Stanley Thomson

356 Stanley Thomson

The story is set in Post WW2 Edinburgh as an anecdote of 70-year-old Scottish born Australian, Craig Erskine. He has made the first return journey to his birthplace since leaving for Australia in 1958. He visits the family's former home where his mother brought him as a newborn. It was while living at number 356 Easter Road Leith, that he experienced a close call with death, a family betrayal and witnessed a severe threat to the operation of an International Welfare Organisation. The politically clandestine use of this respected organization was a strongly held secret even to this day and was learnt anecdotally by the author. Alenti Pawloswski is a returned Polish soldier who fought with the British Army and contributed much to the allied victory. Even though he was active in theatres of war such as D-Day, he received little in reward or gratitude at conflict's end. As with many of his contemporaries from other Allied nations his welfare seemed of little interest to the victors as they moved on to deal with the spoils of war. The allied victory lay uneasily upon Europe and the imposition of governments on some countries by the victors sowed the seeds of political unrest that are flourishing almost a century later. While he was residing at number 356, as a child, Craig befriended a former soldier in the Australian army, who also contributed to the allied cause in World War One. Old Mac was injured at Anzac Cove and it was through him that a young Craig learned about how the Army dealt with those whom they believed were traitors and deserters. This had quite a bearing on young Erskine and his relationship with his father. At book's end, Craig returns to Australia quite emotionally battle weary as though he had experienced major conflict for a second time.