Cupid in Africa

A stern, impeccably proper officer of the British Empire, Major Hugh Walsingham Greene carries the weight of generations of battlefield glory on his shoulders. His personal life, however, is a tangle of loss and disappointment: two failed marriages and a son, Bertram, whose talents lie in poetry, music, and art rather than the rifle. The Major’s contempt for his son’s sensitivities sets the stage for a clash of old‑world expectations and a new, restless spirit.

When the Great War drags the family into its vortex, Bertram is reluctantly ordered to East Africa, thrust into a world of dusty savannas, bustling Mombasa clubs, and the strange customs of colonial life. Amid the chaos of military manoeuvres, he encounters love and camaraderie that challenge the rigid values he has inherited. The narrative follows his uneasy transformation, mixing wry humor with the stark realities of war, as he navigates duty, desire, and the unexpected “baking” of his own destiny.