appleby. I like them to think for themselves.”
“Think, sir? Rankers don’t think! Only oursort of chaps who can think! If they could think, they wouldn’t be rankers!Stands to reason! I mean to say, sir, where would we be if the louts in thestreets thought for themselves? Be the end of the world as we know it! No, sir.Drill, drill and more drill – that’s what they need!”
“I am afraid it is not what they are goingto get, Appleby. One hour a day on the drill square. Two hours morning andafternoon in the butts, three days a week. Tuesday and Thursday and Saturday, afull fifteen mile route march, with pack and rifle. Other than that, I willhave every man taught the basics of dressing a wound – putting on a tourniquetand such. That is what they need. Officers to accompany the men at all times,of course. Subalterns should learn the rifle; they will carry one frequently.As soon as it can be arranged, the men will learn to use the Mills Bomb. Everyplatoon will have a Lewis and every man should be taught the basics of loading andfiring and clearing a jam.”
“What about on the march, sir?”
“No horses to hand in France, Appleby. Officersmust be able to keep up with the men.”
The other two smiled quietly, Moncur catchingRichard’s eye for permission to speak.
“My men always marched the better forseeing me at head, Appleby.”
Barnard-Hope agreed.
“They won’t fall out if you don’t, Appleby.Leading from the front – something the Brigadier knows all about and we mustcopy.”
Appleby was not at all sure that he couldmarch for as much as fifteen miles. He was rapidly persuaded that he had nochoice.
There was a sigh of relief when Richard wentoff on leave. Then the officers read the orders for continued route marches hehad left behind and discovered that Moncur, acting in his place, had everyintention of enforcing them.
“Four more weeks unbroken, Moncur! I amalmost tempted not to turn up at his wedding to show how displeased I am!”
Moncur was not certain that the Brigadierwould either notice or care. He did strongly suggest that the officers of thethree battalions would regard such an action as disloyal.
“It would hardly be possible to retainyour place after that, Appleby. Effectively, the end of your military career,you know. You would probably end up in command of a stores depot somewhere,there to moulder away till the end of the war and be found surplus torequirements thereafter.”
Appleby was not certain that was soterrible a fate. He was substantive in his rank, would have the full pension tosupplement his private income, might be quite comfortable. If, on the otherhand, he remained, he would be part of the victory that was sure to come, mightmanage to pick up a decoration as well, could be even better set up after thewar as a Chief Constable or Chairman of the Hospital Board in his county, pickingup a modest salary and huge expenses.
“Only joking, Moncur! Could never do somethingso damned disloyal, you know!”
Moncur hoped not. His own feet were sorebut that was no excuse for moaning.
“Still, Appleby, be a damned good feasttomorrow. Rubbing shoulders with all the nobs. I know my wife is much lookingforward to the day.”
Appleby was unwed, wondered if Moncur was takinga dig at him.
Chapter Thirteen
Workingup a new flotilla was hard labour for all involved. Seven destroyers and alight cruiser had to learn the new commander’s ways and change their own habits,often reluctantly.
The Navy demanded that the commandingofficer was king – his word was law. Simon began to discover the reality and toremember that not all kings had been able to exercise the power that was intheory theirs. His knowledge of history was limited, Dartmouth teaching onlythe naval version which tended to start and end with Nelson, but he had aslight recollection of any number of mediaeval kings losing their heads inbattles with their own people. He could not be toppled from his throne, unlessthe flotilla showed inefficient – should that ever be the case, Tyrwhitt wouldsee him gone within the day. He could, however, find himself forced to compromise,to allow his captains more freedom than he wished to do things in their ownfavourite fashion.
He had been appointed young and relativelyinexperienced, which his captains knew. He was convinced this meant he broughta fresh point of view to their work; they seemed to believe it meant he was inneed of guidance. Three days in and he was debating which of them was to beawarded the noble order of the boot as a warning to the other six.
Simon found himself with seven captains beneathhim, six lieutenants-in-command, the seventh a recently made lieutenantcommander, second in command overall and in charge of his half-flotilla. Fiveof the six were new made, in their first command; just one of the lieutenants hadthree months of experience commanding a destroyer in the Dover Patrol, had beentransferred across to Harwich to provide a stiffening for the flotilla.
Lieutenant Commander Griffin had cut histeeth in minesweepers - hard, disciplined, dangerous work, performed at lowspeed and normally close inshore. It was a task that demanded precise navigationand unbroken concentration, keeping a flotilla manned almost entirely byreservists to an exact routine, leaving no awkward corners unswept, missing nopart of a minefield. An officer who could excel in minesweepers was a man ofoutstanding ability, fit for a senior role, preferably as Commander in abattleship where his painstaking virtues were immediately applicable.
Simon had to turn Griffin into adestroyerman, achieving this trick overnight so that he could be an instantsuccess in his half of the flotilla. Less than immediate competence could notbe accepted – he was to be responsible for his own boat and three others.
“High speed work and snap decisions,Griffin. You rarely have ten seconds thinking time – you must give your orderswith no delay at all. No possibility of muddling though, either. Get it wrongand you are likely to be dead. More importantly, so will your ships be!”
Griffin
