‘I’m sure we can find something for you, David Shields, there’s plenty of firing, just as Corporal Martin said there would be. Are the Eighth to charge?’
The youngster smiled below his thin moustache. ‘I don’t know about that, Mrs Martin, but we’ve just seen Johnny Turk ‘oppit from Canrobert’s Hill and I think some of the other Redoubts have already fallen.’
‘Well, you must be disappointed to be missing the charge that we’re bound to make?’ Mrs Martin was quite clear in her mind’s eye of how events would unfold—but then, Tom had explained all.
‘There’s nowt to charge at the moment, Mrs M, just a bunch of fleeing Mussulmans and if our luck’s how it normally is, there’ll little beyond sore backs for the hosses and a soaking for us.’ Shields sauntered off to tether his chestnut.
Mrs Marti
