My Books

Skimming the surface:some short stories … and a few poems

Some lighthearted responses to titles suggested by friends.
It’s a mixed bag of pulp fiction, children’s stories, tales set in the future and tales based on reminiscences of early days in Africa.

Light and easy reading with some tongue in cheek

Now available on Amazon.com  in paperback or Kindle

JUST SOME BLOOD

Now available on Amazon.com  in paperback or Kindle – a snip at only $5.00

An eye-witness account of life and death on the gold mines during and after the South African liberation struggle.
Gold was the biggest revenue earner in South Africa – it became a powerful weapon in the campaign to win freedom.

Those who failed to support the directives of activists were eradicated: the others submitted … or died.
Management flailed: fettered by apartheid barriers, they were ill-equipped to cope with the unshackling of a repressed workforce.
Perhaps a slightly different viewpoint, maybe overly critical in the bright light of retrospect?

Nduna – A Swazi Boyhood   

(Kindle version $3.03)

After a childhood in a small rural mountain kingdom, filled with friendly people,

 we were tossed about by the winds of change that wafted through Africa.

The son of a District Commissioner, I grew up with Swazis and spoke siSwati before I spoke English. I am known by my Swazi name in the family and amongst Swazis.

These are some memories of the people, places and dogs in the innocent adventures which filled my early life.
My education was at St Marks – a traditional colonial public school type of school which was a great experience for many – a bit rough for others.

Abandoned by the Crown and rejected by the Swazis, most of us scattered over Southern Africa, somewhat baffled and resentful, but never forgetting the innocent joys of our childhood and the beauty of Swaziland.

Available on Amazon Kindle – only $2.99 

A Swazi Boy  is available in paperback on Amazon. 

 ROUGH JUSTICE – Reminiscences of a Rhodesian Magistrate

Rhodesia in the 1970’s was an adventure and wildlife paradise for young men. The Ministry of Justice offered me the opportunity to serve as a magistrate like my father in Swaziland and his grandfather in the Transkei.

These are stories of court work and my life during the bush war.

Wartime generated an energetic social life, risk taking and carefree attitudes in the attempted suppression of anxieties bred by the dangers all around.

I was not reticent and joined in with vigour, while trying to observe a number of laws I applied in court. But there were some bawdy songs, rugby, a lot of beer and a brawl or two.

Available on Amazon Kindle and now in paperback.

The Purcells of Swaziland

A Family genealogy.

This was the first book I wrote for our family reunion in Swaziland in 2013.

It is a history of the background and family of a colonial administrator in Africa towards the end of the imperial era.

There is a huge number of fascinating stories in our family history in Africa. Amateur genealogy is absorbing. This is an example of how one can depict family genealogy for future generations.