Shadow of the Tower

The Shadow of the Tower chronicles the life of Henry Francis Gatrell, a young man from the Isle of Wight shaped by a disciplined baking apprenticeship and the mentorship of Lt.-Col. Sir Henry Earle. After training, Henry enlists as a Sapper in the Royal Engineers in 1914 but dies from cerebrospinal meningitis at Cosham Camp in 1915. The narrative concludes with his military funeral, highlighting a tragic symmetry as his brother, Frederick, dies shortly after in Mesopotamia. Read a full synopsis of the story.