登陆注册
37884800000148

第148章 FIVE 1938-1953 FEE(11)

Three days later he was dead; a huge piece of shrapnel took off his arm and half his side in a fresh advance, but no one had time to stop except to pluck his whistle from what was left of his mouth. Men were going down now like flies, too tired to maintain the initial pitch of vigilance and swiftness; but what miserable barren ground they took they held on to, in the face of a bitter defense by the cream of a magnificent army. It had become to them all no more than a dumb, stubborn refusal to be defeated. The Ninth held off Graf von Sponeck and Lungerhausen while the tanks broke out to the south, and finally Rommel was beaten. By November 8 he was trying to rally beyond the Egyptian border, and Montgomery was left in command of the entire field. A very important tactical victory, Second Alamein; Rommel had been forced to leave behind many of his tanks, guns and equipment. Operation Torch could commence its push eastward from Morocco and Algeria with more security. There was still plenty of fight in the Desert Fox, but a large part of his brush was on the ground at El Alamein. The biggest and most decisive battle of the North African theater had been fought, and Field Marshal Viscount Montgomery of Alamein was its victor. Second Alamein was the swan song of the Ninth Australian Division in North Africa. They were finally going home to contend with the Japanese, on the main land of New Guinea. Since March of 1941 they had been more or less permanently in the front line, arriving poorly trained and equipped, but going home now with a reputation exceeded only by the Fourth Indian-,

Division. And with the Ninth went Jims and Patsy, safe and whole.

Of course they were granted leave to go home to Drogheda. Bob drove into Gilly to collect them from the Goondiwindi train, for the Ninth was based in Brisbane and would depart after jungle training for New Guinea. When the Rolls swept round the drive all the women were out on the lawn waiting, Jack and Hughie hanging back a little but just as eager to see their young brothers. Every sheep left alive on Drogheda could drop dead if it so desired, but this was a holiday.

Even after the car stopped and they got out, no one moved. They looked so different. Two years in the desert had ruined their original uniforms; they were dressed in a new issue of jungle green, and looked like strangers. For one thing, they seemed to have grown inches, which indeed they had; the last two years of their development had occurred far from Drogheda, and had pushed them way above their older brothers. Not boys any more but men, though not men in the BobJack-Hughie mold; hardship, battle euphoria and violent death had made something out of them Drogheda never could. The North African sun had dried and darkened them to rosy mahogany, peeled away every layer of childhood. Yes, it was possible to believe these two men in their ****** uniforms, slouch hats pinned above their left ears with the badge of the AIF rising sun, had killed fellow men. It was in their eyes, blue as Paddy's but sadder, without his gentleness.

"My boys, my boys!" cried Mrs. Smith, running to them, tears streaming down her face. No, it didn't matter what they had done, how much they had changed; they were still her little babies she had washed, diapered, fed, whose tears she had dried, whose wounds she had kissed better. Only the wounds they harbored now were beyond her power to heal.

Then everyone was around them, British reserve broken down, laughing, crying, even poor Fee patting them on their backs, trying to smile. After Mrs. Smith there was Meggie to kiss, Minnie to kiss, Cat to kiss, Mum to hug bashfully, Jack and Hughie to wring by the hand speechlessly. The Drogheda people would never know what it was like to be home, they could never know how much this moment had been longed for, feared for.

And how the twins ate! Army tucker was never like this, they said, laughing. Pink and white fairy cakes, chocolate-soaked lamingtons rolled in coconut, steamed spotted dog pudding, pavlova dripping passion fruit and cream from Drogheda cows. Remembering their stomachs from earlier days, Mrs. Smith was convinced they'd be ill for a week, but as long as there was unlimited tea to wash it down, they didn't seem to have any trouble with their digestions.

"A bit different from Wog bread, eh, Patsy?"

"Yair."

"What's Wog mean?" asked Mrs. Smith.

"A Wog's an Arab, but a Wop's an Italian, right, Patsy?" "Pair."

It was peculiar. They would talk, or at least Jims would talk, for hours about North Africa: the towns, the people, the food, the museum in Cairo, life on board a troopship, in rest camp. But no amount of questioning could elicit anything but vague, change-the subject answers as to what the actual fighting had been like, what Gazala, Benghazi, Tobruk, El Alamein had been like. Later on after the war was over the women were to find this constantly; the men who had actually been in the thick of battle never opened their mouths about it, refused to join the ex-soldiers' clubs and leagues, wanted nothing to do with institutions perpetuating the memory of war. Drogheda held a party for them. Alastair MacQueen was in the Ninth as well and was home, so of course Rudna Hunish held a party. Dominic O'Rourke's two youngest sons were in the Sixth in New Guinea, so even though they couldn't be present, Dibban-Dibban held a party. Every property in the district with a son in uniform wanted to celebrate the safe return of the three Ninth boys. Women and girls flocked around them, but the Cleary returned heroes tried to escape at every opportunity, more scared than they had been on any field of war. In fact, Jims and Patsy didn't seem to want to have anything to do with women; it was to Bob, Jack and Hughie they clung. Late into the night after the women had gone to bed they sat talking to the brothers who had been forced to remain behind, opening their sore, scarred hearts. And they rode the paddocks of parched Drogheda, in its seventh year of the drought, glad to be in civvies.

同类推荐
  • 尚书正义

    尚书正义

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 阿毗达磨大毗婆沙论

    阿毗达磨大毗婆沙论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 六十种曲绣襦记

    六十种曲绣襦记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 東三省輿地圖說

    東三省輿地圖說

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
  • 沧浪诗话

    沧浪诗话

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。
热门推荐
  • 天行

    天行

    号称“北辰骑神”的天才玩家以自创的“牧马冲锋流”战术击败了国服第一弓手北冥雪,被誉为天纵战榜第一骑士的他,却受到小人排挤,最终离开了效力已久的银狐俱乐部。是沉沦,还是再次崛起?恰逢其时,月恒集团第四款游戏“天行”正式上线,虚拟世界再起风云!
  • 景秀农女:捡个将军好种田

    景秀农女:捡个将军好种田

    [新书《农门弃妇:带着萌娃好种田》已发文,求推荐,求收藏,求评论]穿越重生到村里有名的傻女身上,爹死了,怀胎八月的娘还被极品亲戚欺负,什么,还要卖了她弟妹?韩应雪坚决不同意!分家!韩应雪撸撸袖子,决定靠山吃山,靠水吃水。日子开始过的红红火火。从山里捡来的男人竟然还是个将军!某男笑嘻嘻的抱着她的大腿,“娘子,将军什么的我都不稀罕,就喜欢跟着你在乡下种田!”(ps:推荐基友陆成丰包月书,《军阀大帅:别闹!》包月用户免费看奥)
  • 问答式早教百科

    问答式早教百科

    早教如今已成为0~3岁宝宝父母关心的热门话题,在越来越多爸爸妈妈开始对宝宝实施早教的当下,早教尤其需要科学地引导。这本书以问答形式,让专家告诉爸爸妈妈如何进行早教更科学、更有效,帮助爸爸妈妈培养聪明宝宝。
  • 天行

    天行

    号称“北辰骑神”的天才玩家以自创的“牧马冲锋流”战术击败了国服第一弓手北冥雪,被誉为天纵战榜第一骑士的他,却受到小人排挤,最终离开了效力已久的银狐俱乐部。是沉沦,还是再次崛起?恰逢其时,月恒集团第四款游戏“天行”正式上线,虚拟世界再起风云!
  • 天行

    天行

    号称“北辰骑神”的天才玩家以自创的“牧马冲锋流”战术击败了国服第一弓手北冥雪,被誉为天纵战榜第一骑士的他,却受到小人排挤,最终离开了效力已久的银狐俱乐部。是沉沦,还是再次崛起?恰逢其时,月恒集团第四款游戏“天行”正式上线,虚拟世界再起风云!
  • 隐婚豪门:BOSS的专属蜜爱

    隐婚豪门:BOSS的专属蜜爱

    隐婚一年,乔欣然才有了新婚之实,此后付先生食髓知味,宠妻无度。“谁欺负宝贝儿了?”扶着酸痛的腰,乔欣然嗔怪道:“就是你!”“这样……”付先生躺下身,“已经躺好了,任你睡,睡到你消气为止。”乔欣然忍俊不禁:“什么时候这么会说话了?”付先生勾唇一笑:“我这个人出了名的嘴甜,不信?要不要尝尝?”
  • 重生之锦医绣妃

    重生之锦医绣妃

    上一世,她遇人不淑,轻信渣男,连累整个家族陷入水深火热之中,可天意难为,上天既然给了她一次重生的机会,这一世她定要所有害过她的人付出代价!
  • 飘渺少风

    飘渺少风

    这是飘渺真人与少风真人的故事,剧情暂时没想出来慢慢写。
  • 穿越之超级电子眼

    穿越之超级电子眼

    一次移植电子眼的手术,让他穿越到了一个武者为尊的世界。同时,这个世界中一名与他长相相同的人却意外身亡。无心之下,却取代了他的身份。数年之后,他凭借着出类拔萃的力量站上了这个世界的顶峰。千山万水我为王,武道乾坤我为尊!陈言:在我眼中,你们不过只是一堆数字而已!
  • 仙魔情侠传

    仙魔情侠传

    谢峰,一个孤儿如何在五岳修真派别中成长,又如何在正道与魔教中选择看主角如何在五岳中变强.本书主要是东方玄幻类,里面还包括西方的一些元素,谢峰既是屌丝,但是他却可以逆袭。PS:没有最好只有更好,这本书是笑笑生的第一本书,希望大家能提出宝贵意见。一起见证笑笑生的成长。