? ? ?One Saturday morning I was working in my small attic room in?Broadway Buildings when a shattering explosion shook the whole?building to its foundations. We rushed out of our rooms to find out?what had happened. A V2 had come down only some hundred yards?away, across Queen Anne's Gate, destroying the Guards Chapel at?Wellington Barracks where a wedding service was just in progress,?killing and maiming many of those present.

【一個(gè)星期六的早晨，我正在百老匯大廈的小閣樓里工作，突然一聲巨響撼動(dòng)了整棟大樓。我們沖出房間去看發(fā)生了什么事。一發(fā)V2從幾百碼開外的安妮女王之門上空爆炸，摧毀了正在舉行婚禮儀式的威靈頓兵營的教堂，造成很多人員死傷。】

? ? ?I remember being on duty one Sunday afternoon in September.?Before he left, Major Seymour had given me the text of telegrams which?I was to despatch immediately upon receipt of a telephone call from?SHAPE. It contained instructions to our underground organisations?in Holland, especially those in the Arnhem-Nymegen area, to render?every assistance to the Allied troops about to land and to keep us?constantly informed of enemy troop movements. It was a tense?afternoon waiting for this call. I realised that an important operation?was?afoot, which, if successful, would bring about the liberation of?Holland within a matter of days. Then the call came and I at once sent?off the telegrams. I felt as if a spring had been released inside me. We?were very busy the next few days dealing with the greatly increased?flow of traffic, processing it and passing it on, much of it by telephone.?It soon revealed that the enemy was succeeding rapidly in bringing up?vastly superior forces, including a whole Panzer Division, and that the?main body of our troops stood little chance of linking up with the?parachute troops which had landed north of the river. The operation?miscarried. Thousands of lives were sacrificed in vain and Holland?faced the most bitter and cruel winter of its war.

【我記得9月的一個(gè)星期天下午，我正在值勤。西摩少校臨走前給了我一份電報(bào)，一接到SHAPE的電話，我就要立即發(fā)出去。電報(bào)指示在荷蘭的地下組織，特別是在阿納姆-奈梅亨地區(qū)的地下組織，要為即將登陸的盟軍部隊(duì)提供一切援助，并隨時(shí)向盟軍通報(bào)敵軍的動(dòng)向。等待這個(gè)電話是一個(gè)緊張的下午。我意識(shí)到一個(gè)重要的行動(dòng)正在進(jìn)行，如果成功，將在幾天內(nèi)解放荷蘭。然后電話來了，我立刻發(fā)了電報(bào)。我感到體內(nèi)的壓力被釋放了。在接下來的幾天里，我們非常忙碌，處理大大增多的情報(bào)，分析它并傳遞它，大部分是通過電話。很快就有消息顯示，敵人正在迅速地調(diào)來大量的精銳部隊(duì)，其中包括整個(gè)裝甲師，我軍主力幾乎沒有機(jī)會(huì)與在河流北岸登陸的傘兵會(huì)合。行動(dòng)失敗了。成千上萬的生命白白犧牲，荷蘭正面臨著戰(zhàn)爭中最痛苦、最殘酷的冬天。】

? ? ?Occasionally, to give me a break from office work, Commander?Child would suggest that I accompany an agent to the airfield on the?night of a dropping operation. We usually set out in the early?afternoon in a large car, driven by a girl in one of the Women's?Services, to an airfield in Essex. On the way we would stop, first for tea?and then for drinks in some cosy old pub. We all three did our best to?keep the mood gay and carefree and usually succeeded in this. At the?airfield we always had supper with the crew of the aircraft which was?to drop the agent. Just before departure the agent changed into clothes?of Dutch origin and I had to check carefully that he had no English?coins, letters, bus or cinema tickets or anything else on his person,?which might give him away. Then I gave him his false Dutch identity?documents, his money, his codes and transmitting schedules and, if he?wished, a lethal pill.

【偶爾，為了讓我從辦公室的工作中休息一下，查爾德指揮官會(huì)建議我在空投行動(dòng)的晚上陪同一名特工前往機(jī)場。我們通常在下午早些時(shí)候乘坐一輛大車，由婦女服務(wù)機(jī)構(gòu)的一個(gè)女孩駕駛，前往埃塞克斯的一個(gè)機(jī)場。在路上，我們會(huì)停下來，先喝茶，然后在某個(gè)舒適的老酒吧里喝一杯。我們?nèi)齻€(gè)人都盡量使氣氛愉快、沒有壓力，我們通常能做到這樣。在機(jī)場，我們總是和空降特工的機(jī)組人員一起吃晚飯。就在出發(fā)前，這名特工換上了荷蘭特色的衣服，我不得不仔細(xì)檢查他身上是否帶了英國硬幣、信件、汽車票或電影票或其他任何可能暴露他身份的東西。然后我給了他偽造的荷蘭身份證件、錢、密碼和傳輸時(shí)間表，如果他愿意，還給了他一顆致命的藥丸。】

? ? ?After that he put on his jumping suit and his parachute and was?ready to start out on his dangerous mission. We got into a jeep and?drove to the waiting aircraft. There I checked that the right containers?with supplies and equipment were on board and then came the?moment to say goodbye. A brief handshake, muttered good wishes?and he climbed into the aircraft turning round once more to give the?thumbs up sign before the door closed behind him. A final wave as the?aircraft rolled out to the runway and then the wait as it gathered?speed, lifted itself in the air and with its light winking disappeared into?the night. The drive back to London in the dark was usually a silent?one. Neither the driver nor I felt much like indulging in small talk.?Our thoughts were with that aircraft flying eastward into enemy?territory. Would the dropping operation be successful and our?companion of an hour ago come down alive and well among his?comrades of the underground? Would the crew with whom we had?just supped and who had been so cheerful and matter-of-fact return to?base safely?

【之后，他穿上跳傘服，帶上降落傘，準(zhǔn)備開始他的危險(xiǎn)任務(wù)。我們上了一輛吉普車，向等候著的飛機(jī)駛?cè)?。在那里，我檢查了裝有補(bǔ)給品和設(shè)備的集裝箱是否在船上，然后就到了告別的時(shí)刻。簡短的握手，嘀咕著祝福，他爬進(jìn)飛機(jī)，再次轉(zhuǎn)身豎起大拇指，然后門在他身后關(guān)上了。最后，飛機(jī)行駛到跑道上，加快速度，在空中上升，隨著它的燈光閃爍消失在夜色中。在黑暗中開車回倫敦的路上，通常是一片寂靜。司機(jī)和我都不太喜歡閑聊。我們的思緒隨著那架飛機(jī)向東飛進(jìn)敵境?？胀缎袆?dòng)會(huì)成功嗎?我們一小時(shí)前的同伴會(huì)活著下來，安然無恙地和他的地下同志們在一起嗎?剛剛和我們共進(jìn)晚餐的飛行員們，那些興高采烈的人，會(huì)安全返回基地嗎?】

? ? ?One such journey has remained deeply impressed on my mind. The?agent I accompanied was a nice, fair boy, just turned eighteen, who?was going out to one of our groups in the Amsterdam area as a W/T?operator. Just before take-off there was a last minute hitch. But, after a?longish wait the aircraft took off after all. Two days later we received a?telegram from the group to which the young agent had been dropped.?He was dead. The dropping ground had been laid out not far from a?large lake. He must have jumped a little too soon and came down over?the lake. Probably not realising this in time, he did not release his?harness before he hit the surface. There had been a fairly strong wind?and his parachute had dragged him under water. His body was found?the next day. Although we did not know it then, he was the last agent?to be dropped over Holland. Before the next new moon period came?round, the Germans had surrendered unconditionally.

【其中一次行動(dòng)給我留下了深刻的印象。陪同我的是一個(gè)帥氣的男孩，剛滿18歲，他要去我們在阿姆斯特丹地區(qū)的一個(gè)團(tuán)隊(duì)做電話接線員。就在起飛前最后一分鐘出現(xiàn)了故障。但是，在稍長時(shí)間的等待之后，飛機(jī)還是起飛了。兩天后，我們收到了那位年輕特工被派往的組織發(fā)來的電報(bào)。他死了?？战祱鲎湓陔x一個(gè)大湖不遠(yuǎn)的地方。他一定是跳得太快了，掉到了湖里?？赡苁菦]有及時(shí)意識(shí)到，他在浮出水面之前沒有解開安全帶。當(dāng)時(shí)風(fēng)很大，降落傘把他拖到了水下。他的尸體第二天被發(fā)現(xiàn)。盡管我們當(dāng)時(shí)并不知道，他是最后一個(gè)空降荷蘭的特工。在下一月來臨之前，德國人已經(jīng)無條件投降了?！?/span>

? ? ?VE day found me alone, in charge of P8, now reduced to a mere?shadow of a section. A week before, the German armies in the?Netherlands had surrendered and Major Seymour, promoted to the?rank of Lieutenant-Colonel, had gone to The Hague to open a SIS?station there. Commander Child, with no more agents to train and?supplies to drop, had taken up an Intelligence appointment with?Naval HQ in Germany.

【這一天我孑然一身，負(fù)責(zé)P8，形單影只。一周前，在荷蘭的德國軍隊(duì)投降了，西摩少校被提升為中校，他去海牙開設(shè)了一個(gè)SIS站。查爾德已經(jīng)沒有更多的特工需要訓(xùn)練，也沒有更多的補(bǔ)給需要空投，他與德國海軍總部進(jìn)行了一次情報(bào)會(huì)談?！?/span>

? ? ?Two things remain in my memory of that day. The long wail of the?sirens, giving the All Clear after the surrender of the German armed?forces had been announced and the streets that evening lit up again for?the first time. Although I was on duty, there was now no radio traffic?and I went out in the streets for a while to join the festive crowd. I?found myself pushed in the direction of Buckingham Palace where a?surging mass of people kept on chanting: 'We want the King! We want?the King!' and then, when he and the Royal Family came out on the?balcony, started singing For he's a jolly good fellow'. The war was?over, we had won.

【那天有兩件事留在我的記憶中。德國軍隊(duì)投降的消息宣布后，放空警報(bào)發(fā)出了長嘯，當(dāng)晚街道上第一次亮起了燈。雖然我在執(zhí)勤，但現(xiàn)在沒有無線電通訊了，所以我出去了一會(huì)兒，加入了慶祝的人群。我發(fā)現(xiàn)自己被推向白金漢宮的方向，那里人山人海，不停地喊著:“我們要見國王!我們要見國王!”然后，當(dāng)國王和皇室成員來到陽臺(tái)上時(shí)，他開始唱“For he's a?jolly good fellow”。戰(zhàn)爭結(jié)束了，我們贏了。】