The Light We Left Behind by Tessa Harris

Author:Tessa Harris [Harris, Tessa]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Published: 2021-11-17T17:00:00+00:00

Chapter 29

In the large briefing room, the newest recruits from the Pioneer Corps were standing to attention as Colonel McKie entered, followed by Major Lansley. There were ten young men in total, mainly German but an Austrian and a Frenchman, too. Many of them had been through hell. Some of them had lost close family, while others had been detained in concentration camps. As Jews, all of them had experienced the sense of menace in Germany that pervaded everyday life.

They sat at desks laid out in rows, like a schoolroom.

‘Stand at ease,’ ordered the major. ‘Please be seated.’

Max sat near the back, his blond hair marking him out from all the other recruits. He and the men had come fresh from the M Room in the basement where, for the first time, they’d been told what role they would be playing in the war effort. They listened attentively as Colonel McKie delivered a brief introductory speech.

‘The work you do here will be every bit as important as fighting on the battlefield,’ he told them. ‘I know you will prove loyal and trustworthy in the fight against the Nazi menace that has already terrorised and even killed many of your families, your loved ones, and you want to express your gratitude to the British for giving you sanctuary. We thank you for that and we gladly accept your help in combatting Hitler and his evil tyranny that threatens the freedoms we all hold so dear.’

The colonel – clearly taking his cue from Prime Minister Churchill, thought Max – had ended his speech on a high note, even though it had limited appeal for his audience, given they weren’t British. Exhorting the men to do their bit “for King and country”, he passed on the metaphorical swagger stick to two Army officers who addressed their questions about working in the “M” Room. They came thick and fast.

‘How do we know which general is speaking?’

‘You don’t, you just have to get used to their voices.’

‘What if there is something we can’t hear?’

‘Put a question mark.’

‘What if they say something we know is really important at the beginning of our shift?’

‘Tell your supervisor immediately.’

There was so much to learn, but Max knew he would have to learn it “on the job”. He’d heard that training took up to three months normally, but he and the other listeners were being plunged in at the deep end. They would have to learn to swim immediately, or they would certainly sink.

Major Lansley then introduced himself as head of the “mental oversight” team. Max recognised him from the assessments in London.

With ten pairs of eyes trained on him, the major began. ‘I am a psychiatrist and I work with a psychologist to devise interrogation strategies for our prisoners. The team is here to help you, too. Some of the things you hear the German officers say, you may find deeply troubling and …’

But Max was no longer listening because the major’s words had stirred a memory inside him. He remembered Maddie had wanted to be a psychologist.

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