Hill of Sand - Ray Rigby.epub

Author(s): Ray Rigby
Publisher:
Date: 1982-06-17 Format: epub Language: English ISBN/ASIN: 035231141X
Pages: 288 OCR: Quality: ISBN13: 9780352311412

North Africa, 1943. When the Eighth Army captures Tripoli during the Second World War, an Italian mental asylum becomes a British military prison camp for disgraced soldiers.

In this isolated centre of brutal discipline, the Hill is the major punishment for the prisoners. It is the defining feature of a merciless regime which breaks the prisoners down psychologically, emotionally and physically.

Force-marched up and down under the blazing sun, the prisoners sweat and labour. To show weakness is dangerous, men who do are scorned and mocked. The other extreme, strength in defiance of the Hill, infuriates the Staff and leads to further oppression.

The daily struggle for survival is relentless and one poor inmate, Stevens, has already dropped dead.

Just another senseless act of sadism — or was it murder?

In the wake of his death the prisoners are resigned to their fates in a system they see as irretrievably corrupt.

Investigations, trials and another death threaten to take down the whole camp. Everyone has their own version of the truth and is out to save themselves.

RSM Wilson is now obsessed with his flawless record and deeply resents the incidents which have recently blemished it. Inmates Roberts, Bokumbo and McGrath are all sure they will face the firing squad, unless one of the prosecution witnesses is willing to accept even an element of responsibility for the demise of the prison.