Send us a text

The Parallel Four Book Two Chapter Twenty

March onto the Pirbright drill square in Autumn 1979 as we tackle the All Arms Drill Course—pace sticks, blistered heels, beeswaxed boots and all. Expect razor-sharp drill, moustachioed instructors who glide like ghosts, and a four-man routine that (ahem) should’ve won. Then ride with us through real British Army life: a Swedish summer christening, posting orders to Northern Ireland, and the bittersweet move from Berlin to Bassingbourn via the frantic Hoek van Holland → Harwich ferry dash—with twins, travel cots, and zero sleep.

What you’ll get:
• Inside Pirbright’s drill culture (proper polish, proper pressure)
• 1979 Cold War family life—love, laughs, logistics
• Posting twists, depot instructor wins, and a chaos-but-together ferry escape

Watch for: true military humour, parade-ground precision, and the heart behind the uniform.

Pirbright, All Arms Drill Course, British Army 1979, pace stick, drill instructor training, Cold War Berlin, Bassingbourn Depot, Northern Ireland tour, military family life, Tim Heale, The Parallel Four, veterans stories, army humour, ferry to Harwich, Hoek van Holland

Writing The Parallel Four has been a journey in itself—a walk through memories, dreams, and all the little moments that shape who we become. Some parts of this story are true. Some are truer than I’d care to admit. And some—well, let’s just say they’re inspired by what might’ve happened if life had taken a different turn.

The characters you’ll meet in these pages—Stephen, Johan, Vinka, Marlin, Tim, and Petra—are fictional, but they live and breathe with the spirit of real people I’ve known, loved, and lost. Their world is stitched together from scraps of real places, actual events, and a few wild yarns that got better with each retelling down the pub.

Poplar, Hitchin, and the snowy reaches of Sweden aren’t just backdrops—they’re characters in their own right. They’ve shaped this story as much as the people in it. And if you happen to recognise a place, a turn of phrase, or a certain kind of mischief from your own youth… well, consider that my nod to you.

This first book takes us from scraped knees to stolen kisses, from playground politics to life’s first real goodbyes. It’s about growing up, making mistakes, and finding the people who’ll stand by you no matter what—even if they sometimes drive you round the bend.

To those who remember the ‘50s and ‘60s—this one’s a memory jogger. To the younger lot—it’s a peek into a time when life moved slower, but feelings still ran just as fast.

And finally, to Stephen, Johan, Vinka, Marlin, Tim, and Petra—six hearts bound by the wonder of first love. Not the fleeting kind that fades with time, but the rare and lasting kind that deepens, steadies, and endures—a love that grows with them, becoming part of who they are, and who they will always be. And though this is only the beginning, the road ahead will test them in ways they cannot yet imagine—through training, through battle, and through the choices that will shape the rest of their lives.

Support the show