Trafford Publishing: The First Snow of Winter

Here is the full reference card for this book...

If you'd rather place an order by talking to one of our cheerful order desk clerks, please call 1-888-232-4444 (USA and Canada only) or 250-383-6864. From Europe, ring our UK order desk clerk at local rate number 0845 230 9601 (UK only) or 44 (0)1865 722 113.

The First Snow of Winter

by Fred Allen

308 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #01-0281; ISBN 1-55212-879-2; US$28.00, C$31.50, EUR23.00, £16.00

It is the story of a WWII hero, his unfaithful wife, his pregnant daughter, a brave and loyal son, and the realization that his Victoria Cross was really won by his friend and mentor, Sharkey, and the admission by his wife that his daughter was not really his. This knowledge all weighs heavily on the shoulders of our hero as he and his family depart Quebec City for Fredericton and encounters an early winter storm coming in off the Gulf of St. Lawrence twenty-four hours earlier than expected. The results of the encounter with the fierce storm provides tragic solutions to the family problems.

Read more!

about the book about the author sample excerpt catalogue info

About the Book

This is the tragic story of Major Peter Marshall, Canada's most decorated war hero in World War II, the disintegration of his family and the devastating impact of a vicious early winter storm.
One fateful weekend in November, 1963, Peter Marshall's suspicions of his wife's infidelity are confirmed in her explosive confession of a continuing affair and the revelation that he is not the father of their daughter. Also, at the annual regimental reunion, the German tank commander at the "Old Quarry" where Peter won his Victoria Cross unwittingly reveals that it was not Peter whose heroic action won the award but those of the redoubtable Sharkey, the Irish Soldiers' Soldier, who had been Peter's loyal friend and mentor. The former German officer's comments dispel the "fog of battle" that had clouded Peter's memory and he is devastated by what he had done to his dear friend. This is also the story of Peter's son Robbie who both idolizes and idealizes his father, and the beautiful and pregnant Sandy, Peter's daughter, whose insecurity makes her an easy target for the predatory and more experienced Jonathan.

About the Author

Fred Allen was born in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan and raised in Fredericton, N.B. He was educated in several Fredericton public schools but, by his own admission, just didn't make it through Grade VII when he landed a job as a bellboy in the old Barker House. There was no salary, just tips with a small guaranteed nightly income from delivering the wares of a well known bootlegger who operated from the hotel's elaborate lower level gentlemen's washroom. He also had the distinction of caring for the famous giant Coleman Frog which can now be seen in the York Sunbury Museum in Fredericton. As a term of his employment at the Barker House he was sworn to secrecy on the origin - and authenticity - of the famous frog. After six months of dusting the giant frog several times a week, he swears that the secret will go to his grave with him.
Fred was saved from cleaning spittoons and dusting the Giant Frog, and possible incarceration for his dubious extracurricular liquor deliveries, when he was hired in the same capacity - as a bellboy - by the Queen Hotel, Fredericton's leading hostelry. There was still no salary but meals and a uniform were provided. Uniforms were "hot stuff" with the girls in the late '30s so there were certain fringe benefits.
Fred was then saved from a life of answering bells by the outbreak of war and the mobilization of the 104th Battery, the militia unit he had joined at age fifteen. He spent five and a half years overseas with service in the UK and Northwest Europe. On demobilization in 1946 he was accepted as a mature student by the University of New Brunswick. He found university much more to his liking than public school and was a gold medallist and triple prize winner in his junior year. On graduation he was awarded a Beaverbrook Overseas Scholarship but was obliged to withdraw because of a prior military commitment.
He served in the Royal Canadian Artillery and the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery until 1968 with service in Northwest Europe, exchange postings in the United States and service with the ICC peace keeping mission in Indo China. He also served with the 79th Field Regiment, 1st and 3rd Regiments, RCHA, and as an IG (Instructor in Gunnery) at the School of Artillery in Shilo, Manitoba. His final posting was a Resident Staff Officer serving four universities in Southwestern Ontario. At the UWO and WLU he had the designation of Associate Professor of Military Studies but the true indication of his status in the academic hierarchy was that he had a parking spot in the "Red" lots.
On retirement from the Armed Forces in 1968 Fred joined the staff of Sir James Dunn C&VS in Sault Ste. Marie as a teacher of mathematics. He became well known to teachers throughout Ontario for his efforts to improve teachers' pensions and served for seven years as the elected representative of Ontario's Secondary School Teachers OSSTF) on the Teachers' Superannuation Commission now the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board. On his retirement he was awarded an honorary life membership by OSSTF for his service to education in Ontario. More important, the staff at his high school (SirJames Dunn C&VS) made him an honorary graduate of the high school leaving him only to find a cooperative public school principal to complete his academic record.
During the 1980s and early 90s Fred planned, conducted and participated in dozens of workshops and seminars on retirement planning for teachers throughout Ontario. For eight years he was publisher of Teachers Money Matters a monthly newspaper designed to inform teachers on all matters relating to financial security.
Fred has resided in Thornhill for eighteen years with his wife of fifty-three years, Nell. They have three sons and a daughter, six grand children and six great grandchildren.
This is his first novel, a second The Faith of Maria has also been completed and a third The Enclave is nearing completion. There is also a fourth book ... From Among my Souvenirs in what he refers to the gestation stage which will consist of reminiscences of his several careers and those wonderful years growing up in Fredericton.
Fred Allen's novel Megan MacKenzie - A Canadian Tragedy is also available through Trafford Publishing.

Sample Excerpt

This excerpt from The First Snow of Winter describes the action for which Peter was awarded the Victoria Cross and explains the reasons for his very hazy recollections as to what actually happened. The gaps in his memory would be filled in by the German tank commander when he met him at the regimental reunion nearly twenty years later. This excerpt covers five pages from 183 to 188.
... As usual Sharkey had an idea. He quickly sketched out his plan on a page from the platoon commander's notebook. It was based upon the one weakness of the position that had been adopted by the "Hedgehog" commander and that was the restricted access to and from the quarry. There were only the two entrances and both were steep and narrow. In fact they were so steep that an exiting tank would, for an instant, expose its most vulnerable parts - underbelly and tracks - at the top of each ramp. They could position one anti-tank weapon to cover each exit and also try and place three anti-tank mines across each exit so as the lead tank came over the prow of the ramp it would fall on the land mines.
The alternative was to wait until they could break wireless silence in about three hours and request help. The problem in following this plan would be that in three hours the Germans could be deep into the allied rear echelons. The compromise plan was to set up their control of the exits so that if the Germans did make a move they could put Sharkey's original plan into effect and try to prevent the tanks from exiting the quarry.
They proceeded very carefully and succeeded in placing the anti-tank weapons at points from which they could cover the two exits and Peter had succeeded in placing the three anti-tank mines across the right exit when all hell broke loose. In his attempt to mine the left-hand entrance, Sharkey had encountered a sentry post that he and Peter had missed on their original reconnaissance and his little group had come under fire. With a well placed grenade Sharkey neutralized the sentry post but the damage had been done and the element of surprise was lost.
The roar of starting engines broke the morning silence as the German commander realized he had no choice but to start his foray into allied lines immediately. Nearly blotted out by the sound of tank engines were shouts and commands of the tank crews. From the top of the ramp at the left entrance Peter careful took aim and dropped two Germans trying to extract ground irons to which the camouflage nets were attached. Still partially covered by their camouflage nets, the huge tanks all appeared to be heading up the ramp to the left exit. Sharkey and his group had not had time to set out their mines but his PIAT made a direct hit on one of the lead tank's tracks as it rose up over the prow of the ramp and the shuddering hulk swung silently and, as Sharkey had predicted, blocked the forward progress of the other two tanks. They reversed immediately and lumbering slowly turned towards the other exit.
Peter suddenly could hear Sharkey screaming "Here they come Boyo! Watch out for the APCs!" It was only now that Peter realized that there had been three Armoured Personnel Carriers under the camouflage nets that they had not seen in their reconnaissance. The APCs now headed for the right exit leading the other two tanks. Sharkey and his group picked off the members of the crew as they bailed out of their disabled tank and took two them as prisoners both wounded. They were both Hitler Youth and still full of fight. Sharkey silenced them quickly with wellplaced thumps from his rifle butt and had them tied up and taken back to the platoon commander. With the left exit now effectively blocked, Sharkey now moved quickly to join Peter at the other exit taking the two remaining PIATs just as the APCs started up the ramp.
Peter directed the fire of the PIAT covering his exit and they knocked out the first APC. The second APC attempted to push through the wreckage and was ripped apart by one of the mines Peter's group had set out. The third APC was experiencing difficulty in getting through the piles of wreckage and there were streams of orders coming from the second tank Peter moved up hoping to be able to hit the tank with one of the explosives he was carrying in his small back pack. As he hurled the package he was aware that the tank turret opened and the head and shoulders of the tank commander emerged firing an automatic weapon. The sensation Peter felt when he was hit was as if someone had hit him on the head with a baseball bat. Suddenly he was on his knees, blood was streaming down the side of his face, his eyes just refused to focus and his legs didn't respond to the order to move him away from this place. Then he felt something rip into the back of his leg and darkness descended.
The next thing Peter knew was that he was limping back towards the patrol's base position; he was carrying his rifle with which he was threatening several very young German soldiers. Two of the soldiers were carrying the stretcher they had used to move their supplies up to the quarry on which lay the limp lifeless figure of Sharkey. One of the young Germans was jabbering at him in what appeared to be broken English "he is dead, Sergeant, this man is dead!" Peter refused to listen and waved his rifle menacingly. "No! No! He's not dead! Move! Move!
Perhaps reality finally started to penetrate his awareness with the realization that Sharkey, the indestructible Sharkey, was really dead. Tears started to well up in his eyes and despite the repeated admonitions he had heard from Sharkey that "Soldiers don't cry" tears flowed down his face and suddenly Peter felt terribly tired.
When Peter awoke he was in a bed at a field dressing station. His head was swathed in bandages and there was another heavy bandage around his right leg above his knee. Noting that Peter was now awake, one of the orderlies told a doctor who came over to speak to Peter.
"Well, Sergeant; you just qualified for a couple more wound stripes. Nothing serious; the head wound looked serious but your helmet saved you and it turned out to be just a concussion with contusions - doesn't that sound great to tell your grandchildren - a concussion with contusions. The leg is only a flesh wound but I note another scar not far from there and it would appear, Sergeant, that you don't cover your ass very well. We're going to send you back to a field hospital later in the day and they'll probably keep you there for a week or so. Say hello to all of those pretty nurses for me." Peter was transferred to the field hospital later that day.
Peter was up walking around a few days later but he was advised that the leg wound was a little more serious than indicated in the original diagnosis. There was some muscle and hamstring damage that would take a bit of time and therapy to heal so the war might just be over for him.
Ten days after his arrival at the field hospital Peter was getting ready for a flight back to England and treatment in one of the base hospitals to be followed by a month or so at a convalescence depot. Late in the afternoon one of the nurses told him that he had some visitors and VIPs at that. He was seated in his wheel chair when the group entered the ward and Peter instinctive attempted to rise when he recognized the brigade commander - the same officer who had been his boss as brigade major - but the Brigadier told him to remain seated.
The Brigadier was accompanied by Peter's CO and the Battalion Adjutant. "Sergeant Marshall, I consider it a great honor to be here today. The Division Commander was called to a conference at 21 Army Group and he asked me to represent him. His Majesty, King George VI, has graciously agreed on the recommendation of the General Officer Commanding the Canadian Forces in Europe to confer upon you his highest award for valor in the face of the enemy, the Victoria Cross. This award is for conspicuous gallantry in an action that will save thousands of lives. In making the original recommendation your CO determined that in the action at the old quarry you participated in all phases of the action from planning to the highly effective execution. Our investigation confirmed that under your personal direction troops under your command destroyed two heavy tanks and three APCs. with total disregard for your own safety. Furthermore, although painfully wounded, you personally neutralized the third tank. You took ten prisoners including the German commander and made a valiant effort to save the life of your comrade CSM Shawkey."
The Brigadier saluted Peter and stepped forward to shake his hand. At this point loud applause broke out from members of the visiting party, assembled doctors and nurses and the other patients in the ward.
The Brigadier continued. "You will recall, Sergeant, that for several years - off and on - you and I have discussed whether you should apply for officer training. Well that question has been resolved by His Majesty. As of this date Sergeant Marshall becomes Lieutenant Marshall as His Majesty confers on you a battlefield commission. While I have always been unsuccessful in my efforts to persuade you to apply for officers' training, I'm reasonably sure that you have no intention of disobeying a Royal Command. You will return to England tomorrow as scheduled but you will remain in London in accommodations to be arranged by CMHQ and prepare for the investiture which will be in about two weeks. Treatment and physiotherapy will be provided by a hospital in the London area and regimental tailors have been alerted to provide you with a complete officers' wardrobe on a priority basis. Most of the cost of the new wardrobe will be met by your very grateful Government and the cost to you should be not that difficult as I understand you have been recently restored to full pay after defraying the cost of refurbishing a certain English pub. Finally, after the investiture, you will be flown back to Canada to participate in a major bond drive which will open, after rehearsals, in Quebec City. Other awards arising from your highly spectacular action have been the Military Cross for your ...

Catalogue Information