I am re-reading these three Brother Cadfael short stories out of nostalgia and because this slim volume fits into the pocket of my top coat.
It made me wonder about Ellis Peters. It turns out Ellis Peters is one of a number of pen names she adopted. Her real name is Edith Pargeter (1913 – 1995). She was a prolific novelist having books published between 1936 and 1996. Her Welsh ancestry may have inspired her to write the Brother Cadfael books for which she is best remembered. They are crime stories set in the 12th century. Brother Cadfael is a Benedictine monk at Shrewsbury Abbey.
“During World War II, she enlisted in the Women’s Royal Naval Service (the “Wrens”) in 1940. She was in an administrative role as a teleprinter operator at Devonport, and then at the Western Approaches Headquarters at Derby House, Liverpool. She reached the rank of petty officer by 1 January 1944 when she was awarded the British Empire Medal (BEM) in the New Year Honours.”
After the war she wrote possibly her best books: a WW II trilogy. I have not read them – tell me if you have – but I will. The series is called after the main character, a British infantryman called Jim Bennison. Novels written so soon after the war are bound to be of interest to me. I think it’s about time they were re-discovered.
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- The Eighth Champion of Christendom (1945)
- Reluctant Odyssey (1946)
- Warfare Accomplished (1947)