least report that you’re able to shoot straight!’
Henderson and McAfferty smiled with relief: it seemed unlikely that their unit would get canned if a cabinet minister was discussing possible missions. But only Marc had the impertinence to pose the question.
‘So does that mean you’re giving our unit the nod?’ he asked.
Henderson and McAfferty both cringed, but Admiral Hammer liked Marc and didn’t mind his directness. ‘I sent Ramsgate up here to check that you weren’t a bunch of lunatics. And despite your disciplinary problems, he believes you’re putting together a unit that could have a genuine impact on the war. However, Air Vice Marshal Walker doesn’t agree. He’s the man in charge of the Special Operations Executive right now and that puts us in a tight spot.’
Henderson looked perturbed. ‘Damned politics,’ he cursed. ‘I hope we learn to stop fighting our own side before there’s a swastika hanging from Buckingham Palace.’
‘When do you think you can have your trainees ready for action?’ Admiral Hammer asked.
‘The six in Group A aren’t far off the mark now, but they could do with another month to really hit top form,’ Henderson said. ‘The thing is, Walker is our RAF man and without parachute training, how can we get a team behind enemy lines?’
‘A month seems reasonable,’ Admiral Hammer nodded. ‘Would six parachute training slots for mid-February do the trick?’
Henderson smiled. ‘That would be superb, sir.’
‘Eight slots would be even better,’ McAfferty added. ‘If it’s not too much to ask.’
‘Right,’ Hammer said. ‘I can call some favours to set that up, but after that your boys will have to prove themselves. The Special Operations Executive has set up four campuses, training adults for operations in different areas of occupied Europe. At the end of each course, every school sends its units up to Scotland to take part in parachute training and a final exercise devised by Air Vice Marshal Walker.’
‘What type of exercise, sir?’ Marc asked.
‘Surprise is a key element, so the exercise varies every time,’ Hammer explained. ‘What I do know is that it’s always a real-world task: climbing aboard a navy vessel in port and launching a lifeboat, stealing secret papers from a government office, that sort of thing.’
Marc looked slightly perturbed. ‘So it’s just like a real undercover mission? We could get shot by our own side?’
‘Yes, if you’re not careful,’ Hammer smiled. ‘Of course, if you’re captured you’ll be sent back here rather than tortured and shot by the Gestapo as you would be in occupied France, but while you’re on the loose you’ll face exactly the same dangers as a real German agent parachuting into Britain.’
Henderson explained further. ‘Going undercover in your own country is a training technique that British intelligence has used for many years. In wartime the exercises also help to unearth weaknesses in internal security and keep the Home Guard and the police on their toes.’
‘I don’t have the authority to ride roughshod over Air Vice Marshal Walker,’ Hammer said. ‘But I’ve talked the minister into suspending Walker’s review of your operations until your training programme is completed. With myself and the minister backing you, it will be impossible for Walker to shut your unit down, provided your boys can show that they’re as good as the adults on his final training exercise.’
McAfferty smiled. ‘Admiral, we really appreciate you going out on a limb to help our little unit.’
Henderson nodded in agreement. ‘All I’ve ever asked is a chance to prove the value of my idea. Is there anything else you’d like to see? Maybe I could give you a tour of our facilities?’
Hammer looked at his watch. ‘I’m travelling up to Newcastle to deal with an industrial dispute in the shipyards. That’s another bunch who don’t seem to realise that there’s a war on. I believe there’s a train at a quarter past ten, so I’d appreciate a car to take the captain and me to the station as quickly as possible.’
‘Very good, sir,’ Henderson smiled. He gave a salute before telling Rufus to prepare the little Austin.
After the fuss over Admiral Hammer’s visit, the kids who’d been shooting at the far end of the range discovered that he’d left before they even knew he’d arrived. Once the shooting equipment was cleaned and taken inside, McAfferty lined everyone up on the concrete playground behind the school building and announced that the unit had a chance of survival.
There was spontaneous cheering followed by rounds of hugs and handshakes.
‘But this is only the beginning of our battle,’