The Longest Trench

A story of Britain's canals between August 1914 and November 1918. It is the story of two families, working their boats through the years of conflict, maybe not in the front line but nonetheless fighting for victory in their own way in the world they knew best, keeping the supplies moving, not just of arms and ammunition for the fighting forces but of raw materials and fuel to the factories, and of food for the working population. Careful research and Mr Lewis' own knowledge of the canals make this novel a realistic picture of the life of the boating people in the days of horse-drawn narrow boats, and once again his characters become real people whose fortunes matter to his ardent readers: Joy and sadness meet them along the way as news from the various theatres of war is received, while the burgeoning romance between a boy and girl carries us along towards Armistice Day...