The Lost Soldier (52 page)
Authors: Costeloe Diney
Tom Carter is fictitious, but he stands for the three hundred and six soldiers of the British Army who were shot at dawn during the First World War for alleged desertion, cowardice, or for refusing to carry out an order. Little account was taken of medical conditions such as shell shock; courts martial were brief and the executions were used as a deterrent to other would-be deserters as much as for a punishment for the alleged offence.
The Shot at Dawn Campaign for posthumous pardons for these men has been growing steadily. The government still refuses to pardon the men, many of them only boys in their teens when they were shot. It maintains you cannot rewrite history, but the campaigners are undeterred. They fight on. History, they say, is continually being rewritten as new evidence emerges. Evidence of these executions was kept secret for seventy-five years, but now it has been released action should be taken to put right an undoubted wrong.
Many of the regiments from which the men came have reinstated their names to their regimental Rolls of Honour. It is now time for a government which supported the campaign whilst in opposition to follow the government of New Zealand and grant pardons to these men. They died for their country as surely as did the men who went over the top.
For more information about the campaign visit:—
or contact
John Hipkin
45 Alderwood Crescent
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
NE6 4TT
Since the first edition of this book, The Shot at Dawn Campaign has now achieved its aim and the 306 men who were executed between 1914 and 1918 are to be pardoned.
“The campaign for posthumous pardons has been rejected by the Ministry of Defence for no other reason then their belief that without the power to kill British Troops who cannot stand the strain it would not be possible to force them to kill the enemy.”
Tony Benn
The Lost Soldier
In 1921, eight ash trees were planted in the Dorset village of Charlton Ambrose as a timeless memorial to the men killed in World War One. Overnight a ninth appeared, marked only as for ‘the unknown soldier’
But now the village’s ashgrove is under threat from developers.
Rachel Elliot, a local reporter, sets out to save the memorial and solve the mystery of the ninth tree. In so doing, she uncovers the story of Tom Carter and Molly Day: two young people thrown together by the war, their love for each other, their fears for the present and their hopes for the future. Embroiled in events beyond their control, Tom and Molly have to face up to the harsh realities of the continuing war, the injustices it allows and the sacrifices it demands.
T
HE
L
OST
S
OLDIER
(previously published as
The Ashgrove
)
“A powerful and moving account of the brutality of war itself.”
Tony Benn
“This book bears powerful witness to a grave injustice.’’
Martin Bell
“Diney Costeloe has tackled an important subject. We should never forget this terrible injustice.”
John Humphrys
D
EATH
’
S
D
ARK
V
ALE
“A treat from the very first page. I could not put it down!”
Historical Novel Society
“A compelling tale beautifully written.”
George Baker
“A vivid insight into the work of the French Resistance under the German occupation.”
Betty Rowlands
D
INEY
C
OSTELOE
published several successful sagas in the 1980s, before family life intervened. She lives in Somerset.
Visit her website:
dineycosteloe.co.uk
Or follow her on Twitter:
@Dineycost
Gritty, heartrending and unputdownable – the story of two sisters sent first to an English, then an Australian orphanage in the aftermath of World War 2.
Rita and Rosie Stevens are only nine and five years old when their widowed mother marries a violent bully called Jimmy Randall and has a baby boy by him. Under pressure from her new husband, she is persuaded to send the girls to an orphanage – not knowing that the papers she has signed will entitle them to do what they like with the children.
And it is not long before the powers that be decide to send a consignment of orphans to their sister institution in Australia. Among them – without their family’s consent or knowledge – are Rita and Rosie, the throwaway children.
The Throwaway Children
is available
here
.
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The story starts here.
First published in Great Britain in 2004 by Castlehaven Boooks
This eBook edition first published in the UK in 2015 by Head of Zeus Ltd
Copyright © Diney Costeloe, 2004
Jacket Design © KS Agency
Author Photo © Helen Faubel
The moral right of Diney Costeloe to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act of 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 both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
9 7 5 3 1 2 4 6 8
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN (E) 9781784972561
Head of Zeus Ltd
Clerkenwell House
45-47 Clerkenwell Green
London EC1R 0HT
