MI7 Assassin: The War Tourists - who's for it?
No expense was spared. These VIPs were having a very good war.
Welcome to Pageturners, a book I’m writing in which I share what I’ve learnt – and am still learning – about comic writing, film writing, novel writing and how new writers can sell their stories.
For the next six weeks or so I’ll be sharing with you the back story of MI7 Assassin, revealing the experiences that compelled the protagonist to become an assassin, including his meeting with real historical figures, many of whom feature prominently in the novel.
And I welcome your feedback or questions, so do leave a comment below!
Missed the Pageturners intro? Read it here.
Sean Stone. The MI7 Assassin.
He didn’t believe in pacifism or any other ism
He just wanted the war to stop.
He just wanted the voices in his head to stop.
But the dirty secret of war is that the dead stay with you.
Last week I talked about the luxury train carriages of the Orient Express that would have been requisitioned for use during the war to transport VIPs to General Haig’s headquarters. In my story, this ‘tourist line’ is carrying the following list of characters:
MI7 agents (responsible for the safety of VIPs):
Sean Stone. Lord Dunsany. A.A.Milne. Captain Pollard.
VIP authors:
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle,
H.G. Wells
George Bernard Shaw.
Other VIPs:
Arthur Winnington-Ingram, Bishop of London and his chaplain Horace Sanders.
Colonel Maurice Anson
Mary Ward, best-selling novelist and President of Women’s National Anti-Suffrage League
Janet Trevelyan, writer and social activist. Mary Ward’s daughter.
Rose Hunt, best-selling American comic book artist and war correspondent.
General Maxwell
Basil Zaharoff, the notorious and secretive ‘Merchant of Death’.
Zaharoff’s two bodyguards, Nick Peterson and David Ball.
Zaharoff’s secretary and valet.
Nicholas I, King of Montenegro and his female secretary.
There would be other military staff, Japanese and Russian military officers, and other VIPs on board the train.
Notes:
Rose Hunt is inspired by several female war correspondents and the American ‘Queen of comics’ Nell Brinkley.
Colonel Maurice Anson is a fictional version of several military figures.
All other VIPs are real. The VIP authors all visited the Western Front at different times for propaganda purposes. Bernard Shaw is on record as visiting the front in January 1917.
The Tourist Line – ‘They were having a very good war’.
At this time, in the winter of 1917, and with the next great push beginning, both rail and roads in France were congested with military traffic.
Despite this, VIPs were encouraged to visit the Front at this time in order to raise the flagging morale of the public back home.
No expense was spared. These VIPs were having a very good war.
Every day In 1917, 220 trains left from French coastal bases to the railheads near to the front line. And returned.
Journey times could vary considerably. Thirteen hours from Calais to Montreuil is one estimated figure, but it was often much longer.
Here’s how it plays out in MI7 Assassin:
A Pullman train takes the VIPs from LONDON VICTORIA station to FOLKESTONE. Journey time: two hours
A ferry would then take them to Calais. Journey time (in wartime): four hours.
So if they left Victoria at 10am they would arrive at Calais 4pm, but it’s likely there would have been further delays of at least an hour, which the authorities would have taken into account and allowed an arrival time of 6pm.
In fact, the ferry arrives at 5.30pm. It would already be dark.
CALAIS. The VIP train is waiting for them on the platform directly opposite the landing quay.
It consists of a goods carriage, with a luggage van located at the front of the train, followed by five luxury ‘Orient Express’ carriages and, at the end, Basil Zaharoff’s personal carriage. Zaharoff’s carriage is connected to the train and the infamous arms dealer has already boarded. He arrived at Calais earlier via his own personal British navy torpedo boat. This may sound like the stuff of arch-villains, but this really is authentic. After all, he was the basis for Ian Fleming’s Blofeld.
The first two carriages would have sleeping compartments for gentlemen. The third carriage has compartments for gentlemen and ladies. There are eleven compartments in each carriage. Some single, some two berth and some double compartments with communicating doors.
The fourth carriage is a salon-bar with piano. The fifth and final carriage is the dining room.
This is followed by Zaharoff’s private carriage, protected by his bodyguards.
Two large containers are unloaded by crane from the ferry and positioned on either side of the luggage compartment at the front of the train. Contents unknown.
The train leaves Calais station at 6.30pm. So there will be time for the tourists to relax, have cocktails and linger and chat in the salon-bar from 5.30pm/6.00pm to 7.30pm. While others rested in their compartments.
The tourists in the bar would leave by 7.30pm when they would go to their compartments to change for dinner.
Dinner is black tie and is at 8.00pm.
CAFFIERS. 7 miles from Calais.
MARQUISE. 5 miles from Caffiers.
BOULOGNE–SUR–MER. 8 miles from Marquise. Boulogne was known as the ‘City of hospitals’ at this time.
NEUFCHATEL-HARDELOT. 7 miles from Boulogne
MONTREUIL-SUR-MER. 12 miles from Neufchatel. Today, by train, it is listed as a journey time of 2 hours and 45 minutes from Neufchatel to Montreuil.
The reason is because there is no direct connection. It’s a small branch line to Montreuil.
Montreuil is where General Haig had his GHQ in a chateau with nearby houses and chateaux for his guests.
Allied military missions were also in Montreuil as well as MI7’s Press Office.
Haig had his own personal train, which he would use to reach Calais and attend urgent meetings in London, and also to move to advanced HQs, so he must have had a temporary arrangement to allow his train to come through.
And his GHQ had to be readily accessible to important visitors from England and heads of state.
Several books by Haig’s officers, written just after the Great War, do not indicate whether the VIPS made the last lap of the journey by road or rail. I believe it was by rail.
Even so, it’s likely to have added a further at least another four hours to the VIP’s journey. The perfect opportunity for an assassin.