Sealed orders

My officer called me and he said, “Corporal Brice? I guess you’re going to make a move. I have to give you a briefing. This that you’re going on is very, very secret. You must wear no Canadian, no distinctive Canadian badges. You take your crew and explain to them, they must keep their mouths shut, you do the talking. Now I hope you thoroughly understand, this is very secret.” I said, “Okay.” “And you take, you go back this afternoon to rear headquarters, go back in pairs so you can travel in daylight, and you’ll get further instructions when you get back to headquarters.” Well, we went back to our company headquarters, it was about three miles back. I was told, we would pick up four days rations, everybody carried four days rations, and 500 rounds of ammunition. We had the machine gun with us of course, the Lewis gun. A motor lorry picked us up and drove us back, oh, I suppose we drove back about eight or ten miles. We pulled into a little village to the railroad station. Went outside and here was a battalion, a Canadian battalion, marching down the road towards the station. They marched right up to the station, halted, at ease, and they all flopped there on the grass. And it was the 2nd CMR. Well I had an old (inaudible) shot from the 2nd CMR, I must go and hunt it up. So, “Okay boys, where you going? ” “Oh God knows,” he says, “The rumour is we’re going to Ypres? Where are you going? ” “Oh I don’t know, the rumour is I’m going to Ypres too.” Anyway, shortly after, very shortly after, a train pulled in and they loaded this 2nd CMR, the whole battalion, on this train. And I was expecting word to get on the train to go with the rest of the Canadians, but oh no, oh no. They pulled out, they went north. This other train came in, and he came and picked me up. He says, “You gotta get on this train, and they’ll pick you up, there’s a guy gonna pick you up, he’ll be looking for you, and I’m not supposed to tell you the station.” “Ok, we don’t care so.” Anyway we loaded on the train, we got on the train and we went south. Well, we’re sure going to fool the enemies boys! We went south, and oh, at about five o’clock in the afternoon we stopped at a little station and there was a British corporal, and he, “You’re number so-and-so, party? ” “Yes, oh yeah.” “Come with me. I have to take you to our 4th Army Headquarters.” “Ok, so we went there, it wasn’t very far to go, and here I met my officer, my officer was there. And, “Well,” he says, “Brice, here is your orders. You see how they’re sealed. It says on there not to be opened until you reached destination.” “Ok. I know what that means,” sealed orders. And he says, “You’re going to be picked up, you’re being taken forward now. I can’t tell you very much. That’s all I can tell you that you. You just stick around.”