About Till the Boys Come Home:
Based on the true story of a family’s struggle to survive WW1.
Life was terrible for the men fighting in the trenches, but no picnic for the wives and families they left behind on the home front either.
When Britain declares war in 1914, ambitious territorial soldier and coke filler, Ben Bennison signs up for overseas service, leaving behind his wife and four children in Consett, County Durham. Everyone expects the war to be over by Christmas. Thrashing the Germans won’t be a problem for Kitchener’s New Army. Ben discovers that conditions in the trenches are beyond his imagining, and bitterly regrets persuading his brothers, miners Joe and Billy, to volunteer and fight.
Polly Bennison hates Ben going off to war. There’s no choice for her but manage on the meagre separation allowance paid by government. She and her sister-in-law, Georgina, have to cope as food and fuel prices rocket. Everyone is terrified of bombs and shells from Zeppelins and the German Navy. After the attacks on Hartlepool and Scarborough, it turns out the war is not just for soldiers; it’s being fought by everyone.
Margaret Bennison watches her three sons leave for the Front with despair, but the boys’ father is all for King and Country, and is proud for them to serve.
As the established order in Britain and the world falls to pieces, what will become of the Bennison family?
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Author Bio:
After many years working in mental health, I have taken time to indulge in my passions of walking and writing. I work to combine them in historical novels bearing witness to my family tales. Occasional potter, photographer and painter, my aim is to develop parts of my brain little used, until now – while I still have the chance.