Chapter 11 Empire


    1914 London


    A raven that quotes Chaucer - Dr.Gideon Marchant shook his


    head in disbelief, even after a month it was still uncanny.


    "Nothing ventured nothing gained." the raven cawed.


    He fed it a slice of pear as it perched on the window sill.


    The War Office had taken over the building and the


    bird had been inherited from the previous tenants.


    Gideon held out another piece of fruit. "No empty handed


    man can lure a bird."


    The raven crooked it''s head as if considering his words


    then took what was offered. Gideon looked at the crowds


    gathering in the street below. Each day he watched theThis tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    numbers of men who wanted to volunteer for War service


    grow, and it had been that way since August.


    The English army had its first engagement with the much


    larger and more experienced invading German forces at


    Mons in Belgium. After a small initial victory, it was an almost


    inevitable defeat with heavy losses.


    What followed was a demoralizing two week retreat into


    France. Everyday now more and more men waited for the


    enlistment depot doors to open.


    "And thus the sins of the Father." Gideon said to the raven,


    "will be visited upon the sons."


    *


    When the medical board offered him a civilian position with


    the War department, Gideon closed his practice in Oxford


    and moved to London. He told his family and friends that he


    wanted to do his bit for the war effort. It was a lie, he didn''t


    care at all about the War or the King, or his damned British


    empire.


    The position was nothing more than regular paid employment


    and the chance to escape the insufferable musings of the


    Oxford social set.


    He shared a terrace house with his sister Aida in central London


    that overlooked Regents Park. Most mornings he walked


    the two miles to the enlistment depot in Scotland yard and often


    shared the streets with men he would see later in the day.


    Walking unnoticed among them he listened to their conversations.


    Some were after adventure. Some like himself, saw it as nothing


    more than a way to earn money in difficult times.


    But the majority?


    They wanted nothing more than to fly the colours for King


    and country. Their blind patriotism sickened him.


    Why were they so eager to defend an Empire that had


    nothing but contempt for the working class?


    Had they thought about what would happen to their families


    if they didn''t come home, or worse, came home broken


    beyond repair.


    The men that stood out most to him though were the older


    ones. Sober and quiet, they usually walked alone appearing


    sometimes to be lost in thought. He knew what they were.


    They were veterans like himself.


    Men who had seen what the harvest of War brings.


    *