The Machine Gunners
Encyclopedia
The Machine Gunners is a children's historical novel by Robert Westall
published in 1975. It was awarded the Carnegie Medal
for that year, and in 2007 was selected by judges of the Carnegie Medal as one of the ten most important children's novels of the past 70 years. A play based on the book has been written by the author, and it has also been adapted for television and radio.
. Their town, Garmouth
, regularly suffers from bomb attacks by the German
Luftwaffe. The children make a game of collecting war souvenirs, e.g. incendiary bomb fins and pieces of shrapnel
. One of the children, Chas McGill, finds a German He 111 that crashed in the area and takes a fully operational machine gun
and over two thousand rounds
of ammunition, with the help of a friend, Cyril "Cemtery/Cem" Jones, intending to set up their own fortress. This they build with their friends, including a boy from Glasgow
called "Clogger" Duncan, and another boy, nicknamed "Carrot Juice" on account of his ginger hair and freckles. They also team up with a girl called Audrey Parton, and the boy who lives in the house, called Benjamin "Nicky" Nichol. They build the fortress solidly, and name it "Fortress Caporetto
" after the World War I battle in which Chas's grandfather fought.
Later Nicky is the sole survivor when his house is bombed out, and according to Chas's puritan neighbour his mother and her non-married partner were found "Dead in their bed of sin with not a stitch on". Nicky is understandably shaken and upset, but he stays with Clogger. It is assumed he had been blown to smithereens, as obviously no trace of him has been found.
Later on during an air-raid by a Me 110, the children fire the gun at the German. He is surprised at the stream of bullets coming at him, although it goes wide, and swerves into the path of an AA gun. Badly damaged, he is finished off by three Spitfires from the nearby airfield of RAF Acklington
.
Although the pilot is killed, the rear gunner bails out, and injures his ankle himself on landing. Nonetheless, Rudi Gerlath, victor of two air battles, evades capture for many days
, until his ankle is sufficiently healed to allow him to walk again. However he then runs into the fortress where a meeting is taking place, and is promptly arrested by the children, who point the machine gun at him. Only later does he realise that the gun has been damaged and is not working, by which time he is being held prisoner with his own pistol.
In order to keep the fortress secret he is not handed over to the authorities but kept prisoner in the fortress, where Clogger and Nicky now live permanently. After a while he is bribed with the offer of a boat belonging to Nicky's biological father who is now dead, if he will mend the gun. He agrees, and mends it. Then he is taken to the dock and rows off.
The same night, the church bells ring, which was the signal for an invasion
. The children hurry to the fortress from various parts of Garmouth. They do not see anything. Later on it is established as a false alarm.
Out at sea, Rudi finds he does not have the strength to row to German occupied Norway
, and is forced back to England. He rejoins the children at the fortress.
The day after, the children are reported missing and some Free Polish
troops are drafted in to look for them. The children on seeing a line of troops speaking in a foreign language advancing up the slope toward them open fire with the gun under the impression that it is the German invasion force. However they are soon overpowered and forced to surrender. In the chaos, Rudi is shot and wounded with his own Luger, now in the hands of Clogger, but not fatally.
The very well-made fortress is surrendered to the Home Guard, then Clogger and Nicky are taken to a children's home while the other children are handed over to their parents.
A sequel, Fathom Five, set two years later, was published in 1979.
.http://www.memorabletv.com/kidstvm.htm It was further adapted as a ten-episode drama for BBC Radio 4
by the writer Ivan Jones
in 2002.
A new adaptation by Ali Taylor has been commissioned by the Imperial War Museum
and is currently playing at the Polka Theatre, London. http://www.polkatheatre.com/event.php?id=44
Robert Westall
Robert Atkinson Westall was the author of many books, mostly children's fiction, though also for adults, and non-fiction. Many of his novels, while supposedly aimed at a teenage audience, deal with many complex, dark and in many ways adult themes...
published in 1975. It was awarded the Carnegie Medal
Carnegie Medal
The Carnegie Medal is a literary award established in 1936 in honour of Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and given annually to an outstanding book for children and young adults. It is awarded by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...
for that year, and in 2007 was selected by judges of the Carnegie Medal as one of the ten most important children's novels of the past 70 years. A play based on the book has been written by the author, and it has also been adapted for television and radio.
Plot summary
The story is set during the Second World War and deals with a group of children living in the North East of EnglandNorth East England
North East England is one of the nine official regions of England. It covers Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Teesside . The only cities in the region are Durham, Newcastle upon Tyne and Sunderland...
. Their town, Garmouth
Garmouth (fictional)
Garmouth is the fictional seaside town in which Robert Westall's book, The Machine Gunners is set. Garmouth is based on Tynemouth, a seaside town, near Newcastle Upon Tyne in the North East of England...
, regularly suffers from bomb attacks by the German
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
Luftwaffe. The children make a game of collecting war souvenirs, e.g. incendiary bomb fins and pieces of shrapnel
Fragmentation (weaponry)
Fragmentation is the process by which the casing of an artillery shell, bomb, grenade, etc. is shattered by the detonating high explosive filling. The correct technical terminology for these casing pieces is fragments , although shards or splinters can be used for non-preformed fragments...
. One of the children, Chas McGill, finds a German He 111 that crashed in the area and takes a fully operational machine gun
Machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic mounted or portable firearm, usually designed to fire rounds in quick succession from an ammunition belt or large-capacity magazine, typically at a rate of several hundred rounds per minute....
and over two thousand rounds
Cartridge (firearms)
A cartridge, also called a round, packages the bullet, gunpowder and primer into a single metallic case precisely made to fit the firing chamber of a firearm. The primer is a small charge of impact-sensitive chemical that may be located at the center of the case head or at its rim . Electrically...
of ammunition, with the help of a friend, Cyril "Cemtery/Cem" Jones, intending to set up their own fortress. This they build with their friends, including a boy from Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
called "Clogger" Duncan, and another boy, nicknamed "Carrot Juice" on account of his ginger hair and freckles. They also team up with a girl called Audrey Parton, and the boy who lives in the house, called Benjamin "Nicky" Nichol. They build the fortress solidly, and name it "Fortress Caporetto
Battle of Caporetto
The Battle of Caporetto , took place from 24 October to 19 November 1917, near the town of Kobarid , on the Austro-Italian front of World War I...
" after the World War I battle in which Chas's grandfather fought.
Later Nicky is the sole survivor when his house is bombed out, and according to Chas's puritan neighbour his mother and her non-married partner were found "Dead in their bed of sin with not a stitch on". Nicky is understandably shaken and upset, but he stays with Clogger. It is assumed he had been blown to smithereens, as obviously no trace of him has been found.
Later on during an air-raid by a Me 110, the children fire the gun at the German. He is surprised at the stream of bullets coming at him, although it goes wide, and swerves into the path of an AA gun. Badly damaged, he is finished off by three Spitfires from the nearby airfield of RAF Acklington
RAF Acklington
The former Royal Air Force Station Acklington, commonly known as RAF Acklington, was a Royal Air Force airfield airbase situated near Acklington, in Northumberland, England....
.
Although the pilot is killed, the rear gunner bails out, and injures his ankle himself on landing. Nonetheless, Rudi Gerlath, victor of two air battles, evades capture for many days
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
, until his ankle is sufficiently healed to allow him to walk again. However he then runs into the fortress where a meeting is taking place, and is promptly arrested by the children, who point the machine gun at him. Only later does he realise that the gun has been damaged and is not working, by which time he is being held prisoner with his own pistol.
In order to keep the fortress secret he is not handed over to the authorities but kept prisoner in the fortress, where Clogger and Nicky now live permanently. After a while he is bribed with the offer of a boat belonging to Nicky's biological father who is now dead, if he will mend the gun. He agrees, and mends it. Then he is taken to the dock and rows off.
The same night, the church bells ring, which was the signal for an invasion
Operation Sealion
Operation Sea Lion was Germany's plan to invade the United Kingdom during the Second World War, beginning in 1940. To have had any chance of success, however, the operation would have required air and naval supremacy over the English Channel...
. The children hurry to the fortress from various parts of Garmouth. They do not see anything. Later on it is established as a false alarm.
Out at sea, Rudi finds he does not have the strength to row to German occupied Norway
Occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany
The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany started with the German invasion of Norway on April 9, 1940, and ended on May 8, 1945, after the capitulation of German forces in Europe. Throughout this period, Norway was continuously occupied by the Wehrmacht...
, and is forced back to England. He rejoins the children at the fortress.
The day after, the children are reported missing and some Free Polish
Polish Armed Forces in the West
Polish Armed Forces in the West refers to the Polish military formations formed to fight alongside the Western Allies against Nazi Germany and its allies...
troops are drafted in to look for them. The children on seeing a line of troops speaking in a foreign language advancing up the slope toward them open fire with the gun under the impression that it is the German invasion force. However they are soon overpowered and forced to surrender. In the chaos, Rudi is shot and wounded with his own Luger, now in the hands of Clogger, but not fatally.
The very well-made fortress is surrendered to the Home Guard, then Clogger and Nicky are taken to a children's home while the other children are handed over to their parents.
A sequel, Fathom Five, set two years later, was published in 1979.
Adaptations
The Machine-Gunners was dramatised as a BBC television serial in 1983, with scripts written by William CorlettWilliam Corlett
William Corlett , was an English author, best known for his quartet of children's novels, The Magician's House, published between 1990 and 1992.-Biography:...
.http://www.memorabletv.com/kidstvm.htm It was further adapted as a ten-episode drama for BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
by the writer Ivan Jones
Ivan Jones (author)
Ivan Jones is a British writer of fiction. His work includes novels, picture books, plays, poetry anthologies, television series and many adaptations for BBC Radio.-Novels and Picture Books:...
in 2002.
A new adaptation by Ali Taylor has been commissioned by the Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum
Imperial War Museum is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. The museum was founded during the First World War in 1917 and intended as a record of the war effort and sacrifice of Britain and her Empire...
and is currently playing at the Polka Theatre, London. http://www.polkatheatre.com/event.php?id=44