He joined the British Territorial Army in April, 1939. In September, Britain declares war on Germany and he is called up to active duty with the Royal Army Service Corps. He rises up through the ranks: Driver, Lance Corporal, Corporal, Sergeant, Second Lieutenant, Full Lieutenant, Captain and ultimately Major. Along the way he serves a stint with the British Commandos, but when he is wounded in the course of a raid on Norway, he is returned to duty with the R.A.S.C. and ships off to North Africa, where he learns to cope with the enemy, the desert, scorpions and malaria.


She is a Registered Nurse employed at the Dominion Glass Works in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Seeking adventure and hoping for a posting overseas, she joins the Canadian Red Cross Corps and her wish comes true. She lands in Italy by way of England and sees more blood than she had ever imagined while serving at the First Canadian Casualty Clearing Station.


Meanwhile, he has also come to Italy, and in Barletta, in the most unlikely of circumstances, they come to know one another.


And they come to be known as Mr. and Mrs. Rat.


This novel is an excerpt from their story.