Night Climbing
In the spring of 1936, murmurings across Europe indicate the potential for another conflict with Adolf Hitler’s rise to power. Local communities see Nazi beliefs spreading into every aspect, including the growth of the Hitler Youth, where children and teenagers are enrolled, indoctrinated, and trained.
A small community in the mountains, Hofsgrund is increasingly feeling these changes impact upon them. Hilde and her younger sister Anna become the focus of the Party when Hilde takes a stand against the facts surrounding a mountain rescue one stormy night.
Sylvia Clayton’s 11-year-old son, Cyril, and his classmates are led by their teacher, Keith Hughes, on a walking holiday to include climbing the Schauninsland peak. Hughes sets out with the boys on the climb while disregarding warnings of an impending snowstorm. The culmination of their German experience is thwarted when the horrendous weather fragments the group. Two boys raise the alarm in the settlement of Hofsgrund, and the villagers immediately mount a search to rescue the remainder. All the party are recovered, including four deceased boys, except for young Cyril. His mother, Sylvia, desperate for news of him, questions how this tragedy occurred, but she is stymied at every turn by closed ranks. Desperate to find her child, Sylvia seeks funding to travel across to see what’s happening with the search.
This story takes inspiration from two women in real life. Sadly, the lack of commitment from Cyril’s school or the authorities in Germany to find the boy left this reader disappointed. It’s possible the author interpreted the aloofness and secrecy within the Nazi regime as a reason for this on their part. The school governors, however, also appear to have closed ranks and avoided pursuing further investigation. Whilst the storyline is engaging in its subject, the abrupt ending is unsatisfactory.
