Just Henry Page #2

Wow. A Graflex.

I've read about these.

Whoa! Sorry.

I'll get you some tea, love.

Here, that put a spoke in his wheel,

didn't it?

(CHUCKLES)

What did he mean?

What he said about my dad...

He's just jealous, Henry.

Here, a letter came for you,

this morning.

For me? Yeah.

I've never had a letter before.

Well, open it, lad!

(GIGGLES)

It's in fancy writing.

What's all this, then?

"By order of

His Royal Highness King George VI,"

for conspicuous bravery

in the field,

"the Military Medal

is presented to... " Oh, my God.

Corporal Joseph Dodge

of the East Yorkshire Regiment."

No. It's my dad's medal!

(THUNDER RUMBLES)

(BANGING)

Ow! Aargh!

I couldn't sleep either.

Did you have a bad dream, Henry?

You know, when the war was on...

and you were frightened

and I was frightened,

you used to climb in my bed

and we'd snuggle up...

and it didn't seem

so bad any more. I were a kid.

Things are different now.

Are they?

It makes me sad.

Well, you changed it.

You went and married him.

And why'd you have to do that, Mam?

Bill's a good husband, Henry.

He'd make a good father to you,

if only you'd let him.

I've already got a father.

He's dead, son.

Not to me, he isn't.

(SIGHS)

(KNOCK AT DOOR)

Come in.

Oh, Henry! I thought it was

your mother with more toast.

Here, that bottle there,

stiffen the tea, will you?

There's nothing like it for

my arthritis, you know.

Thank you.

What's up, then, soldier?

Dunkirk, wasn't it? That was

the place, where Dad won his medal.

Tell it me, Gran.

Tell it me one more time.

It were men against tanks.

And your dad ran through

the machine-gun fire

and took one out with a hand grenade.

And his officer said -

He'd never seen such bravery.

Your dad. My son.

But... he didn't die there, did he?

What happened to him then?

No, your mam made me swear not to.

I'm not a kid any more.

I need to know.

He was home on leave.

"At last," I thought.

"I've got him safe."

On the second night back,

the Luftwaffe came.

(AIR-RAID SIREN)

They flattened the docks,

hammered the city.

Fires raged, ships went up,

munition dumps, too.

Midnight seemed like midday.

(DISTORTED SHOUTING)

Gran?

Your dad went into that hell

to save lives.

He pulled people

from burning buildings.

A hero twice over.

Did a bomb get him, then?

He found a looter.

In the regimental club.

One of his own comrades.

Everyone knew

but nothing could be proved.

They never found that man.

The police warned me

against making accusations.

What do you mean?

What man?

The man who killed your dad.

I can't say his name,

but it were in all the papers.

The night my life ended.

June the 4th, 1941.

Excuse me, do you keep old papers

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