{"product_id":"smithy-abroad-by-edgar-wallace-paperback","title":"Smithy Abroad, by Edgar Wallace (Paperback)","description":"\u003cp\u003eFrom the dust-choked parade grounds of the Cape to the sweltering cantonments of India, the rank-and-file of Britain's Edwardian army turned soldiering into an art form - part boast, part grumble, part tall tale.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA wily private and his French-studying barrack chum hold court in the canteen and cot-room, spinning yarns of regimental cricket matches gone wrong, pickpockets in uniform, bogus inventors, football grudges, and the curious fate of a miserly old sergeant who counted his shillings one time too many. Between the jokes glimmer darker moments - a baptism under fire, a suppressed book, a quiet act of honour no drill manual ever described.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWritten in the pungent Cockney of the marching ranks and laced with the sly, world-weary humour of a man who had worn the khaki himself, these twenty-four sketches capture the forgotten everyday of the Tommy abroad at the twilight of the British Empire.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Wildside Press LLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43184465871057,"sku":"9781667666907","price":14.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0555\/5981\/5377\/files\/9781667666907_FC.jpg?v=1784069938","url":"https:\/\/startlingstories.us\/products\/smithy-abroad-by-edgar-wallace-paperback","provider":"Startling Stories","version":"1.0","type":"link"}