Written to mark the centenary of the outbreak of WWI, this short story by multi-award-winning, million copy bestselling author Andrea Levy tells the tale of two Jamaican service men in that conflict.
Release date:
June 19, 2014
Publisher:
Tinder Press
Print pages:
16
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AND WE FINALLY GOT to England. To the army camp at Seaford. Seaford? You know it? On the south coast? We had to sleep in the town, the place was under such mud. It rains grey all day – never go there. Well, there was this English man – white, you know – in a pub sort of thing; hotel taproom I think they call it. Me and Walker were sitting sipping on beer, when this man came to our table and stood above us to ask us a question.
‘Why are you going to fight in this war for only a shilling a day?’
Now that sort of took the wind from me. And Walker’s eyes – well, they shone with uneasiness; it would be us thrown from the place if there was trouble.
So we said nothing but this man still went on. Churchill, Asquith and Lloyd George get pay of fifteen thousand pounds a year and we were fools to fight for the Empire because the King is German and all his family too.
Everyone staring on us, but we just sip, sip. And all the while I am thinking, a shilling is a lot of money. It took many a long time in Jamaica to earn a shilling. But I did not tell this man because he was looking to make mischief.
When two constables came in Walker braced himself, sure they’. . .
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