Читать книгу George Grant - T.F. Rigelhof - Страница 16

4

The Conscience of an Objector

All hell breaks loose. Two planes crash. One comes down in the field next to the woods where George has been cutting logs with some companions. They run to the field but before they get there, a German parachutist comes down fast only a hundred metres away. The woodcutters duck behind trees and wait. There’s no movement under the chute after it touches down. They investigate. The German is dead – his face intact, his body smashed. They move toward the plane with their axes. It’s an English one. They look inside and see the pilot all burned up. They smell burned flesh, feel the heat, and see flickers of flame. The plane is still on fire, still dangerous. They back away. Quickly. The ammunition boxes ignite. Bullets rip the air. They dive for cover. This is George’s first direct encounter with war. It is August 1940.

George Grant, October 1941. “I am not my own.”