Home By Christmas

We all have in our recent ancestry, a relative, who fought for their country in the Great War of 1914 - 1918. Many of these heroes paid the ultimate sacrifice. The rest returned home to find their lives changed forever. The deep-rooted, almost feudal, class system of the Victorian age was breaking down. The role of women had altered. In August 1914 when these young men first marched into war they were not professional solders. Some were no more than boys looking for an adventure - out to kill the wicked Hun. They were led to believe that it would all be over in a matter of months. HOME BY CHRISTMAS tells the compelling story of just such young men. The book, although gripping fiction, is historically accurate. Upper-class Captain Andrew Harrington-West leads his cavalrymen, all of whom are from different social backgrounds, through one hazardous escapade and into another. Danger is never far away. The many twists and turns will keep you turning pages as you experience, with the soldiers, the horror and the love born of war. They face the terror of the trenches and the frustrating fear of unknown spies. The bleak sadness of death is alleviated by the staunch camaraderie of this tight-knit unit of cavalrymen. However, the actions of a fellow horseman provokes so much anger in them that, in spite of their fierce comradeship, they turn against him - one of their own, an enemy in the camp. The injustices to the beautiful Francine together with the idiosyncrasies of the Victorian class system will keep you guessing. Whether you are for it or against it, this same class system will also bring an officer and a gentleman to justice forcing him to face the consequences of his actions. The emotional roller coaster of this well written, well researched book will leave you wanting more. Major Richard Waygood MBE joined the Household Cavalry as a Trooper and left as the Riding Master. He now trains the International 2* British Eventing team, and was Chef d'Equipe for the gold-winning 2012 British Olympic Dressage team. He is an assistant director of the British Military Tournament. Bridget Beresford grew up at Michelham Priory in East Sussex. She lived in France for several years where she met veterans of the Great War. She exercised horses in the great forests of Northern France often riding over WWI battlefields. Now living in England she is a Dressage judge and an Equine Iridologist. Her first novel Bolted is a murder/mystery/romance set in the modern-day world of horse trials and dressage.