Tale without a Title

About the Book

PULLING HIS GROUND SHEET FROM THE MACHINE’S PANNIER, TOM TIED IT ACROSS THE BIKE TO MAKE A FENCE AGAINST THE BLOWING SAND. AND SAT DOWN LEANING HIS BACK AGAINST THE PROJECTING PIECES OF MACHINERY, THE GROUND SHEET HAVING NO CUSHIONING EFFECT WHATEVER SEEMED TO ADD LITTLE TO THE DISCOMFORT HE HAD ALREADY ACCUMULATED. TOM’S PUTTEES HAD FAILED TO KEEP THE SAND OUT BUT HAD SUCCEEDED IN KEEPING FT IN, SO THAT HIS LEGS WERE COVERED IN RAW SORES. AND THERE WAS THAT RING OF FIRE AROUND HIS WAIST MADE RAW BY THE WEIGHT OF HIS BELT (LADEN WITH SUCH THINGS AS PUERS, GUN AND HOLSTER, SIGNAL LAMP, POUCHES OF AMMUNITION COMPASS ETC.ETC. TOM, DIRTY. THIRSTY. TIRED AND PAINFUL ALLOVER CONTEMPLATED THE CIRCUMSTANCES LEADING TO THIS COMPOUNDED MISERY, IN THIS RUDDY DESERT FROM WHICH HE SEEMED SO UNLIKELY TO ESCAPE.

About the Author

Tom was apprenticed to the biggest builder in Britain. He had left school at age 14 or rather was thrown out. But got a temporary job in a wood working machine shop. He moved to the builder and served his time until WWII started. He began his military career attached to Gen De gauL Of Free French fame. After which he was part of a Norwegian consignment which had all its ships surrounded by mines dropped by the German air force, so that it was replaced by another force, and when it eventually sailed to an unknown destination the men were informed that they were headed to the middle east despite all the artic gear with which they were equipped. This was a foretaste of things to come. They arrived in Cairo. They stayed for two years, chasing Romel up the desert, and being chased by Romel down to Cairo. They then went to fraq. Visited Babylon and Basra. Shipped across the Indian ocean to Chittagong and fought the Japs for two years. Now, being war weary, we were sent home at last. Remembering that he had no job to return to, Tom skated around the market. He was surprized to find that no one wanted him. He was not just a soldier returned home, he was a man who had a history of not taking orders. He was a man who was used to giving orders. He was a threat to any one who during the war had worked overtime and had bettered himself, perhaps had become rich. No one wanted to hire a disruption to the status quo. Tom did numerous jobs, eventually got married and emigrated to Canada Tom Richard