Robbie is on the brink of becoming a teenager and like most boys of his age spends much of his spare time playing computer games. But, unlike other boys, his best friend has been dead for almost one hundred years. Robbie ventures to the Somme to discover the truth behind Cecil's death in the war in 1916.ÔSearching for CecilÕ combines fiction with act. It is based on the true story of Sergeant Robert Cecil Walsh of the 7th Royal West Kent Regiment who went missing, believed killed on the 13th July 1916. Characters and events included have been carefully researched using the RegimentÕs War Diaries and other sources.
The novel offers an insight in to the behaviour of young adults embarking on a transition in their lives, as well as providing a lesson in twentieth century British History. It uses humour to counter the sadness behind the story.