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The Parallel Four Book Two Chapter Twenty One

Fresh off the ferry from Berlin, we land at Bassingbourn Barracks to start life as Queen’s Division depot instructors—and as new homeowners in Hitchin. Peek inside real British Army depot life (1981): grim married quarters, avocado décor, the dreaded confidence course and milling, legendary Gym Queens, and day-one chaos with raw recruits. Off-duty it’s twins, house hunts, GS850s, and grandparents saving the day.
Expect: parade-square discipline, laugh-out-loud domestic mayhem, and an honest look at Cold War era recruit training, family life, and building a home between inspections.

Keywords: Bassingbourn Barracks, Queen’s Division Depot, British Army training 1981, recruit life, Cold War UK garrison, Hitchin family life, confidence course, milling, GS850, Tim Heale, The Parallel Four.

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.

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