Mostly,
writing books for children is a fun job, because I get to write
about whatever I want. Child detectives? I wrote ‘em. Galaxydefenders? I wrote that too. Dinosaurs with laser guns? Can’t get
enough of ‘em.
But
sometimes, I feel like I haven’t really got a choice in what I
write. Sometimes, I think the story chooses me.
One
day I was taking my cat to the vet. While I was waiting I picked up a
magazine, and I was shocked by the article I saw.
“...thousands
of cats were sent to the trenches of World War One…”
Cats?
Why? I had to know! I found myself looking at my own tired, old
moggy, and wondering if he would be any good in a war?
Probably not.
I
started to research. It turned out that the trenches in France and
Belgium during the conflicts of 1914-18 were very tempting for
vermin, so the generals ordered that cats were brought in to deal
with them.
I
couldn’t shake the idea of a cat in a horrible war zone. They would
have been born over here in our country, taken across the sea to
France and Belgium, and delivered to the trenches, where there were
bombs and gunfire and mud. But then again, this is what happened to
thousands of young men and boys.
Soon
the cats that were sent as ratters became friends to the soldiers.
Some became mascots to the whole squadron. The more I read about his,
the more I knew I had to write it. So I did.
I
wrote a book called Paw Prints in the Somme, for
8-12 year olds. I made up a cat called Tom, who was
raised on a farm in Devon, but taken to war. He’s scared, but finds
a friend in Jim, a soldier who was just 14 years old (an
all-to-common occurrence in the ‘Great War’ due to the leaders
choosing to believe the lies told to them by the boys seeking glory).
Together, they promise to get through the war and return home to
Devon. I found it to be the hardest book I have ever written, largely
because of how important it felt when I read about the real cases of
child and grown-up soldiers in the trenches.
This
November I’ll be touring around schools to give assemblies based on
the theme of Remembrance and my book. I’m hoping it will help
children remember the fallen, especially since now there are no
survivors of the war itself to pay our respects to.
It
is important to remember those who fought in WW1, and all wars,
because they did
the bravest and most selfless of things, fighting and risking their
lives for something they believe in. This year it is exactly 100
years since the end of World war One, and it is more important than
ever that we say thank you to those that were part of the war: men,
boys, horses, pigeons… and cats.
***
Dan
Metcalf is a writer of books for children. You can find his new book
Paw Prints in the
Somme at
danmetcalf.co.uk/pawprints
3 comments:
This sounds like a great story, Dan. I had no idea cats were sent to the trenches (still find it hard to believe they weren't just a nuisance; I mean, cats never do what you want, do they? and if there's one thing they hate, it's loud bangs.) Well, plenty to talk about with the children, and they are sure to enjoy your visits!
I love the sound of this!
When I first read your post, the neighbours cat had just popped in through the front window of my flat, and was settling herself in my lap. As she did so, purring, it seemed difficult to imagine her out there in the trenches, taking on some rat the size of herself.
A little while later, now outside, she reminded me of the true nature of a cat. She was standing over a very dead mouse. Of course, perhaps she'd only intended to ask it some questions. But then its head had accidentally fallen off.
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