大象传媒

My father was a sergeant during the War. As a surveyor, he frequently led expeditions into No Man's Land. One day there, he and his group were relaxing in the sun in a ruined house, smoking and talking, when they heard noises of approach. Expecting Germans, they were happened upon instead by a crawling, camouflaged, fully-armed squad of British soldiers who stopped in amazement to see their compatriots with their helmets off and only one gun, which in fact did not work, between them. My father and the others were escorted back to the British lines - but of course they only had to return to No Man's Land the next day to survey, as well-armed as before ... My father was very popular as he always knew the way back!

After D-Day they were billeted in a chateau, with the officers below in the family's accommodation and the NCOs above in the servants'. Water for the lower floors was rainwater collected in cisterns from the roof: the NCOs had to go all the way down and out into the yard to the pump to get theirs. My father got fed up with this and one day had an inspiration: he and his friends emptied their used water into the gutters collecting rainwater for the officers ...

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