The greater share of honour - Kim James

Seven men - three British, three French and one Senegalese - born hundreds of miles apart and separated by nationality, race, religion and class...yet all have a unity at the time of their death. Though ordered to retreat, the men decided to stay in the village of Criquebeuf, Normandy, where they faced a superior German infantry. They managed to destroy a bridge that would have otherwise been useful to the enemy.Through painstaking research, this account tells of the mens' backgrounds from birth to the out break of the second world war...their loves, hopes and despair, and their optimism in the face of the greatest danger. It describes the coming together of their fates. These were ordinary men, yet at the same time extraordinary in their stubbornness and ability to gain the trust and affection of their friends, families and neighbours...and the respect of their enemies. In following their transition from bored labouring battalions during the 'Phoney War' to fighting men in the last desperate battle before the defeat of France, this fictional account breathes life into a long-forgotten yet heroic incident at a time of great turmoil. This fictionalised account of a true story is a moving tribute to a noble band of men whose story has been hidden for years.