Faint, Yet Pursuing Behind the Lines

MILITARY DRUMS

'There are no shortcuts in the education of a Marine Commando.

'Lesson three, survival, has to be learnt the hard way - in the field.

'Forbidden - all contacts with a sparse Hebridean population.

'Deprived of rations now for three days,

'these gaunt men must live by what they can snare and kill.

'They are candidates for an elite unit,

'the Marines Mountain and Arctic Warfare Cadre,

'whose function is to behave extremely badly behind enemy lines.'

Food for another couple of days.

Many days of happy hunting.

Ooh, hot work.

'Western society is so unacquainted with real hunger

'that its effects on men fitter than most Olympic athletes is fascinating.

'What happens first?'

Fatigue, generally.

It's a lot more difficult to...

to bound these distances to the snares, for a start.

As you probably noticed, it took us a long time to get up here.

It's very slow, one foot in front of the other,

and that's only after three days.

So although we think we're getting the goodness from the food,

it's still taking its toll in energy.

It's not as easy as it was to trudge these distances.

But you've just got to take it slowly, give yourself more time.

And hopefully, everything will be fine. But we can definitely feel it.

Simple things like climbing over a fence now,

you jump down the other side and you...

stop for a couple of seconds to get your breath, and then trudge on.

- So, that thing there was your first meal?

- That and his little mate. We've lost the skin to his mate.

- He was a tough hombre, that one.

We had to cook it for a while. We boiled it for a hell of a long time.

But surprisingly enough, although it didn't smell too healthy,

probably because it'd been dead for a couple of days,

the taste was all right. We got a stew out of it.

We had to chew the meat a bit, but you enjoy it more that way.

If you get a small bit, you can get in again before these two.

It was all right, surprisingly. It doesn't taste...

- Very rich meat.

- Yeah. I've eaten things like snake and hedgehog before,

so why not go for ferret? We ate that on Saturday.

Saturday, we ate the ferret.

Didn't half make the rabbit taste like steak on Sunday. It was lovely,

because it was a fairly big rabbit we got, with stacks of meat on it.

- Anything you're missing, particularly? Aside from the grub,

which is the obvious thing. Have you got a craving for anything?

- Really good cup of tea.

- With sugar. - A really British cup of tea.

With sugar and milk and digestive biscuits. Dunk them in.

If you dunk them too long, the ends drop off.

We could murder a cup of tea or a coffee, instead of this nettle tea.

Nettle tea's all right,

but the thistles tend to get stuck in the back of your throat.

'Compared with some, Corporal Russ Craig has checked in

'at the Hebrides Hilton, a sturdy sheep pen.

'Clearly a house-proud man.'

Just trying to make some rosehip syrup at the moment.

I cut all the centres out.

Going to use them as bait for birds or something, try and set up a trap.

I'm trying to make a cup of tea out of rosehip syrup.

- What have you missed most of all? - Most of all?

- I mean, apart from grub.

Is there anything you've had a craving for?

- Yeah, Mars bars.

I had a dream about the wife the other night. It was weird, it was.

I was dreaming about the missus, and she was sat at home,

watching telly with the two kids.

And she was watching a Mars Bar advert.

And now every time I close my eyes and think about food,

I always think about Mars bars.

It was weird, the missus was at home, watching a Mars bar advert.

I couldn't believe it. It was weird.

Andy keeps dreaming about Kentucky Fried Chicken,

because he goes ashore all time and he's into Kentucky Fried Chicken.

He keeps dreaming about that.

That's his craving.

'For most, however, even fantasy can't alleviate the horror

'of what has all the makings of a truly last supper.'

- We're not too sure about furry caterpillars.

We've been told that if you singe the hairs off them,

they are edible.

But then again, we've been told that if you eat them,

they are poisonous.

So we're going to give it a miss. We'll probably just use it as bait.

I think you'd turn to things like that as a last resort

if there was absolutely nothing.

'Caveman living appears to concentrate the mind.

'Food is the be-all and end-all of conversation.'

- The Hotpoint Mark 2 oven, this.

- Whoa! Look at that!

- I've been using peat on the fire, and obviously it's in large blocks.

So I've been using a small hacksaw blade to cut the peat up,

and it's getting that bad food-wise

that I can't even cut the blocks of peat without thinking of gingerbread.

Also in the morning, starting the fires,

we slice up the wood to make chippings to get it going.

And now I can't help thinking I'm cutting up bits of cheese!

It's beyond a joke. Everything you look at is food.

'By their fourth night in the open, and mercifully, it's a mild November,

'the lack of food for some becomes a genuine predicament.'

- Not the gear you were issued with.

- No. Found it in the dustbin first day we got here.

We got dropped off down the road

and had a rummage through the dustbin and we found these clothes,

this bag and a few other assortments

that we'll hopefully use to cook on if we get anything.

- Why have you changed into that?

- Well, it's our third day now.

We've had nothing to eat. We can't catch any game.

This is a pretty poor area. There's no trees. That house is empty.

We had a look the first night and the second night,

and there's a push-bike in the shed.

So I'll get the push-bike and have a ride to the farms,

see if there's anything I can get,

be it eggs, chickens, potatoes, anything. I'll just ride down there.

- You're in civvies because you don't want to get caught.

What if you are caught?

- If I'm caught, I'll be off the course, simple as that.

But it's initiative. You know, you're out here.

You've got a set of laws to stick by. They're only a guideline.

It's more or less do what you want, as long as you're not caught.

- Good luck. - Cheers.

'Russ Craig's expedition to "borrow" a bicycle may hardly be described

'as a consummate demonstration of the commando's art of feline stealth.'

DOOR BOLT RATTLES NOISILY

LOUD CRASHING

DOOR SLAMS

'Since Craig came close to waking graveyards,

'it's little wonder that the subsequent interrogation

'is inspired by profound suspicion.'

- Stick your tongue out.

- Pardon?

Well, I first fished today...eh, yesterday,

and a rabbit today.

- You caught your first rabbit? Are you sure you weren't given it?

- I caught it today.

- Take out the contents of your pockets and put them in there.

- That's probably one of them that was in the bin,

with all the rest of that stuff.

- What was that you found?

You found a piece of paper with some cake crumbs in it?

- Yeah, what they did,

they found all that stuff in the bin at the top of the road,

so I can't prove where that came from.

I think that's where they've got it from,

he's got it in its paper - Co-Op.

- Do you think they have managed to survive on

just the turnip stew for four days?

- They've had stuff that they found up there,

they've had sugar, I know they've had tea.

And there's some type of... whether they found powdered milk

in there or not, but there was traces of it there.

I'm giving them the benefit of the doubt at the moment.

But they're looking quite weak.

'Not only weak, but disorientated, too.

'The manuals call this "the dislocation of expectation",

'and compound it with the irksome harassment of repeated searches.'

- This is good.

Put it over there.

- Plenty of matches left?

- Pardon?

- Plenty of matches left?

- Yeah.

- There's the old cooking pot there, do you want to do it?

You said you were cold?

- Yeah.

- You're not doing the hot stones thing that I told you.

- Has anyone seen Costerly at all?

- Costerly? No.

Why, is he still missing?

- No.

It would be a good idea...

It'd be a good idea if you can smoke some stuff

to take with you towards the end, yeah.

- Take with us?

- To take with you.

- Where are we going?

- You might find out.

- Right, we'll see you later on.

- Have fun.

'Have fun - the humour is wearing thin.

'There's a nervous edge to the laughter.'

THEY LAUGH

- What are you looking for?

'The problem is that no-one will tell them how long all this is going on.

'It could be 10 more hours or 10 more days,

'and they haven't got rid of their tiresome shadows yet.'

- None of us have slept a whole night yet.

- Stay awake.

- You keep waking up with terrible cramps.

We're all suffering from dizzy spells.

Probably just lack of food.

- It shouldn't be lack of food, because you've got enough now.

- Lack of vitamins and sugar, salt and all those things.

- Well, you'll find that there's enough natural salt,

especially in the...um,

some of the game you've got there, soon you'll be eating that anyway.

It's just your body's now taking less salt than it normally does.

- Yeah.

- You'll probably find that, if you're not drinking enough liquids,

and you're roasting stuff there,

you always go for the stew

and then there's your drink after that, and what have you.

Have you put any of the wild herbs in your cooking?

- We haven't found any wild herbs yet.

- Nothing?

- We don't really know what they look like.

- There's also mint.

You've got to walk for it.

'A dissertation on the aromatic properties of British herbs

'is, of course, precisely what you need when starving(!)'

- Right, there it is there.

- Oh, is that one?

- All you've got to do is rub it in your hand and you can smell it, yeah?

- It grows in boggy bits, is that the one?

- No, it's on like a fairly firm stalk,

it's not just in a little bit, it goes about that high.

'Ignoring the cordon bleu lecture, they strike lucky with a hare,

'served alfresco and consumed in a manner

'reflecting much credit on their mothers' table training.'

What do you reckon there then, now?

Polythene on top of there?

'Faces are beginning to reflect the strain.'

- Is it what you expected?

- Yeah.

Yeah, it's not hard to go hungry, is it?

But we've been a bit more fortunate,

because they say it's the best area.

It is if you use the woods in it.

The game, there's stacks of rabbits around,

but they're laughing at us - us three, anyway.

We put snares out,

and I've caught a couple, caught a few.

But I met one of the guys from the other end,

we went there for a yomp today,

he was telling us they've caught quite a few.

I mean, Digger was catching quite a few initially,

but now I don't know, have you been over there today?

- No, he's not catching them.

- Yeah, catching nothing.

It's living off tatties and sweets.

- What's been the worst bit of it?

Is it the hunger?

- Yeah, I mean, I think any of us could stand being cold and wet,

easy, no problem, just live with it.

It's just going without the food.

I mean, that'll give you carbohydrates and that,

the old spuds and that,

but it's just not as much food as you're used to.

A lot of things you take for granted, you know, back at home,

as you probably no doubt now,

but you certainly realise what you do take for granted

once you're here.

- You haven't had that much?

- You haven't even got yourself a hat or anything.

You haven't what?

- I haven't got that yet, no.

- You haven't done that yet?

Don't you think it might be a good idea?

- Aye.

- Let's see you getting yourselves a bit more cheery and a bit warmer.

OK, let's have a look inside, eh?

- Sure.

- Did you put this up between you?

You don't look too happy.

- Where you've sited your bivvy, as I told you in the first place,

you're going to get gale-force winds blowing through it,

and if this wind picks up now, this won't last five minutes.

It'll be away like a sail.

You're fire's nothing compared to the others.

People are now, because they've picked a decent location,

and didn't just plonk on the side of a river like this,

quite out in the open,

they've managed to build ovens, they've got smokers...

But what you seem to be doing to me

is scratching around like three hens here.

You've got to make a decision

whether you're going to scratch around here forever

or move about, move over within your area

and see if you can find a better place.

If this wind, as I say, picks up and what have you,

in the middle of the night, this is going to start going.

Probably now you've got a lot of turfs on the top here

it's probably a little bit better,

but it is the worst group, and you seem to be scratching.

You're only at the beginning of it, OK?

You've got a long way to go yet.

If you're going to start getting worn down,

as I can see, the looks of you, that you are,

you ain't going to make it right to the very end.

Yeah?

'But the end is in sight.

'Camp is to be struck tomorrow,

'day seven of what had been planned as a ten-day exercise.'

- Morning, Corporal Craig.

You're living like kings now.

'The management have deemed that a mild November

'has made conditions too soft.

'Goodwill is re-established by awarding each man

'with a single boiled sweet.'

- Corporal Craig, before I forget, just a little present to go on with.

- Cheers!

Can I have a cigarette instead, because I'm a smoker?

LAUGHTER

- Got enough smoke down here.

- Cheers.

It's too good, mate.

I can't ask for much more, can I?

The sight of a happy Matt Long.

'They have yet, of course, to encounter

'the snow and ice that is to be their ultimate fighting terrain,'

'but even here, any man could have quit, had he wanted.'

'Did that occur to Corporal Craig's group?'

- Earlier we were, because we had heard about the other groups

catching stacks of game and we wasn't catching sod all.

The first three days I was ready for wrapping my hand in,

throwing the towel in. I don't know what these two felt.

I was threaders. We weren't catching anything and I didn't see

how we could stand another nine days of it. I was really fed up.

- I think if it had carried on for a few more days,

I would probably have thought about wrapping my hand in.

But as soon as we got the vegetables, things changed.

The morale did pick up a bit.

- Because on Friday, you saw the demonstrations.

It looks very good because you see all the meat and all the vegetables

and all things you can eat.

After two days, when you haven't caught anything, then it is boring.

'With no enemy to liven things up, what do they do to combat tedium?'

A big advantage of this week is that I've had a lot of time

to think about my girlfriend.

That was very nice because the other weeks you were working so hard

that there is nearly no time left to think about your girlfriend.

This was a good time.

- I tried not doing that because when I thought of my missus

it made me get depressed.

But, when I'd be thinking about...

No, I didn't mean it like that!

When I was thinking about the work we had to do and the food to get

where we were going to go and what we were doing next

and getting the fire going, I was busy, my mind was occupied

and it wasn't so bad. But when I stopped to think about my family,

mother and father, brothers and sisters, my wife and kids,

I'd feel depressed and think,

"Shit, let's get out of this place. I've had enough. Why am I here?

"I don't have to be, I'm a volunteer. I must be puddled."

But when I was thinking of other things, I was all right.

As soon as I thought about home, I was depressed as hell.

I stopped thinking about it. I try not to think about it.

- What have you learnt?

- How hard it is to survive, keep going.

You think it's going to be a lot easier than it really is.

- Specifically, what have your difficulties been?

- Tiredness, I think.

Going with the simplest chores, after a while, it gets hard work.

My hat keeps on falling off.

Apart from that, it's not too bad.

- How are you? - Fine. Yesterday we got two rabbits.

- He's come to show us his slippers.

- Slippers?

Oh, yes, I like that.

Furry side inwards.

Tails on the front instead of the back.

Off you go then.

- What do you think of my sheep ticks?

- Have you got sheep ticks? - Have I!

- Let's have a look.

- I've just had mine in-between my fingers.

- You keep them where you want.

- I've found them every day up to yesterday...

- They're around your wrists.

I thought you had them before you came out, Digger.

- Like the crabs.

- Like the crabs!

- Tomorrow, Digger, I want you and your band of merry men

to meet the transport there at five past eight.

- Are you happy? - Yes.

- Good. You'll survive until tomorrow?

- We've got enough spuds.

- Good.

- Before I forget. I've got something for you.

- No, not a Mars bar.

- A Picnic?

- What do you want? Galaxy, Mars bar or Picnic?

- Galaxy. - Marathon.

- There's a few there. There's another one.

You are supposed to hand them out.

- No, we don't have to fight over the colours.

- What are you gonna do, boil 'em?

- Smoke it.

- You can make tea. You can make tea out of it.

- I might suck it.

- Suck it and see.

- They are different from rosehips.

- Right, we'll see you later.

- Don't be late. - Five past.

I'll set the alarm.

My bladder will crack me up by then.

- A good job you left it intact.

You will be down from this house,

around there at ten past eight tomorrow morning to be picked up.

Right? That's where I want you at ten past eight tomorrow morning.

- You rub that, don't you?

- That's up to you.

Make sure this lot is taken down and put back where you got it.

I want the whole area cleared of all this rubbish.

I don't want to see you've been here at all.

I'll be around to check it after you've gone. OK, any questions?

- Is Scott McLean about?

- No, what's up?

- He promised me a sweet next time he comes.

- I've got them for you.

- Have you got one, George? Super!

- You've been looking forward to this?

- I've been waiting for my sweet.

- That's one for each.

- Yeah, I'll give Jonno his.

- That's it. No questions, anyone?

Happy with what you've got to do?

- Yeah, eight o'clock tomorrow.

- Eight o'clock, completely cleared.

- OK, no probs. I'll see you later then.

- It would be an invidious question to ask you

whether you're pleased with that news?

- I like it here. - Super.

- How have you been getting on? What have you learnt?

- We had a talking-to the other day.

We've been existing as opposed to living, really.

- You see what I mean? - Yeah.

- We were getting by all right.

Obviously they wanted the Rolls Royce so we done the stove.

We actually caught a rabbit. Have you seen them?

- Yeah, I saw them. You smoked them?

- Yeah. He almost got ate.

We thought we better save it for a rainy day.

- You've worked it out right?

- Yeah, but there's more.

- What have you learnt this week?

- Well, learnt to snare.

You know, catching game and that. Er...

I don't know. It's the little things you find out about yourself.

You know, you either hack it or you don't.

I've had no problems, it's been OK.

- Little things you've found out about yourself, such as?

- Er, whether you want to pass the course or not.

I mean, I want to pass the course so you put up with this. You get bored.

You don't think you get bored but you do.

It is a bit boring.

- One of the people in the other groups said on the third day

they thought very seriously about wrapping their hand in.

Did that cross your mind?

- No. I've never thought about wrapping.

I just look at this as part of it.

I know there's a lot more at the end of the tunnel.

There's a lot more good things. You're bound to get some bad.

I mean, it wouldn't be worth doing if it was easy, really.

There's got to be a challenge to it.

'They think it's over, but it's not.

'As the transport arrives to collect them,

'they're to discover that their end-of-term euphoria is premature.'

'What should have been a welcome sight

'is transformed into something almost sinister.'

- From now on, you'll be known by these numbers.

'Abruptly, they are deprived of their names and become mere ciphers.'

- From now on, you'll be known by these numbers only.

'Even the right of expectation has been snatched away from them again,

'just as if they'd been caught from behind enemy lines.

'It increases their apprehension.'

- Hands on the side of the wagon.

- You'll now be given a number,

you'll be known by that number from now on.

Keep quiet.

Squeeze right up.

'There are certain aspects of the training, as well as the operations

'of Britain's Special Forces Units, which may not be publicised.

'We were not permitted to film what happened next.

'A decision determined by the Official Secrets Act.

'Next week, on the mainland, they are governed by no such constraints.'

'There is much more a behind the lines fighter has yet to learn.'