By James E H Fitzgerald
 
The Red Ribbon Award winning book from the young author James, the eldest son of Edward Fitzgerald.  First published at 11:11 on 11th November 2018.
  
As political events unfold from the assassination of the Archduke Franz Ferdinand (heir presumptive to the Austro-Hungarian throne), the sparks are sent across a central Europe that is primed to explode. This original and gripping short story follows the ordeals of an ordinary middle-class Belgian family in the summer of 1914.
 
An estimated 1 to 1.5 million men, women and children found themselves in exile in France, The Netherlands and Great Britain between August 1914 and November 1918. A recorded 250,000 escaped to Great Britain; 16,000 arriving in the port of Folkestone, Kent during a single day in October 1914.
 
The story is narrated in the first person through the eyes of 7-year-old Jaak Maes, the eldest son of a Pieter and Francijn Maes. Pieter is a reasonably successful businessman and unlikely hero in this WW1 historical fiction, depicting the civilian exodus of Belgium, including its own Government, during late July and August 1914.
 
This is the debut short story of a young author, James E H Fitzgerald, who started writing this aged 10 and completed it in time for the 100-year anniversary of the end of WW1. Although only aged 11, this has as good a story line as any Hollywood blockbuster.