��ѿ��ý

I had to move to a private hotel on the seafront in Bridlington. It was occupied by the “poor and the brave”, those, who for personal reasons, had decided not to move from the coast to a “safe area” inland.

We were joined for a few months by three young army officers from different regiments who were training army personnel in the town, and who proved to be the newly formed “Commandos”.

Amongst the elderly couples staying in the hotel was an old widower called Archie, who was totally deaf, in spite of the old fashioned hearing air he wore on his chest, which was wired up to his ear.

One evening when he was taking his customary stroll along the seafront for a breath of fresh air, he was arrested by air raid wardens and taken to the police station, as a spy, suspected of communicating with the enemy!

As the police had confiscated his hearing aid, thinking it was a signalling device, he couldn’t hear a word of their accusations.

Finally, the owner of the hotel, worried about his missing guest, must have contacted the police and rescued poor puzzled Archie.

Celebrations were still continuing in the kitchen when I returned from my stint at the Auxiliary Fire Station, after the “all clear” had sounded in the early hours!

© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author. Find out how you can use this.