One task known to have been assigned to Young Winston was that of
"animal keeper". This onerous duty was supposedly assigned him by the notorious
Jacques (The Mole) Levesque. This was fully explained in the transcript of the court
martial. It was, in fact, this duty assignment that led to the downfall of Levesque. Young
Winston fed the various dogs and cats that roamed the airfield. He also began to name the
various dogs, and it was he who finally linked the appearance of FC151 to the DIS
appearance of the canines/felines in the compound. While animals come and go,
unfortunately, in time Young Winston mentioned this coincidence to Rene Vendrine, the
Mole's arch enemy, and the rest became history.
Winston fulfilled the role of batman, aide de
camp, confessor, morale officer, and friend to all the pilots of the Squadron. There
exists many fine reports of this lad in Heep's diary. Although not a pilot, he was seen
taxing the craft to the flight line, and readying them for flight. It is known he
instructed many of the local women in repairing the numerous damaged wings. He was
especially adept at sewing the linen to the wings and kept the aeroplanes in top notch
stitchery. He was also a superb man with tea. Heep noted that Young Winston had quite a
facility for setting a proper High Tea. Great praise from the tea master of the squadron.
That Winston was faithful and loyal to the Squadron in noted in Heep's last diary
entry. The Squadron was assigned a particular dangerous mission( see appendix: last
flight). All took wing at dawn save Levesque who claimed a problem with his engine being
to loud at the wrong times. Heep writes:" We are ready to go, the sun breaks over the
northern dunes, vomiting forth it's hellish glare. The Nieuports are barking rhythmically,
ready to leap from the sand. I gaze to my left and there is young Winston, I yell to
him:" Stay put lad.. wait till we get back and we'll have a good cuppa' " And
there he stood, tea and biscuits ready for our return".
That was Heep's last entry. The Squadron never returned and Levesque disappeared
shortly after the Squadron left, claiming he was going to catch up. There were several
reports (mostly bar room stories) of a British officer tending the abandoned airfield long
after the war ended. A pilot named Havelock was reported to have aided archeologists in
the quest for the "city of the dead" or some such legend. Young Winston's demise
or future is not known.
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