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Dedication

Dedicated to the memory of 2337543 Sergeant Edgar Stanton (1919–2011) of The Royal Corps of Signals and colleagues of Station X, the British Forces personnel involved in Yugoslavia, Jani Kovac* and the Yugoslav partisans who are acknowledged for their work behind enemy lines providing ‘ammunition’ for the Bletchley Park code breakers. Also acknowledged is the part played by Italian partisans in the destruction of significant strategic Axis reserve supplies in the Caves of Postojna.

Edgar gave nothing away about his involvement before Government recognition over 60 years after the events and too little afterwards. This book was inspired by the author’s conversations with Edgar following the issue of commemorative medals in the first decade of the 21st century. This acknowledgement by the U.K. Government was the first his family knew of these epic events in the Second World War, 1939–45.

Although following the chronological progress of the period, this novel is a fiction inspired by talks between Edgar and the author and the author’s memories of those times.

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* Jani Kovac was the train driver who helped rescue Edgar from discovery by the Nazis by hiding him in the overhead toolbox of his railway engine. The partisans took Edgar from hiding in Ljubljana moving him to the Kovac’s home in north east Slovenia thus avoiding his capture by the Nazis and the inevitable execution of Edgar as an enemy spy.

Jani’s and Edgar’s families became friends after the war and keep in touch.