Under age at the outbreak of war, fifteen year old Billy Bayliss manages to join up by pretending to be his older brother. Soon he is shipped off to Egypt to play his part in the terrifying fighting in Gallipoli. Despite his bravado, Billy is scared. He’s lonely, too, as the older boys tease him and make him feel like an outsider. But then Billy meets Captain, a young refugee who has nothing but his donkey Hey-Ho. The three become inseparable friends and gain courage from each other in fighting the horrors of war together. Sam Angus tells of the carnage of the fighting unflinchingly in this touching story of the special role animals played in the war.
It's 1915 and British troops are about to sail to Gallipoli. Billy is the youngest soldier in his platoon and is teased for not being old enough to drink or shave. The truth is, at 15 he's not old enough to be a soldier either, and he's terrified of the war he's about to fight. Then he meets Captain, a refugee boy, and his donkey, Hey-ho. Together they teach Billy what it means to be brave, loyal and fearless, and above all what it means to be a friend.
Angus follows her previous hits Hero and Soldier Dog with a new animal adventure set in the First World War. With no new Morpurgo title scheduled in this genre this... fills the gap very nicely. -- The Bookseller
Author
About Sam Angus
Sam Angus grew up in Spain. She studied Literature at Trinity College, Cambridge, and taught A-level English before becoming a ski-wear designer. She lives between London and Exmoor with an improvident quantity of children, horses and dogs. Read more about the author here.
