To the Western Front, with Love

By Verity Slaughter-Penney

The world teeters on the brink of World War One.
Three very different young men are growing through their late teenage years blissfully unaware of what lies ahead.
Finn Marshall, George Barney and Emilio Rothbauer may be growing up worlds apart, still they remain destined to be drawn together.
Amid a world torn apart by a brutal war, on the battlefield life-changing choices must be made.
When the stakes are high and young lives are at risk, will death be the ultimate price paid or will the powerful drive for love and peace win through?
Three loving families will keep the home fires burning – but who will make it home?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Austin Macauley Publishers
• Release date: Aug 31, 2021
• ISBN: 9781786124180

Verity Slaughter-Penney

Proud to be Lancashire born and mother to three grown boys, Verity Slaughter-Penney spent 27 years of her working life as a teacher and headteacher. It is this experience and her own passion for literature which gave her a love of storytelling. Suffering a mental breakdown in 2017, Verity was forced to stop working. In her own words “The long working hours stopped and suddenly my creative brain had room to think.” Verity began using writing and painting as her therapy and gradually recovered from her illness. Now working for older youngsters with the charity Transitions UK, she keeps two days a week free in order to continue with her writing adventures.

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About the Author

Proud to be Lancashire born and mother to three grown boys, Verity Slaughter-Penney spent 27 years of her working life as a teacher and headteacher. It is this experience and her own passion for literature which gave her a love of storytelling.

Suffering a mental breakdown in 2017, Verity was forced to stop working.

In her own words The long working hours stopped and suddenly my creative brain had room to think.

Verity began using writing and painting as her therapy and gradually recovered from her illness.

Now working for older youngsters with the charity Transitions UK, she keeps two days a week free in order to continue with her writing adventures. 

Dedication

For every child that I have had the privilege to work with.

Thank you, for you taught me well.

For my patient and wonderful husband.

Thank you, for you gave me courage.

For my three beautiful sons.

Thank you, for the years of love and laughter.

For every dog I have had the privilege to own,

Thank you for your loyalty and trust.

Copyright Information ©

Verity Slaughter-Penney (2021)

The right of Verity Slaughter-Penney to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by the author in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

ISBN 9781786124173 (Paperback)

ISBN 9781786124180 (ePub e-book)

www.austinmacauley.com

First Published (2021)

Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd

25 Canada Square

Canary Wharf

London

E14 5LQ

Part One

"Of all our dreams today, there is none more important

– or so hard to realise –

than that of peace in the world.

May we never lose our faith in it, or our resolve to do anything that can be done to convert it, one day, into reality."

– Lester B. Pearson, Canadian soldier and WWI survivor.

Hello, Ziegmund

Bavaria – The Foothills Above Lohr an der Banauch

Ziegmund Sommer

The foothills above Lohr an der Banach, a crisp bright and blue day. The white caps of the surrounding mountains seem blinding white against the forget-me-not blue skies. A small, neat wooden cabin sits at the base of a mountain pass, follow a meandering limed footpath that winds amongst the gently sloping grasslands to meet the cattle herder Ziegmund.

Ziegmund is a protective, kindly old man; he resembles a portly garden gnome, sporting a full fluffy white beard. He carries well the brightly coloured, warm woollen clothes his wife, Ilma, knits for him. He also has the quirky habit of talking to his herd of Simmenthaler Cattle…

Ay, ya, ya, yay, it is bitter today, is it not, Georgina? Hey, hey there, Gerhard, where in the bull’s name do you think you’re going?

Hoi, come back here you lumbering great spotted beast, I’ve just driven you all out of the forest edge, come on bully boy, down here, we are off to the winter pastures, he says under his breath as he doesn’t wish to hurt his bull’s feelings. Du bisd doch a blaed zum scheissn!

Must I really drag these old bones all the way back up there? You think kniabieber, elendiger, that I have all my days just to chase after you?

Breathless, Ziegmund finally reaches Gerhard, his bull.

Hey, Gerhard, down the hill, schiesse, Mr Bull, come on, come on. It’s getting close to sun setting; I must have you in the winter pasture near to the house.

Come along girls, and yes, you Mr Gerhard, schu, schu, a little faster there please, nearly there, ahhhhh, it is so beautiful, look, there, Galiana, look…ach, you don’t appreciate the beauty of where you live, the sundown over these mountains, ach, a hundad dausnd mark, for a better place, eh, Gabriele?

Ay, ay, ay Ziegmund, you talk and mutter to these blaeda cattle as if they are your best friends! I hope no one is listening to you, hark on Ziegmund, they will lock you away if they hear you chattering to these dumb beasts.

Finally, last few, safely home for the winter, I’ll fetch your silage tomorrow now ladies, Ziegmund here needs a toddy, guad nahd hope the tics don’t bite!

Chuckling away to himself Ziegmund climbs the white chalk lane to his hoheimer.

Ach, Ilma, your old Ziegmund, he is kaput.

Guadn amd, Ziegmund.

Guadn amd, I am aching right through to the marrow, I do not know how many more winters I can do meine alte.

Ah, but Ziegmund, the cattle, they are Emilio’s future, we shall soldier on, he will soon be strong and big enough to help you?

Oooooff, ha, ha, that little strip of willow! He is so slender he will fall off the mountain in a gust of air.

He will grow, you shall see.

Well, he better, he eats like Gerhard eats! If he grows any taller and slimmer, we can always loan him to the Grimm brothers as an extra beanstalk!

Psssst, hush now, you’ll upset the boy, now here you go, drink up your toddy.

Bavarian Bad Language!

Poor Ziegmund and his old bones, they must be

aching for him to talk to his cattle like that! I shall help

with a handy translation.

1

Dear Diggory

December 9 1911

The Marshall Stud – Beauworth Hampshire

Gabriella Marshall

Home

10th December 1911

Dearest Diggory,

Not a day passes us by that I do not miss you, you will be 30 years old next year, my how the time has flown.

It’s Christmas soon, we shall light a candle for you dear heart, in your bedroom window. I framed the picture you drew of ‘Samurai’, I know how you dote on that horse, he is rather a handsome horse darling and you look so dashing riding him. Your picture was getting rather worn you see and I wanted to make sure it was kept nice, you are such a talented artist Diggory, always were, anyway, perhaps dear one art would have been a better profession for you. Oh, I know, I can hear you, your father would have never have agreed. He was so proud the day you joined the Hussars. It’s certainly the closest I have ever seen your father to tears, of pride that is.

Christmas, as always, will be quiet without you dear one, though Finn does keep me on my toes, you know, he is 16 now, so tall and strong, nothing like the chubby six-year-old that waved you good bye.

He loves horses, just like you, I think the wilder and stronger the better for Finn, my word, it is no wonder he