Mission Scapula

Chapter 2

I arrived at the War Office, and asking a friendly policeman the way, I was advised to go in by the quadrangle entrance.  I went in, crossed the room, and approached the Master at Arms at his desk.  I then presented my orders.  I felt just as I did at school when summoned to the Headmaster’s office for smoking behind the toilets.  Had something in my past caught up with me?  He looked through his list and told me what to do, all the time glancing over his glasses in such a way as to make what he said more ominous than what it really was.

I was in full marching gear, kit bag, rifle the lot.  The Master's at Arms were all either time served or disabled ex-service men, who were employed as messengers and porters on all floors of the Old War Office.  All had their respective cubbyholes where one could always get a cup of tea.  I was told to leave my kit bag at the desk and was taken by a porter up to the second floor.

I followed the porter up the stairs.  They seemed to go on forever and my legs felt like jelly, yellow at that.  I could see through the glass in the outer door of room 124, which was positioned at the front of the building, facing down Whitehall, and about 20 yards from the main central stairs.  Brigadier J.G. JAW was the name on the brass plate.  The porter knocked and told me to wait, he went in, closing the door behind him.  I stood and wondered what would happen next, my eyes dropped to my boots; my heart was already there.  I decided to give them a quick polish so rubbed each in turn on the back of my trousers.  The creases in the trousers were OK considering the legs inside weren’t. ...................Continued