Babanango
2 primary works
Book 2
"In Africa, there are no trees..." - Captain AW McGonagle
As Albert and Jack finally come to embrace their affection for one another, they face the realities of love in war, sharing stolen moments together as they attempt to avoid discovery.
Settling into their place in Fort Penfold, the Royal Engineers must cope on their own separated from the main body, and as the tensions of the Anglo-Zulu war begin to plague the sappers, the relationships between the troops come under strain.
Balancing his familial connection to Captain McGonagle, his platonic camaraderie with lieutenants Knight and Penfold, and the displeasure of bitter Lieutenant Simonides, Albert Bond must tread delicately so as not to exacerbate growing unrest within the combined forces, whilst Jack battles to blend into the company as an enlisted soldier, and avoid animosity due to his increasing closeness with Lieutenant Bond.
Will their forbidden love withstand the trials and tribulations of war, anger, and grief?
Book 3
'Say you'll stay with me?'
'Always.'
Devastated by losses, including the death of much beloved Captain McGonagle, Lieutenant Bond and his batman Jack Coleman find themselves heading towards the main column of the British Army, under the leadership of Commandant Flambard.
But when Coleman sustains a life-threatening injury, Bond is left to grapple with the idea of losing the man he loves, and the heartbreak he knows will follow. In his panic-stricken state, he struggles to keep up pretences, and the truth of their relationship becomes increasingly difficult to hide.
As the Anglo-Zulu War comes to a head, and the final battle at Babanango draws near, will their ill-fated love survive the horrors of war? Or will they, and their love story, be lost forever?