Shuttlecock

During the war, my dad was a spy.

He used to be dropped into occupied France,

and liaise with resistance fighters,

keep watch on German installations and help to blow them up.

He wrote a book about his exploits in the early '60s,

and for a few years his name was well known.

He was one of the war heroes.

He isn't so well known now.

His book has been long out of print.

But if you mention his name to people of a certain age,

they know who you mean.

Dad was involved in a succession

of daring operations in France which reached their height

in the intense period between D-Day,

and the Allied invasion of Germany.

It was during this time he was captured...

tortured,

and subsequently escaped from the Gestapo.

Today,

he takes his place alongside others

laid to rest here in this hallowed ground.

In this place of recognition and remembrance.

Men, who like my father...

contributed so much to the good of our country.

Mr. Prentis, my condolences.

Your father was a truly remarkable man, and you were rightly proud of him.

Thank you, that was a beautiful service, thank you.

Well, thank you for coming.

- You look well. - Hmm. So do you.

Thank you.

Ah, Martin, glad you could make it.

Of course.

Elanor.

Mother, I'm afraid we've got to go.

Oh, no, Martin?

- I'm sorry. - This is family.

- I know. - Then make an effort, show your face.

Mrs. Prentis?

Thank you for coming, thank you.

Please, Martin,

your brother can't make it, he's not even in the country.

Okay, Mom, okay.

Ah.

Hello, boss.

Major.

This is Allyse.

Oh, of course it is, hello, Allyse.

Shall we?

- That was lovely to see you. - Great to see you.

Thank you.

Oh, sorry.

Shall we?

Such a wonderful service, didn't you think?

Oh, yes, lovely.

I haven't been here since I was 12.

It gives me a funny feeling to be back.

I used to see it every day in my dreams.

Hello there, old boy, glad to see you again.

- Martin. - I know it is.

- And this is your father. - Oh, Fizz, how are you?

I'm fine.

And his lovely wife?

Good to see you again.

And this is Eleanor.

- Most welcome. - Thank you.

And...

this is Allyse, my girlfriend.

Bonjour.

Thank you.

So, uh, sad day,

but we mustn't be morbid,

the major wouldn't like that.

Right, there's a tab behind the bar,

so don't be shy.

William, champagne all round,

Uh, courtesy of the club.

Quite right.

Ah. This is going to be a lively day.

- The Major. - The Major.

- The Major. - The Major.

Um, Martin, can I have a word?

Look, I know this is difficult for both of us, but it's important, can we talk?

- I really haven't got much time. - Just half an hour, that's all,

in private?

Where are we going?

Just up here.

Where Grandpa kept his stuff.

I think your grandfather would have wanted you to have this.

Father, I can't.

Of course you can.

He always used to say you were the best of us,

it's yours, have it.

Thank you.

Is there anything else you'd want?

Do you ever wonder about the trip that I made to Portugal...

when you and your mother came out to see me?

You were 12.

Sometimes.

Things haven't really been right

- between us ever since. - I guess not.

Did your grandpa ever talk to you about it?

No.

Now,

I know this may seem a bit late but...

I never meant to hurt you, to...

- to shut you out. - You did a pretty good job of both.

Our relationship suffered because of something that I did,

something, not you...

Is that why you got me up here? To clear your conscience.

- Listen, Martin... - Our relationship suffered...

So I could protect your grandfather.

He's dead now, he is loved and he's missed, but he's dead,

and I could tell you the truth if you'll allow me.

The truth?

Mm.

Here are my notes, I kept them for you in case something happened to me,

and we never got the chance to talk.

Do you remember Grandpa's book?

Hmm.

When it came out it caused quite a stir...

VC hero and all that.

You see, Martin,

after the war your grandfather moved to Portugal,

a fascist state led by General Salazar.

None of us quite understood why...

Salazar supported Mussolini and he supported Franco.

Your grandpa obviously had high-level connections.

What I didn't know then is that your grandfather

was probably suffering some kind of stress disorder.

When you live through extreme danger

the adrenaline rush can become addictive.

That's why I think he went down there,

to feel alive again.

To be the man he was.

Not that he would ever admit it.

When the book came out, he became quite a star,

a kind of real-life James Bond.

We were all summoned to Lisbon for the party,

but I was the only one who wanted to go.

John!

Hello, Dad.

Old chap.

Where's Marian?

She couldn't come.

I sent the tickets.

I know it's her work, she...

she couldn't help it.

Didn't she ring you?

- She was going to ring you. - No, she didn't ring.

I got the money back for the ticket.

It's not the money.

No, I know.

Oh.

You're here!

Yes.

Truth is it was the last thing on Earth

your mother wanted to do,

they never got on.

How's that grandson of mine?

Uh, Martin's fine.

And Peter too,

- they both send their love. - Uh-huh.

And so does Marian of course.

Everybody is talking about the book.

If you lived in Portugal at the time

you had to be invited,

and to be invited meant privilege.

There were still curfews and you couldn't move about freely on the roads.

That was before the regime change

and everyone started buying holiday homes in the Algarve.

Why would they invite him?

I don't know, he never said.

When your grandmother, died he sold up

and packed everything off,

he said he couldn't stand the weather any more.

Did he know any people from the war?

Well, it was a major escape route out of Europe,

so he must have done.

The point is, he deliberately

removed himself from the family.

The world he chose to live and had nothing to do with us.

I hadn't fully realized it until the party.

Hello.

- Ah, John. - It's going well, isn't it?

- Yes, old chap, it is. - Good.

The years at certain functions

and social gatherings I had worn

the grudging mask of idolatry.

But this was different...

this was no literary launch,

this was a display of power.

Everyone had their reasons for being there

and they had nothing to do with the book.

A nice party.

Thank you, thank you. Your English is very good.

It was strange seeing your grandfather like this.

His past exploits seem to mean nothing to him,

as if once they were in print they belonged to someone else.

Ah, Quinn.

Now an author too?