Now or Never: A Dunkirk Story

This is the first of a new series, ‘Voices”, featuring seldom-told stories from British history.  ‘Now or Never’ tells of Private Fazal Khan, who volunteers from his home in India to join the fight against tyranny on the battlefields of the Second World War. Fazal is part of the Indian Service Regiment, where he spends his days caring for mules in the midst of one of the most episodes of the war. He is caught up in the retreat to the beaches of Dunkirk and must deal with even more than the terrors of this dangerous trek to reach the evacuation zone.

The Company’s captain defends his troops in the face of a terrible betrayal at the point of rescue: not everyone has welcomed the help brought by the Indian troops.  Fazal is forced to question why he is even there and why he is expected to be loyal to a king whose people don’t all see him as their equal.

Be sure to read the Author’s notes at the end of the book that reveals more on the role of Indian troops in the war; its both moving and thrilling.