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It was when Carol worked in a nursing home that she first took an interest in aliens.  Prior to that she thought there was nothing to it all, but it was a chance remark by a 92 year old ex-soldier that got her thinking that there might be life out there after all.  Bill had worked as a gardener most of his working life after being de-mobbed at the end of World War II.  Carol was on evening shift and brought some flowers from her own garden in to brighten up the Quiet Room where he often sat reading the sports pages to see how his favourite teams were doing.  He remarked on the poppies amongst the bunch, saying “It’s a shame they don’t flower for long.  Reminds me of the fragility of life during the war.” 

“My grandfather lost two brothers in the war,” Carol informed him, “missing, presumed dead.  He said their Mother always waited in the hope that they would return.  She thought they may have been in an asylum somewhere in France, shell shocked and suffering from amnesia or something.”

“Some were, but I’ll tell you where others went.  The Government never recorded this, but when we were in the trenches, facing the German army there were some odd goings on.”  He gave her a look that intrigued her.  She wanted to know what he meant. 

“You’ve heard of Dunkirk,” he nodded, “but you’ll never have heard the whole story.  You’ll never read an Army document with the events that happened just before that.” 

The Battle of France battle had two main operations. In the first, German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes cutting off and surrounding the allied units that had advanced into Belgium. 

“It all happened a few days before the British Expeditionary Forces evacuated me and all the others from Dunkirk in Operation Dynamo.  We hadn’t a hope in hell.  We knew it.  People were dying all around us and those who weren’t dead were going to pieces, saying their prayers, begging God for forgiveness of sins and to get them out of there, calling for their Mummies in the night, soiling themselves with fright, and walking around stinking.  Some were going mad.  Really mad.  Gibbering wrecks of big strong men shaking, twitching, sobbing and acting strange.  Others made of sterner stuff were hell bent on taking a few of the enemy out before they died themselves and had their stubborn war faces pitched in the direction of enemy lines refusing to sleep in case they met their end before they did their best to wipe out a few of the enemy.”