Canary Child

by David Field, A.R. Dance

The plot for the book is based on the true story of the biggest civilian tragedy of the Great War – the massive explosion at the Chilwell Shell Filling Factory, near Nottingham – which resulted in the deaths of almost 140 civilian workers, many of them young women, always referred to as “Canary Girls” because the chemicals they were using turned their skin a shade of yellow. The cause of the explosion remains an unsolved mystery to this day, but there was talk of spies and German saboteurs. The plot of Canary Child offers our own theory as what might have been the cause.

THE PLOT

In 1968, in a small Nottinghamshire country churchyard, an embittered divorcée has a strange encounter with the apparition of a girl who claims to have died in an explosion at a nearby First World War shell-filling factory fifty years before. Unable to dismiss from her mind the girl’s desperate plea for help, Dorothy Younger begins her search for further details surrounding the events leading to the girl’s death fifty years before, in the hope of finding the child left orphaned by the blast.

Enlisting the help of veteran army officer Tim Mildmay, together they learn of one of the greatest wartime civilian tragedies, which claimed the lives of almost 140 workers. Dorothy and Tim grapple with the mystery of a young woman who apparently died in the explosion, but who was never officially there, and the survival of another who should have been blown to pieces, but was later discovered safely at home.

Of those who died in the tragedy, there were no doubt many tales which could have been told of their lives and the events which led to their last, fatal, few moments on earth. Perhaps this is one of them.

Canary Child is a supernatural, genealogical mystery drama, at times tragic, yet immensely humorous

PRAISE FOR CANARY CHILD

“This absorbing tale, based on a tragic explosion in Nottinghamshire during the Great War, had me rushing to Attenborough churchyard to pay my respects at the gravesides.” John Holmes, BBC Nottingham

“An unravelling mystery mixed with an incredible real war story and some cracking Nottingham dialect. And, always a good thing, a bit of love. It’s a powerful mix.” William Ivory, screen writer

160 pages, Paperback

First published March 29, 2014

About the author

David was born in post-war Nottingham, and educated at Nottingham High School. After obtaining a Law degree he became a career-long criminal law practitioner and academic, emigrating in 1989 to Australia, where he still lives.

Combining his two great loves of History and the English language he began writing historical novels as an escape from the realities of life in the criminal law, but did not begin to publish them until close to fulltime retirement, when digital publishing offered a viable alternative to literary agencies, print publishers and rejection slips.

Now blessed with all the time in the world, his former hobby has become a fulltime occupation as he enjoys life in rural New South Wales with his wife, sons and grandchildren to keep him firmly grounded in the reality of the contemporary world.

David Field is published by Sapere Books.

Reviews

[Tom Kirwan]

Sucrose and coincidence ridden but I had wet eyes at the end! Brilliant.

[Ardi]

Impressive to know about the life routine difficulties of that time!