Frederick Munn - The Crooked Olive Branch

Content

Imprint 6 Imprint All rights of distribution, also through movies, radio and television, photomechanical reproduction, sound carrier, electronic medium and reprinting in excerpts are reserved. © 2022 novum publishing ISBN print edition: 978-3-99107-667-4 ISBN e-book: 978-3-99107-668-1 Editor: Philip Kelly Cover images: Teresa Azevedo, Charles Mccarthy | Dreamstime.com Cover design, layout & typesetting: novum publishing Internal illustrations: Frederick Munn www.novum-publishing.co.uk

Dedication 7 Dedication Dedicated to the memory of 2337543 Sergeant Edgar Stanton (1919–2011) of The Royal Corps of Signals and colleagues of Station X, the British Forces personnel involved in Yugoslavia, Jani Kovac* and the Yugoslav partisans who are acknowledged for their work behind enemy lines providing ‘ammunition’ for the Bletchley Park code breakers. Also acknowledged is the part played by Italian partisans in the destruction of significant strategic Axis reserve supplies in the Caves of Postojna. Edgar gave nothing away about his involvement before Government recognition over 60 years after the events and too little afterwards. This book was inspired by the author’s conversations with Edgar following the issue of commemorative medals in the first decade of the 21st century. This acknowledgement by the U.K. Government was the first his family knew of these epic events in the Second World War, 1939–45. Although following the chronological progress of the period, this novel is a fiction inspired by talks between Edgar and the author and the author’s memories of those times. *** * Jani Kovac was the train driver who helped rescue Edgar from discovery by the Nazis by hiding him in the overhead toolbox of his railway engine. The partisans took Edgar from hiding in Ljubljana moving him to the Kovac’s home in north east Slovenia thus avoiding his capture by the Nazis and the inevitable execution of Edgar as an enemy spy. Jani’s and Edgar’s families became friends after the war and keep in touch.

Acknowledgements 8 Acknowledgements Coral Lynn Jackson John Stanton Edgar Stanton’s Daughter Edgar Stanton’s Son ‘The Lambeth Walk’ from the West End show Me and My Girl. Lyrics by Douglas Furber and L Arthur Rose, (Music Noel Gay.) This was a huge dance ‘craze’ promoted by Lupino Lane.

Edgar Stanton 9

The Fourth Dimension 16

Prologue 17

Chapter 1 19

Chapter 2 23

Chapter 3 26

Chapter 4 31

Chapter 5 35

Chapter 6 42

Chapter 7 51

Chapter 8 58

Chapter 9 69

Chapter 10 77

Chapter 11 80

Chapter 12 85

Chapter 13 90

Chapter 14 102

Chapter 15 106

Chapter 16 110

Chapter 17 117

Chapter 18 132

Chapter 19 141

Chapter 20 149

Chapter 21 154

Chapter 22 158

Chapter 23 165

Chapter 24 174

Chapter 25 178

Chapter 26 180

Chapter 27 187

Chapter 28 196

Chapter 29 199

Chapter 30 205

Chapter 31 207

Chapter 32 211

Chapter 33 215

Chapter 34 217

Chapter 35 224

Chapter 36 233

Chapter 37 236

Chapter 38 240

Chapter 39 243

Chapter 40 245

Chapter 41 252

Chapter 42 253

Chapter 43 260

Chapter 44 262

Chapter 45 267

Chapter 46 271

Chapter 47 274

Chapter 48 278

Chapter 49 285

Chapter 50 296

Chapter 51 299

Chapter 52 301

Chapter 53 303

Chapter 54 306

Chapter 55 311

Chapter 56 313

Chapter 57 316

Chapter 58 322

Chapter 59 328

Chapter 60 332

Chapter 61 335

Chapter 62 340

Chapter 63 345

Chapter 64 358

Chapter 65 363

Chapter 66 369

Chapter 67 374

Chapter 68 377

Chapter 69 387

Chapter 70 394

Chapter 71 397

Chapter 72 402

Chapter 73 404

Chapter 74 407

Chapter 75 410

Chapter 76 415

Chapter 77 421

Chapter 78 426

Chapter 79 431

Chapter 80 433

Chapter 81 435

Chapter 82 438

Chapter 83 439

Chapter 84 441

Chapter 85 444

Chapter 86 448

Chapter 87 453

Chapter 88 457

Chapter 89 461

Chapter 90 470

Chapter 91 473

Chapter 92 476

Chapter 93 481

Chapter 94 483

Chapter 95 486

Chapter 96 488

Chapter 97 491

Chapter 98 495

Chapter 99 499

Chapter 100 502

Chapter 101 513

Chapter 102 519

Chapter 103 527

Chapter 104 536

Chapter 105 538

Chapter 106 547

Chapter 107 550

Chapter 108 555

Chapter 109 560

Chapter 110 562

Chapter 111 567

Chapter 112 574

Chapter 113 578

Chapter 114 587

Chapter 115 589

Chapter 116 593

Chapter 117 603

Chapter 118 606

Chapter 119 608

Chapter 120 614

Chapter 121 616

Chapter 122 619

Chapter 123 624

Chapter 124 630

Chapter 125 637

Chapter 126 648

Chapter 127 651

Chapter 128 652

Chapter 129 655

Chapter 130 663

Chapter 131 666

Chapter 132 673

Chapter 133 678

Chapter 134 681

Chapter 135 682

Chapter 136 690

Chapter 137 694

Chapter 138 696

Chapter 139 698

Chapter 140 702

Chapter 141 706

Chapter 142 708

Chapter 143 713

Chapter 144 717

Chapter 145 719

Chapter 146 731

Chapter 147 734

Chapter 148 736

Chapter 149 738

Chapter 150 741

Chapter 151 752

Chapter 152 759

Chapter 153 763

Chapter 154 765

Chapter 155 773

Chapter 156 776

Chapter 157 779

Chapter 158 786

Imprint

All rights of distribution, also through movies, radio and television, photomechanical reproduction, sound carrier, electronic medium and reprinting in excerpts are reserved.

© 2022 novum publishing

ISBN print edition: 978-3-99107-667-4

ISBN e-book: 978-3-99107-668-1

Editor: Philip Kelly

Cover images: Teresa Azevedo, Charles Mccarthy | Dreamstime.com

Cover design, layout & typesetting: novum publishing

Internal illustrations: Frederick Munn

www.novum-publishing.co.uk

Dedication

Dedicated to the memory of 2337543 Sergeant Edgar Stanton (1919–2011) of The Royal Corps of Signals and colleagues of Station X, the British Forces personnel involved in Yugoslavia, Jani Kovac* and the Yugoslav partisans who are acknowledged for their work behind enemy lines providing ‘ammunition’ for the Bletchley Park code breakers. Also acknowledged is the part played by Italian partisans in the destruction of significant strategic Axis reserve supplies in the Caves of Postojna.

Edgar gave nothing away about his involvement before Government recognition over 60 years after the events and too little afterwards. This book was inspired by the author’s conversations with Edgar following the issue of commemorative medals in the first decade of the 21st century. This acknowledgement by the U.K. Government was the first his family knew of these epic events in the Second World War, 1939–45.

Although following the chronological progress of the period, this novel is a fiction inspired by talks between Edgar and the author and the author’s memories of those times.

***

*Jani Kovac was the train driver who helped rescue Edgar from discovery by the Nazis by hiding him in the overhead toolbox of his railway engine. The partisans took Edgar from hiding in Ljubljana moving him to the Kovac’s home in north east Slovenia thus avoiding his capture by the Nazis and the inevitable execution of Edgar as an enemy spy.

Jani’s and Edgar’s families became friends after the war and keep in touch.

Acknowledgements

Coral Lynn Jackson