Captain Bob Hastings immediately recognized the voice of his old colleague. ‘Good to hear from you again, John. How can I help?’

‘There is a possibility two of my pupils have come across an SD2 in the local woods.’

‘An SD2? A butterfly bomb?’

‘Exactly.’

‘It’s inevitable there are still a few scattered around in inaccessible places.’ There was a pause. ‘John, I’ll muster a couple of my team and we’ll be with you in thirty minutes. What’s the location?’

‘Here in Ragley village, the woods at the end of Chauntsinger Lane.’

‘I know it. Beyond the blacksmith’s.’

‘That’s right. In the meantime I’ll contact the local police to cordon off the area.’

Tom Feather answered his telephone on the second ring and listened intently to John’s message. ‘I’ll come now with Harry and I’ll need the two boys to tell me the exact location.’

The children were gathered in the hall getting on with writing and drawing. Vera had checked off every name and the school cook, Mrs Irene Gubbins, was helping to supervise.

‘So are you saying that during the war John was in bomb disposal?’ asked Lily.

‘Yes,’ said Vera, ‘he was in the Royal Engineers, a member of the bomb disposal section. It’s well known in the village, but he tends to keep the details to himself.’

‘It sounds to have been very dangerous work,’ said Lily.

Vera looked thoughtful. ‘I remember reading that the life expectancy during the war for these men was sixteen weeks.’

Suddenly Lily was seeing the quiet, unassuming headteacher in a new light. ‘So we’re lucky he survived,’ she said quietly.

‘Yes, we are,’ said Vera. ‘I remember being up at Morton Manor a few years ago and Captain Forbes-Kitchener mentioned that in nineteen forty there were ten thousand involved in this work and almost five hundred were killed. Apparently the anti-handling devices dropped by the Luftwaffe were deadly.’

Out of the high arched window Lily could see John at the school gate talking to Tom Feather and Harry Dewhirst. The constable was making careful notes while Tom and John questioned Dave and Malcolm. The two boys were pointing towards the High Street. Finally, John walked with the Robinson boys back up the school drive and into the hall, where he left them with Lily and Vera, then he rejoined the policemen and set off towards Chauntsinger Lane.

‘Please let them be safe,’ whispered Lily.

Vera squeezed her hand gently. ‘Don’t worry – good will prevail.’

PC Dewhirst began knocking on doors and Mrs Uppington was taken away with the other residents as Captain Bob Hastings arrived with two members of his bomb disposal team. John told them the location and they made their way into the wood. The boys had given perfect directions and soon the men were staring at a rusted metal canister high in the trees.

‘It’s been out of sight for years,’ said Tom.