Kinmel Revisited
Today one could perhaps be forgiven for not noticing the small village of Bodelwydda
Book Summary
Kinmel Revisited
Today one could perhaps be forgiven for not noticing the small village of Bodelwyddan situated on the North Wales coast, but back in the year 1919, just after the war to end all wars, some four-hundred men of the Canadian expeditionary force stationed in the camp adjacent to the village, in 1919 the camp, and indeed Bodelwyddan, were on the front page of almost every tabloid in the country.
In 1990, author Robert (Bob) Bridge and his wife, Lilian, decided to retire from their jobs and move closer to their aged parents in Abergele, another village not far from Bodelwyddan. They purchased an old Victorian house and renovated it to more modern standards. As they proceeded, they encountered an old box in the corner. As they brushed away the dust, they saw the insignia of a Regiment that they were not familiar with. Inside that box were old manuscripts that were damp and almost unreadable, however they were able to make out the words, Kinmel Revisited.
The fascinating story told herein began to unfold of an army officer and his wife who had lodged at Abergele in 1919 during the riot at camp. You will find yourself in scenes of a long forgotten era where men screamed in pain and to the horrors that Captain George Sawley had witnessed.
What readers say about the book🧐
The author moves into a house in Abergele and finds documents in his loft. They are the writings of Captain George Sawley about the events at Kinmel camp in 1919 where several thousand Canadian soldiers were waiting to go home. Ships to their homeland had been cancelled and the war weary soldiers felt resentful at the broken promises of returning to their families and leaving the camp. The Spanish flu pandemic was rife and fatal to many in the camp in which conditions were hardly better than the trenches. A riot ensued, leaving five men dead. The author tells the story in the voice of George Sawley, a decent and moral man, who had empathy with the Canadians and was suffering the effects of post-war trauma himself. This was a fascinating yet tragic read. I thank the author for telling this story as I was unaware of it before I read this book. The cover shows the local church and the gravestones of some of the men who lost their lives. As with any story about events of the First World War it is very sad, but there is the added tragedy here that these were men that had fought bravely and survived front line action, yet were denied the right to go home. For me the tale highlights the power within the class system at the time and the powerless of ordinary people to be treated fairly. Foreign soldiers were seen as third class citizens and it is heart wrenching to imagine the men in the camp and their families waiting to see them. I liked the character of George Sawley very much, through his voice the reader had a balanced view of events and an insight into the lives of different people at the time. Many soldiers in World War 1 were driven to fight as a result of being trapped in abject poverty. I liked the involvement of the George’s wife and also the wife of Ivan, who sadly saved her money to come to England just to view the grave of her husband. I read this book on a reading device and sometimes found the format was confusing and grammatically strange. However, this could have been down to the reading device. Generally I thought the book was well written and I am glad I have read about these events; a story that needs to be told.
Mrs K
About the Author
Robert James Bridge
KINMEL REVISITED-CANADIAN HISTORICAL FICTION.
As an author,like many others I am prepared to take criticism and comments,but would just like to say all four of the Hell Bent Series are infact fiction and Jim Bent is a fictional character,as are all of my crime series books.Sprinkled with sex and violence I have noted this by saying they are adult fiction and not for children to read.I have to admit they contain graphic sexual scenes and some might be offended,but this is real life and things happen that sometimes offend us?.Jim Bent is Just an ex met cop who faces life as it is?.
Member of Crime Writers Association Great Britain-The Hell Bent Series of fictional crime!.
A BOLT FROM THE BLUE-THE HALIFAX EXPLOSION,CANADIAN HISTORICAL FICTION AVAILABLE NOW ON AMAZONKINDLE KDP. .CO.UK .COM ETC.
Now also on Kindle and available to read is the first and second on the Hell Bent Series.The first being Hell Bent on Murder and now we have Hell Bent on Revenge,coming shortly is Hell Bent on Corruption and this takes Jim to a murder in the Publishing fraternity.I hope readers have enjoyed the series so far, and will want to read more of Jim Bent and his adventures.Dont forget Kinmel Revisited Historical Fiction is also available to read now!.
Coming shortly is the third in the hell bent series entitled HELL BENT ON CORRUPTION and this one takes its readers into the world of publishing!.Number four in the series is now up and ready for any faithful readers,and this is called HELL BENT ON BLACKMAIL!.
I am a published author who is now retired so I spend most of my days either researching or writing books.Today I have many other books awaiting publication including another of historical fiction and indeed a series of fictional crime I am hoping to put on the kindle books site in the near future.
A series I fondly call The Hell Bent Series since it features an ex met cop called Jim Bent.After fifteen years as a cop in the Met and a bullet still lodged in his back from a failed bank robbery Jim decides its time he took up a new occupation,an occupation he never realised would take him to his old stamping ground on the streets of London.Now available is book four in the hell bent series entitled Hell Bent on Blackmail.The cover of this book was from-www.the cover collection.com whom I thank very much!.
I hope readers of kindle enjoy reading my latest venture which features my premier tome of historical fiction entitled “Kinmel Revisited” on Kindle?.Although the story is infact true and the events at Kinmel Army Camp in 1919 did happen.I have woven a story of history and mystery using fictional characters so as not to offend any living relatives. Although today I have two books published in America ,I did have four published in Canada in 2007 ie a series of crime and kinmel Revisited,but alas for some reason they were remaindered in 2008 and copyrights returned to me the author. Today I continue to enjoy writing and hope readers enjoy my books on the Kindle site. Kinmel Revisited was created when my wife and I once lived in North Wales.It was whilst we stood over the five graves with the Maple Leaf Emblem on them,I knew one day I would write the complete story.A story of a riot by some four hundred men of the Canadian Expeditonary Force at Kinmel Army Camp in North Wales, A Riot that happened simply because the men wanted to go home after fighting in the war to end all wars.The camp conditions were said to be worse than those in the trenches. With a flu epidemic sweeping the camp and lack of pay it seems the men could take no more and the descision to riot came about!.
Are you ready to read it now?
Today one could perhaps be forgiven for not noticing the small village of Bodelwydda