Brave Company (16 page)

The petty officer winked as he passed over the paper. ‘They're just jealous, lad. Actually, it's from the enemy, telling you to join a ship that can shoot straight.'

Russell unfolded the pale blue slip and read:

16 Field Regiment … Sergeant Barnett recovering in Base Hospital … grateful for your help … Official Regimental Best Helper Sa-In says hello … hope to see you in another supply party … signed, Davies, Major, Royal New Zealand Artillery.

‘Well?' Kingi was watching him.

Russell slipped the message into his duffle-coat. ‘Just the army, asking the navy to tell them how to win the war.'

Laughter from the others. O'Brien – yes, O'Brien! – slapped him on the back. A glow spread through Russell as he lifted his binoculars again, and scanned the empty seas. He belonged. He'd done what he joined up for, even if he hadn't really understood then what it was.

…
another supply party
. Russell hoped so, too. He hoped for that more than anything else. There were things he wanted to do for Sa-In and his little sister. Things now and after the war was over. He didn't know for sure what they were, but he was going to do them.

‘I will,' he said aloud – to himself, and to Sa-In. And to his Uncle Trevor.

2-i-c
Second in command.

Able Seaman (AB)
Sailor ranked between Ordinary Seaman and Leading Hand.

aircraft carrier
Very large warship acting as a mobile airbase, allowing aircraft to take off and land at sea.

astern
Behind the vessel.

Bofors gun
Anti-aircraft gun designed in Sweden, firing small shells in fast automatic bursts.

Boy Seaman
Boy aged between fifteen and eighteen training to become a sailor – an apprentice seaman.

broadside
When a warship fires all its guns at once, usually while sailing side-on to the target.

‘commie'
Communist, a supporter of Communism.

Communism
Social and political system in which everything is owned in common, and property and goods are administered and distributed by the state. In the 1950s and 1960s, a number of invasions by communist countries such as North Korea, North Vietnam, China and the USSR led to wars which threatened to become nuclear conflicts.

corvette
A small fast warship, smaller than a frigate.

cutter
Small boat, used for ferrying goods and people to and from the main boat.

destroyer
Small, fast warship fitted with guns, depth charges and torpedoes.

dogfight
Battle between fighter planes.

DSO
Distinguished Service Order, a military award for outstanding courage, second only to the Victoria Cross.

frigate
A warship smaller than a destroyer and larger than a corvette. Used for sea patrols, protecting convoys and supporting troops on land.

HMNZS
Her Majesty's New Zealand Ship.

klaxon
Loud horn used as a ship's signal.

Leading Hand (LH)
Highest junior rating, ranked above an Able Seaman and below a Petty Officer.

MC
Military Cross, an award given to junior and non-commissioned officers for courage.

mess
Place where food is served and sailors eat and socialise.

NCO
Non-commissioned officer.

Petty Officer (PO)
Non-commissioned Officer ranked above seamen and below Chief Petty Officer.

port
Left-hand side of the ship, facing forward.

PT
Physical training.

rating
Non-commissioned sailor, the equivalent of a private in the army.

starboard
Right-hand side of the ship, facing forward.

TB
Tuberculosis, a contagious and often fatal bacterial disease infecting the lungs.

United Nations (UN)
International political organisation, to which most countries of the world belong, formed in 1945 to promote peace, security and economic development.

My Dear Mother,

Well, I've gone and done it. I've joined the Army!

Don't be angry at me, Mother dear. I know you were glad when I wasn't chosen in the ballot. But some of my friends were, and since they will be fighting for King and Country, I want to do the same.

It's New Zealand, 1914, and the biggest war the world has known has just broken out in Europe.

William eagerly enlists for the army but his younger brother, Edmund, is a conscientious objector and refuses to fight. While William trains to be a soldier, Edmund is arrested.

Both brothers will end up on the bloody battlefields of France, but their journeys there are very different. And what they experience at the front line will challenge the beliefs that led them there.

Winner of the Best Junior Fiction and Children's Choice Junior
Fiction awards, New Zealand Post Book Awards for
Children and Young Adults 2013.

Also available as an e-book

Simon is a typical teenager – in every way except one. Simon likes girls, weekends and enjoys mucking about and playing practical jokes. But what's different is that Simon has muscular dystrophy – he is in a wheelchair and doesn't have long to live.
See Ya, Simon
is told by Simon's best friend, Nathan. Funny, moving and devastatingly honest, it tells of their last year together.

Winner of the Times Educational Supplement Nasen Award.

‘… my right foot slipped on the accelerator. The engine revved, and the car shot forward. For half a second my eyes met Ash's. He was staring past me, through the windscreen. He began to yell something. Somehow I knew what it was. I wrenched my head round, foot stabbing for the brake. And there was the girl, right in front of us.'

Tara is heading home. Ryan is driving his mates. Neither of them is paying attention. The tragedy that follows changes many lives.

Finalist New Zealand Post Book Awards 2005.

White Ravens List 2005 Special Mention.