The Finest Years and Me by Woodburn Mark

Author:Woodburn, Mark [Woodburn, Mark]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Valley Press
Published: 2015-11-23T00:00:00+00:00

My relationship with the United States was to continue further; I stood at a platform in Euston Station a month later as the senior American delegation arrived.

As the officials stepped down from their carriages, General Brooke greeted them on behalf of the Prime Minister along with US Ambassador Winant and General Eisenhower, newly installed as head of United States forces in Great Britain.

I was standing there because I’d earlier received a cryptic telegram from Harry Hopkins asking me if his package arrived and to expect another imminently.

The “parcel” he had prepared for the girls had turned up and was the American equivalent of a tea-chest in size. To squeals of delight, I’m told, it revealed luxuries including the latest dolls and board games, sweets, chocolate and a couple of bottles of excellent bourbon for their old man. I generously offered one of them to good old Uncle Tom, who like me, was never the same afterwards. But I hoped fervently that another kind of doll was arriving from the States. One sent especially for me.

Impatient, I cursed Harry inwardly for his meddling and scheming as I stood waiting anxiously; viewing first General Marshall and then Admiral King close in around Brookie. The desire to strangle Hopkins became even more extreme when suddenly the man himself appeared looking, if possible, more haggard and gaunt than usual. I moved forward towards him as he caught my eye.

‘Hey, fella!’ he then seemed to slouch wearily and leant back precariously between carriages. I dashed forward and grabbed an arm and jerked him forward as he then appeared to awaken to his surroundings.

‘Take it easy, Harry,’ I said and eased him over to a bench where he sat down and reached up to loosen his tie.

‘This travelling sure beats the hell out of a guy!’

‘Just rest for a moment. Do you want a drink of water?’

‘Need something stronger!’ He croaked and reached for a cigarette. I then heard another American voice.

‘Mr Melville?’ I looked up at an officer in the uniform of the United States Navy.

‘I see you’ve made it to London, Commander Howard.’ It was my acquaintance from the White House dinner.

‘Is Mr Hopkins well enough to continue?’ he asked. There was impatience and a barely concealed undertone of tetchiness in his manner.

Harry then eased himself up with some difficulty. I rose with him and put a hand under his arm.

‘You see that, Commander?’ Hopkins gestured to Howard. ‘Hands across the sea.’

We followed the uniformed man as he joined up with the group towards the exit, Howard striding ahead joining up with King. I walked slowly with Harry. After a few steps he stopped.

‘Are you sure you can you manage?’ I asked, now extremely concerned.

He turned around to look back at the train standing at the platform.

‘I’m just … there !’

‘Harry, are you alright?’ mystified, I looked back and then I saw her.

Meredith Macaulay was standing on the platform speaking to an American military official holding a clipboard. He was rattling intently through sheets of paper trying to find something.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.