Before The Leaves Fall

About the Book

Margaret is determined to leave her existence in a County Durham coal mining village for a life of power, wealth and influence in North East Society.

Robert, used and cast aside by Margaret, enlists in The Durham Light Infantry and joins his friends in the trenches in Northern France preparing for the 'Big Push' on The Somme 1916. Leaving the horrors of trench warfare behind, life as a prisoner of war ushers in a new phase in Robert's life which is to lead him on an unexpected journey.

As the war ends and peace begins will Margaret and Robert have realised their pre-war ambitions.

About the Author

At an unprecedented early age John was made a Fellow of The Royal Society of Arts. With a degree in Industrial Product Design, Leicester University PGCE and a Durham University M.A. Degree he commenced a teaching career spanning 40 years ending in Sunderland. John has made a special study of the 1st World War. Frequent visits to the battlefields and researching his grandfather's participation in the conflagration sowed the seeds for this novel.