Eighty years ago, a vision of things to come?

…Bradshaw gazed appreciatively at it before he spoke.

   “I must stress that this map is highly confidential, and because of the effect on morale, will not come into the public domain until next year. The effect of the air raids two years ago was massive gentlemen.” He stepped back to the table, picked up a buff folder, and passed it to David for circulation among the listeners.

   “Again highly confidential – you will see it is marked ‘Secret’, which I think is over the top – but of more if not greater interest is the accompanying report by Mowbray Ashton Green and John Owens that lists every single property hit by enemy action, street by street and the local architects and builders appointed to deal with each.”

   The room was silent as everyone studied the map, and the particular areas in which they owned property. Bradshaw moved to the second easel and removed the cloth. Identical to the first, black cross-hatching had been added to a third of the coloured areas. As if to make sure that he had the undivided attention of everyone in the room, again Bradshaw paused for effect.

   “Every cross-hatched property is either owned or controlled by the people in this room: about forty per cent of the 19,000 buildings damaged in the air raids.”

   The room rustled with anticipation.

   His words hung in the air, and Isaac heard the slight intake of breath from David Lloyd next to him.

An extract from Chapter Twelve of ‘Go Swift and Far’ – the first novel in The Chronicles of Bath