His arm came round her, but only for a second and to lower her further to the ground. ‘We’ll be all right, my darling, we outnumber them. When Arnie gets behind them, it will confuse and divide them.’

This didn’t reassure her, but only further fuelled her fear. However, she had no time to think about it, as a blast of firing rang out from her father’s gun.

‘Keep firing, Marjie – we’ve got them now.’

This command from her father brought her starkly back to the task in hand. Kneeling, she unloaded her gun, not letting herself feel for the young lives she was extinguishing. If she did so, she would be lost.

Instead she concentrated on the lives she was saving. And especially those of her dear Aunt Ella and the lovely little Lonia. This spurred her on and, seeing a German soldier make a dash for the carriage he’d alighted from, she gunned him down without a thought.

Another cry from behind reminded her of the grave reality – around her scores of people were injured or dying, and she just wanted it to end. Tears flowed down her face once more. How did this happen? How did I turn into a killer? The enormity of admitting what she was shocked Marjie.

Hearing her name brought her back to the horror of it all. Turning this way and that, she tried to see Sibbie, but couldn’t. ‘Sibbie, are you all right?’

Paulo’s voice came back to her. ‘Yes, we were checking on you.’

‘Papa and I are all right, but I cannot see Arnie.’ As she said this, an explosion ripped through the air, lighting up the figure of Arnie, flying backwards. ‘Arnie. Oh God!’

‘Stay down, Marjie. Please, keep low! I can see Arnie – he’s all right. That’s him firing from the back of the train.’

Another cry followed this: ‘Nicht schießen! Nicht schießen!’

Marjie held her breath. Peering down, she saw a lone soldier, whose arms were in the air. She closed her eyes, then opened them, as her momentary relief at it all being over left her, with the sound of a gun being cocked.

‘No, Papa, no!’

A shot rang out. The soldier crumbled into a heap.

‘Papa . . . Why?’

‘We cannot take prisoners, Marjie, and we cannot let a German soldier loose, to inform his unit who ambushed them tonight, and how. Your name was called out. And so was Arnie’s: valuable information for the enemy. Lessons must be learned from tonight.’

Marjie felt shame, and knew, too, that Sibbie had also let the side down. But although this told her that what her papa had done was necessary, she knew that as long as she lived she would never forget that lone soldier.