Phil Carradice

Black Chair, The Phil Carradice

Danny raised his arm to show the wound stripes on his sleeve. 'German machine gun at Passchendaele. Three bullets in the thigh and groin.'With injuries serious enough to get him sent home to Wales - and his beloved Angharad - Danny's recovery cannot really begin until he has fulfilled a promise to a friend. For that he must travel north to the National Eisteddfod at Birkenhead, where the appearance of a black-draped Bardic Chair chills the audience... This is Phil Carradice's tribute to Ellis Evans, better known by his bardic name, Hedd Wyn, and to all those young men who lost their lives in the First World War. A work of fiction, The Black Chair draws on careful research for its military authenticity and its determination to convey the suffering and courage of a lost generation. Suitable for children aged 13+Shortlisted for Tir na n-Og Awards 2010: Best English-language Category