Meanwhile, five or six miles downstream, towards Croisset,7 Dieppedalle or Biessart, bargees and fishermen often hauled up the bodies of German soldiers bloated under their uniforms, stabbed or kicked to death, thrown over a parapet into the water, their heads smashed in with a stone. All the secret acts of vengeance, the brutal yet understandable deeds of quiet heroism, the silent attacks more dangerous than pitched battle and less glorious in consequence, all slid downwards into the bed of the river. For hatred of the Stranger will always arm the intrepid few ready to give up their lives for their principles.

At length, since the invaders, while imposing a rule of iron upon the town, had not committed any of the atrocities which rumour had attributed to them throughout the course of their triumphal progress, confidence began to return to the populace and the desire to conduct business stirred again in the hearts of the local tradesmen. Some of them had major commercial interests in Le Havre, still in the hands of the French. They were keen therefore to try and reach that port overland via Dieppe and thence by ship. Using the influence of the German officers whom they had come to know, they managed to secure a transport permit from the general in command.

Accordingly, a large, four-horse coach was hired for the journey. Ten people reserved places on board and it was decided to meet one Tuesday morning before daybreak so as not to attract attention. For some time now the ground had been frozen hard, and on the Monday, at about three in the afternoon, great dark clouds from the north brought snow which fell continuously all that evening and throughout the night.

At half past four in the morning, the travellers met in the courtyard of the Hôtel de Normandie where they were to board the coach. They were still half-asleep and shivering with cold under their wraps. It was hard for them to make each other out in the dark, and with so much heavy winter clothing on they all looked like portly priests in long cassocks. Two of the men, however, recognized each other; a third joined them and the trio stood chatting.

‘I’m taking my wife out of this,’ said one.

‘So am I.’

‘Me too.’

The first man added: ‘We won’t be coming back to Rouen in a hurry, and if the Prussians advance on Le Havre, we’ll be taking off for England.’