The Singing-Bird and the Barometer

When William Came

by SAKI (1870 - 1916)

We have had many novels about alternate histories, often of the 'What would have happened if Hitler had won the war' type and this is another - except that this one is set in 1913 and the 'William' of the title is that old bogeyman 'Kaiser Bill'. For some reason, at the height of Britain's power, the fear of invasion was common at that time. (See The Riddle of the Sands, The Battle of Dorking, Spies of the Kaiser or even The War of the Worlds)WARNING: Contains mild anti-semitism and jingoism typical of the period. (Summary by Andy Minter)

Listen next episodes of When William Came:
‘A Perfectly Glorious Afternoon’ , An Evening ‘To Be Remembered’ , ‘Es Ist Verboten’ , Herr Von Kwaal , ‘L’Art D’etre Cousine’ , Some Reflections and a ‘Te Deum’ , Sunrise , The Dead Who Do Not Understand , The Event of the Season , The First Night , The Homecoming , The Intelligent Anticipator of Wants , The Lure , The Metski Tsar , The Teashop , The Travelling Companions , Torywood , When William Came