Jam for the Enemy

Between 1904 and 1918, Wallace collected tales about life in the British Army and the escapades and adventures of the troops. These led him to create the eponymous character, ‘Smithy.’ However, ‘Jam for the Enemy’ shines the spotlight on his equally scurrilous partner in crime, Nobby Clark. In this short story, Nobby comes up with a plan to use a crate of jam to scupper the advancing German army. However, as with all Nobby’s plans, the end result isn’t quite what he expected. A light-hearted look at life in the lower ranks, ´Jam for the Enemy´ is perfect for those interested in WWI stories. Born in London, Edgar Wallace (1875 – 1932) was an English writer so prolific that his publisher claimed that he was responsible for a quarter of all books sold in England. Leaving school at the age of 12, Wallace made his first steps into the literary world by selling newspapers on the corner of Fleet Street. He worked as a war correspondent after joining the army at age 21, which honed his writing abilities. This led to the creation of his first book ‘The Four Just Men.’ Wallace is best remembered as the co-creator of ‘King Kong,’ which has been adapted for film 12 times (most notably directed by ‘Lord of the Rings’ director, Peter Jackson, and starring Jack Black and Naomi Watts). However, he leaves behind an extensive body of work, including stories such as ‘The Crimson Circle’ and ‘The Flying Squad’.