A Rougher Task
by DJG Palmer
Black Coffee Book Tours
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?
Universal link for the book on Amazon
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.
”
