George Chittenden - Author contribution

When I recently read "The Boy Who Led Them" by George Chittenden I was struck by how real and alive the story was so I emailed the author to ask for some background. I asked him:

The book FEELS like it contains a lot of historical fact about smuggling. Is it researched or just your expected way things were done (I believe you teach history?)

Is the tale entirely fictional or does it contain either historical or legendary references?

When I received the reply I was so struck by it I asked if I could share the contents and he kindly agreed.

The town I'm from, Deal, was notorious for smuggling. So much so that the prime minister William Pitt the younger sent soldiers to the town where they proceeded to burn every sea-worthy vessel in an attempt to destroy the industry that was costing them a fortune in lost revenue. This tactic was only ever employed in Deal. Unfortunately if you weren't a smuggler you were a fisherman so this technique destroyed the towns livelihood. It was this event that initially inspired me to write the novel.

The old part of town which is now named Middle Street is littered with underground tunnels leading from basement to basement and into the cellars of pubs, of which Deal famously had one for every day of the year. The smuggling gangs used these tunnels to ferry cargoes and even local churches were used to store contraband. With regards to actual smuggling techniques I carried out lots and lots of research to guarantee they're accurate. The maritime museum exists and as a child, like Stan, I spent many summer days fascinated by the unusual artefacts such as spout lanterns and brandy tubs. I'm now a member of the museum and I support them via donations and community events.

Teaching history to the younger generation has taught me that it's essential to make it entertaining and engaging. As a result I decided to weave a fictional plot around the towns heritage. As a result the characters are fictional. However all of the locations exist and are as accurate as possible.

One of my aims with the book was to bring the museum to the public's attention and it's working slowly.

He was also kind enough to send me a link to the museum and I was a little surprised that it looks exactly as I imagine it from the description in the book. A visit would hardly break the bank so next time I'm in the area I will be looking in. It sounds fascinating and I wonder if I'll meet Reg?

http://dealmuseum.co.uk/Deal_Museum/Home.html

The Boy Who Led Them by George Chittenden

Review by The Mole

When Stanley discovers a message in a bottle on the seashore he finds he needs to know who the writer was and as much about him as possible to be able to see if there really is treasure to be found. Taking the message to a local museum he meets Reg who tells Stanley what he needs to know and the adventure starts.

The first impression from the description is that this is a children's book and yes, I suppose it is but the way and the style it's written in is ageless. It sounds a bit clichéd? When Reg starts to tell his tale of Jacob Swift, Swift is a young boy but events make him grow up fast and the reader quickly forgets his age and thinks of him as "The Boy" - the king of the smugglers.

Packed with historical fact and historical references this book was a fascination for me and engaging doesn't come close to describing it. I didn't feel patronised or preached to but I felt I was sitting with Reg, in the museum being told the story with a real passion - like only a true fanatic can.

My only concern is, do young children read about smugglers any more? If they don't then I think they should be made to. But don't forget to read the book before you let them have it.

Publisher - Austin & Macauley Publishers
Genre - Action Adventure, Children's and Adults

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