The Fifth Column at Work – Molotov Cocktails

By Kingsley Pearce

 As small boys explosive devices always had an attraction for us, not a fatal one I am glad to say, or else I would not be able to relate this story.  During our surveys of military activities in the town during the early war years we had noticed that interesting trench works were taking place in the rear gardens of a large building situated on Cliff Parade, occupied by troops and known as Lydgate House. After the end of the war the premises became the County Club, then the Country Club and later, following upon its demolition, being replaced by the construction of the two blocks of flats that you see today.

The trench works continued to interest us, but on our visits we had sometimes been chased off the premises.  However, the works were finally completed and we were still interested to discover what was in the dugout with the roof and entrance doorway, and our best chance of doing so unobserved, when a suitable opportunity occurred, appeared to be from making a quick foray into the garden, from the back lane off Lincoln Street.

The opportunity finally came, and in an interval when no troops were to be seen in the garden, we quickly entered and stepped down into the dugout and through a doorway. The contents of the bunker came as a complete surprise, for inside there were what looked to be wooden wine racks holding bottles in a horizontal position, very odd.  On taking one such bottle out of the rack for closer examination it appeared to be a beer bottle filled with liquid.  Strangely, however, affixed to the neck of the bottle with black insulating tape was a Roman candle type of firework.  This puzzled us, a firework taped on the neck of a bottle, what could possibly be the use of this as a weapon, if that was what it was?

Finally the penny dropped, could these innovative devices perhaps be the so called lethal Molotov Cocktails which we had read about in the newspapers? We concluded that they were, and obviously intended to destroy any vehicle, up to the size of the feared German Tiger Tank, that might in an invasion perhaps come ashore from a tank landing craft that had breached the beach defences.

As at any moment we might be discovered in the dugout, we had to quickly decide what use we could make of this store of Molotov Cocktails.  The only sort of fireworks we had been interested in were, of course bangers, sparklers, Roman candles and the like were of no interest to us whatsoever, only bangers.  However, on this occasion it was to be an abortive visit.  For we decided to retape the firework to the neck of the bottle and left.  In retrospect, I suppose that our activities that day might have been seen as the work of fifth columnists, for had we sabotaged the bottles by removing the fireworks, in the event of a successful invasion, the damage to the Molotov cocktails may perhaps have resulted in saving a Tiger Tank or two from destruction?  Had that been the case, we might in those circumstances conceivably have earned for ourselves an Iron Cross each, from a grateful enemy?  However, I am glad to say that on this occasion our patriotism prevailed.  Well after all, as I have said, sparklers were of no interest to us – just bangers