Scenario 10 The Convoy

[NorthernRaider]

Scenario 10
© 2011Northern Raider

The Convoy

The four vehicle convoy was parked up in a layby shielded from the main road by a crescent shaped barrier of trees and shrubs, the crewmembers of the convoy pottered about doing various jobs such as tightening up straps and tie-down ropes, greasing tow-ball hitches, checking tyre pressures and oil levels whilst they waited for the last member of their group who was out ahead of the group on a trail bike checking the route ahead. As always one of the group stood guard with a crossbow and a pair of field glasses.

Just over 2 hours later the guard first heard the little motorcycle’s engine long before he saw the machine itself, and five minutes later the motorcycle was back with the convoy and its rider briefing the group. This tiny little Honda XL125 trail bike had certainly earned its place in the group’s inventory as it was ideal for scouting and patrolling its tiny 123cc 4 stroke engine was very quiet as was its exhaust note.

“As we thought the main roads are blocked with abandoned vehicles, the smaller ones too, but I have found a way through. We will have to move only one vehicle to get by one blockage and a short cross country trip will get us past the other blockage. Its only 12 miles as the crow flies but the trip meter on the bike makes it a little over 22 miles with all the diversions. The Jimny will lead followed by the F150, I want the van next behind the F150 because I reckon there is a risk its 2 wheel drive system will get stuck when we have to leave the road for a good 100 feet going uphill bypassing the slip on the A68, and before we go across that piece of track I want the F150 set up with its tow rope already attached to the van. There are signs of people still living in the area so I don’t want us getting the van stuck where we may come under fire. The Landy will bring up the rear. We leave as soon as the bike is reloaded onto the carrier on the back of the van.” Crook should be the last of the larger communities we have to skirt before we are clear of the lowland areas.

The Jimny set off followed a few minutes later by the rest of the convoy, conversation over the CB radios (27FM) was prohibited unless an ambush or other serious emergency occurred, the group did not want anyone triangulating the convoys positions or eavesdropping on the groups plans. The Jimny had its pre-arranged route to follow and the other 3 vehicles would follow behind a few minutes later, everyone knew where the agreed stops would be and an alternative meeting place should they have to scatter in a hurry.

Just over 12 miles later the main part of the convoy approached the location of the Jimny, The little Suzuki was exactly where it was supposed to be and its 3 person crew were out of the vehicle. One man had coupled a steel tow wire to the big old Volvo blocking the road, they had tried to push it out the way but either the transmission or brakes (or both) were totally jammed on, besides the near side from suspension was firmly impaled on the remnants of a steel bollard. The two others from the Jimny’s crew were deployed as guards one by the Jimny itself and the other about 20 feet past the wrecked Volvo.

In one fluid motion the F 150 drove up to the guy with the tow wire and the Landy moved to just behind the Suzuki, it took less than 20 seconds for the man with the tow wire to pass it through the towing eye on the F150, loop it back and fasten it with a shackle. Immediately the girl driving the F150 popped it into reverse and slowly took up the strain on the wire. The Volvo was reluctant to move at first but with a few sharp tugs by the F150 the Volvo was torn free and pulled aside.

With equal fluidity the crew of the Jimny uncoupled the tow wire from both vehicles and threw it back into their little 4x4 and re-boarded their vehicle before taking point again. Less than six minutes had passed before the survivors had cleared the blockage and were on their way again.

That evening the 4 vehicles were hidden in an empty and abandoned retained Fire station (retained stations had volunteer crews and were normally unmanned) The survivors took the opportunity to cook a good meal on the gas burning stove in the firemen’s rest room.
The crew of the F150 were especially pleased to be able to cook a meal without it smelling of diesel as up to then much of their food had been prepared by wrapping it in foil and placing it on the exhaust manifold of the van, cooking the food with the heat from the vehicles exhaust. The van crew had benefitted from a tiny 12V microwave oven for much of their journey, but the group as a whole all enjoyed eating a communal meal sat round a table. All water supplies were now considered to be risky so by default the water they used in the fire station was first put through the Berkfield filter that was part of the vans fittings.

They rested overnight in the Fire station with everyone taking turn for 2 hours at standing guard, once overnight in the very distance one of them heard two shots, but it was so distant he did not raise the alarm.

Next morning after repacking, reloading and checking over the vehicles off they convoy went again, by mid-morning they had found one extra hazard they had to deal with, it was a minor land slip from a farmer’s field which has deposited a fair amount of soil and turf to a depth of about 12 inches right across the road. Again it was overcome by the convoy with the F150 pulling the van over the land slip. By noon they were in the upper dales and only had one more problem to deal with which was the issue of an entire chunk of the road had slipped away leaving a gap the full width of the road and some 40 feet long. Luck smiled on the convoy though because not 30 foot to the right of the landslip a forestry track paralleled the road and by knocking down a small dry stone wall either side of the landslip the convoy could gain access to the track and also regain access to the road. The diversion would be simply for the 4x4s but a challenge for the van.

The crews of the Landy and the Jimny went ahead and whilst one of them kept watch the others pulled down the dry stone walling, using a few of the rocks and slabs to help level out the incline that separated the road from the forestry track, Knocking down the wall and breaking a few saplings cleared enough room for the vehicles.
First up was the Jimny which went ahead and re-joined the road north of the landslip, its crew took up all round watch, next went the Landy which stopped just on the forestry track, the Landy was then connected by the steel tow wire to the F150, and the F150 was ready connected to the van as agreed earlier. Polypropylene and steel towropes had definitely earned their places in the preppers vehicle kits. When the signal was given the two 4x4s engaged low gear and set off making easy work of pulling the van up and onto the track, to prevent van from sliding off the track into the drainage ditches the tow vehicles just kept going, they did not pause until all the vehicles were on the other side of the landslip. After everything was re-stowed and checked the convoy again set off with the Jimny still taking point.

By tea time they were just pulling up alongside the part concrete block part steel prefab hill-farmers barn the group had leased some years earlier. Unlike lowland barns these hilltop barns were solid draft proof structures with heavy re-enforced roofs to allow for the build-up of large amounts of snow. The large double door and single pedestrian access door were very close fitting to ensure both snow and vermin could not enter, and being less than ten years old it had a solid concrete floor not dirt like so many old barns. The group went and unlocked the single door and entered the barn, the structure was lit only by the 10 clear triple wall Polycarbonate skylights set into the galvanised and zinc roof.

The group immediately opened the main doors and started offloading the equipment and supplies they had brought with them, they carried the supplies into the barn where the group had store two 36 foot x 9 foot used but still very serviceable mobile homes.

Over the next few hours they washed down the vehicles by the stream near the barn then reversed them into the barn, each one would be fired up and idled until warm at least once every 5 days. Outside the girls set up a selection of radio receiver aerials and a campers portable satellite dish hidden in a clump of gorse, the boys set up a modest sized solar panel on the south facing rear wall of the barn, it was not massive either in size or power but was enough to provide a healthy charge for various batteries.

Inside in the barn was the equivalent of 4 cords of logs machine cut and split to feed the wood burning stoves set in each mobile home (vented through the roof). Almost twenty x 20 litre water containers were filled from the stream, treated and brought into the barn to ensure they had a good supply of stored water.

Last but not least using a gardeners 4 wheeled cart the group hauled nearly 20 potted plants of the same variety and type as those that bordered the B road that the access path to the barn ran from, the group laboriously planted the shrubs across the turn off from the road and spent nearly another two hours brushing, shovelling and locating fauna and flora to disguise the entrance to their retreat. Once closed off the only way out from the retreat would be across the ford and up over the grouse keeper’s track that led its way back to the road but nearly two miles further up the hillside. This group could survive here for nearly four months perhaps seven if they were strict with their food rationing.

Now all they could do was wait and pray that things would settle in time and they would not be discovered.