{"product_id":"the-winged-couiers-of-verdun-jack-champion-9781918219562","title":"The Winged Couiers of Verdun: WW1, Homing Pigeons, and the Battle to Get Messages Through","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA NOVEL OF WAR, WINGS, AND THE BONDS THAT SURVIVE\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1913, MANCHESTER.\u003c\/strong\u003e Arthur Howarth's world is measured in mill shifts and shillings-until he climbs into the backyard loft he built himself. Here, among his racing pigeons, he masters a quiet science of wind, seed, and instinct. Here, he is a king.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1916, THE SOMME.\u003c\/strong\u003e That science is now a weapon. Transferred to the Army Pigeon Service, Arthur finds himself in a mobile loft at the edge of hell. His new comrades are not soldiers, but birds: veterans with wary eyes, skittish youths, and Shadow-a captured German hen with a preternatural will to survive. As telephone lines are shredded and runners vanish into the mud, these fragile, feathered couriers become the last thread linking desperate men to salvation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFrom the earth-shattering bombardments of Verdun to the drowning mud of Passchendaele, Arthur and his birds navigate a sky turned hostile. He learns that courage is not always a charge, but a return flight through a storm of steel. That the deepest bonds are wordless, forged in trust and grain. And that a single bird, carrying a scribbled plea, can hold the line between a company and oblivion.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eBut when the guns fall silent, a new battle begins. Returning to a home scarred by loss, Arthur must discover if a man trained for a war of messages can learn the language of peace-and if the gentle hands that once held life against the darkness can ever truly come home.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe Winged Couriers of Verdun is a stunningly original and profoundly moving story of the unlikeliest heroes of the Great War. It is a tribute to the silent loyalty of animals, the quiet resilience of the human spirit, and the invisible threads of hope that, even in the darkest hours, refuse to be severed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRead less\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Jack Champion\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1918219567\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781918219562\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Cosmic Jive Publishing\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 12\/20\/2025\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 130\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.35lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.50h x 5.50w x 0.31d","brand":"Jack Champion","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48443108786431,"sku":"9781918219562","price":10.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_e50999ef-5a8d-4d8f-9d7e-ceabad75bf3c.jpg?v=1777201905","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-winged-couiers-of-verdun-jack-champion-9781918219562","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}