Avalanche of Daisies
by Beryl Kingston
It is 1944, and Private Steve Wilkins is waiting to go to war. A new recruit to the mighty Desert Rats, he is billeted in Norfolk as the Allies meticulously plan the attack to open up the Second Front. Being nineteen and away from home for the first time, Steve, along with his fellow recruits, must find something to keep his mind off what lays ahead. The Saturday hop at King's Lynn, with its dancing and local girls, is the perfect distraction. Steve, calm and confident when it comes to the Army, but tongue tied when it comes to girls, usually leaves chasing tail to his friends. But when Steve witnesses a local lad pushing around a young girl, he intercedes without a second thought. Barbara, or Spitfire to her friends, isn't normally in need of rescuing. But when Steve comes to her aid and sweeps her away from Victor and onto the dance floor, she finds herself letting him.