Two soldiers came through the door. One was bleeding from a wound on his arm, and both were agitated. Straining to understand what was being said, Flors could only make out a few words, but realized that the rest of his comrades were dead, and that the infidel was still out there and, if they didn’t leave, they would all die, too.

Turning to her and Ella, the young soldier demanded that they follow him and hurry. When they didn’t move, one of the soldiers who had just arrived fired a shot in the air. Lonia screamed. Ella gasped.

‘Schneller. Schneller!’

At this command for them to move faster, the German came forward and pointed his gun at Lonia’s forehead.

‘Non! Non!’ And then, in broken German mixed with French, Ella told him that they would do everything he asked.

Flors nodded. It wasn’t what her instincts told her to do, but what choice did they have? The evil in this soldier’s eyes spoke of him having no compunction about shooting Lonia.

Bundled into the first truck of four in the convoy, they lay with the barrel of this evil man’s gun trained on them. The other two soldiers had got into the cab. As the truck set off over the rough terrain, their bodies were rolled from side to side. Dampness soaked Flors’s trousers. Lonia was between them, sobbing her distress, and Flors realized the poor child had wet herself. Her heart went out to her and Ella. To fear for your own safety was terrifying, but to fear for your child’s safety was beyond words.

The reality of what was happening hit Flors. Will they realize I am British and, worse than that, that Ella is a Jew?

A tear seeped out of the corner of her eye. She looked over at Ella and saw that her heart was breaking. Flors tried to give a smile of reassurance, but a sob from deep within her stopped her. Silently they wept tears of despair.

They had only been travelling for about an hour – their progress slow as the terrain became even rougher – when, without warning, the soldier banged on the window of the cab and called for it to halt. When the driver came round and opened the truck, Flors saw that outside there was no sign of any buildings; just trees and more trees on each side of the road.

The driver asked what was wrong. The answer sent a streak of horror through Flors and, by Ella’s gasp, she knew that she too had grasped the meaning.

‘I am ready to have some fun.’ The soldier grabbed his crotch and laughed, indicating that watching Flors’s and Ella’s bodies roll from side to side had made him feel randy.

The younger man jumped down from the cab and laughed. ‘No, they are like my mother.’