A Rougher Task
by DJG Palmer
June 25-28
Cranthorpe Millner Publishers
It is 1878, and beneath the heat of the South African sun, a brutal war is brewing. Yet for the soldiers based at the dreary maritime barracks of Chatham, the prospect of journeying to this exotic land is an opportunity they cannot resist.
Albert Bond, a young lieutenant and academy graduate, is plagued by his family’s ruin as he desperately attempts to cling to the status of his wealthy upbringing. Yet he is soon forced to reassess his aspirations, his morals, and his feelings concerning class and rank as he realises his growing affection for his handsome batman Jack Coleman. Jack grew up as the lowest of the low, but his social disadvantages fail to supress his optimism and willingness to take risks, attributes that Bond cannot help but admire.
As the two men come to rely on one another for comfort and companionship amidst the animosity and indecision of war, their relationship begins to shift. But in a time of deep-rooted institutional and societal prejudice, will their intimacy blossom into something tangible?
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About the Author
The author says: “I was born in Kent to older parents and a pre-war father who, having had me late in life, thought that boys ought to explore ancient ruins and read books about knights and pirates, rather than play computer games or watch videos, so I grew up exploring castles and reading dog-eared Ladybird history books. At the age of eight I opened my grandfather’s chest in the attic to discover that he had been an army officer in the Second World War, and was excited to discover his
baton, pips, and medals, but also to understand the realities that lay behind the martial emblems.
It was during the early years of manhood that I embarked upon Babanango, resulting unbelievably in fellowships of the Anglo-Zulu War Historical and Royal Geographical Societies. I then set aside military fiction for a time, enjoyed a subsequent career in policing and found love with a wonderful man, the love and bedrock of my life. The subsequent death of a friend, father figure and former officer provided my motivation to dust off the manuscript and revisit its contents, message, and the untold story of the many men who must have lived, loved and died in secret, serving in the armed forces.
This story is for those men, whoever they were, and the friends and allies who had their backs.”
