This calm location provides the backdrop to a dramatic climax for the book’s final chapter, Circle of Time. Can the murder of a young innocent woman be averted by police officials? Time is of the essence and it is running out.
Month: September 2013
1967 The Summer of Music
In Britain, ‘pirate’ radio stations operated in coastal waters. The Beatles reached their musical peak in making the Sgt Pepper album. Procol Harum puzzled record listeners with the lyrics to a ‘Whiter Shade Of Pale’. Nancy Sinatra performed the theme song for the latest Bond film, ‘You Only Live Twice’. The Beatles not only held the top spot in Britain’s album chart but also in August topped the single charts. Their single ‘All You Need Is Love’ sold over million copies within a short space of time. Anita Harris recorded ‘Just Loving You’, written by Tom Springfield, brother of Dusty. If The Time Jigsaw is made into a film, this will be an ideal theme song. It is a romantic ballad which contains lyrics that reveal Abbie Anderson’s feelings for the time traveller.
1967 The Summer of Love
A term renowned for ‘hanging out’ in San Francisco plus other major American cities and used for the title of the penultimate chapter. A time synonymous for free love and taking drugs. In Britain, women’s contraception in the form of a birth control pill was introduced. For men, fashionable attire revolved around London’s Carnaby Street. The hot summer and culture of this year encouraged the birth of a permissive society. Shackles were discarded and a ‘wind of change’ in Britain had begun.
After twenty-seven years, Abigail Anderson is reunited with the time traveller. When they last met, Abigail was a young girl. Now in her mid-thirties, she is an attractive fun-loving lady. The summer of 1967 would turn out to be a special time for both of them.
Dunkirk 1940
In chapter 10, Lieutenant William Carsell-Brown and his squad have been ordered to head for the channel port of Dunkirk. An evacuation of allied troops will begin immediately in a bid to save them from being taken prisoner by the German army. All type of boats are sailing from Britain to Dunkirk on a vital rescue mission. Allied troops have been instructed to form an orderly queue on the beach at Dunkirk. This queue stretches out into the sea where troops stand up to their waist in water.
Ardennes Forest, May 1940
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German tank units head through the Ardennes forest towards Sedan on the east bank on the Meuse River. In the north, the battle has already started with Wehrmacht troops invading Holland Luxembourg and Belgium. British and French troops have advanced towards Belgium to meet the threat. However, Sedan is not well-fortified by French troops as it is deemed to be impenetrable. The German High Command thought otherwise.
Newhaven Harbour, Leith
A place close to where the time traveller’s grandfather lived and subsequent family grew up. A picturesque location which looks onto the River Forth and Fife coastline. Granton harbour is further west along the coast and in 1940 was a hive of activity filled with fishing boats.
RMS Queen Elizabeth
This is the ship mentioned in chapter 9. It was built at John Brown’s shipyard in Clydebank, near Glasgow. Building was started in mid 1930 and the ship was launched in September 1938. It was named after Elizabeth, Queen Consort to King George VI. The ship was originally intended as a luxury ocean liner for passengers travelling from Southampton to New York via Cherbourg, France. However, the proposed maiden voyage due for April 1940 was suspended in August 1939 due to the threat of war. It was intended to move the ship from Clydebank for security reasons. The RMS Queen Elizabeth was commissioned by the Royal Navy as a troop ship. The Cunard colours were repainted battleship grey.
Leith Docks
After a meeting with Alan Struthers, James next adventure takes him to Edinburgh and specifically, the port of Leith. Struthers has an unconfirmed intelligence report that sabotage of the Royal Navy’s new ship, RMS Queen Elizabeth, could occur. He arranges for James to join the work force at Leith Docks and keep him informed of any unusual activity or behaviour.
The Grey Gull Inn, Ardrishaig
In chapter 8, the time traveller finds himself two years into the future. It is 1940, Britain and France have declared war on Germany. James decides to stay at an old familiar haunt – The Grey Gull Inn. However, fate is about to play an integral part in his family’s history.
The Empire Exhibition 1938
The country chosen to host the 1938 Empire Exhibition was Scotland and it took place in Bellahoustn Park, Glasgow. The main aim of the exhibition was to help regenerate the local economy which had suffered badly during the 1930s. The exhibition gave employment, albeit temporary, to people within the host city. Cooks, cleaners, car park attendants, first aiders, engineers, tradesmen and administration staff all benefited in a period of high unemployment. The event was held between May and December. It turned out to be one of the wettest summers on record, however 12 million visitors did attend. Once the exhibition had finished, the prominent high tower of 470 feet was dismantled. This being a necessary precaution as it could have been an easy target for the Luftwaffe. Britain was heading towards a war with Germany.