THE second novel in a trilogy based on the Roman invasion of Britannia has been launched by its county author.

Douglas McArthur said The Red Mountain, which started in Abergavenny, exceeded his expectations, “particularly as the vast majority of sales were through Cablenews in Frogmore Street which has stocked the book throughout”.

His second book REBELLION, End of the Beginning takes the story on from the defeat of the Celtic army in mid-Wales and the pursuit of Caratacus, to Anglesey and then into the Pennines where the would-be king of Britannia meets his destiny.

The history of the Romans here is ill-defined, as the Celts did not leave a written record, so we are reliant on one or two Roman chroniclers of the time, who were keen to show Rome in a good light. 

“The details are tantalisingly sparse,” says Doug. “I followed the time-line as we knew it, and used the events and battles which were recorded and wove them into the story.

“I surprised myself well into Red Mountain when Caratacus, usually accepted as a hero of the fight against Rome seemed to become a bit of a villain. This was carried on into Rebellion but was simply the way the book panned out.

“It’s one of the fascinating things about writing a novel based on a collection of historical facts. Our local tribe, the Silures, did successfully ambush a column of a Roman legion in the eastern valleys, but no-one could say for sure which one.

“So I wrote it as the Hafodrynys Valley, better known perhaps for the Industrial Revolution, but every time I drive through it, I am visualising likely ambush points.”

Douglas McArthur and his family, Lu, and children Helen and Drew, came to Abergavenny in 1981.

Doug was posted to The Barracks, Brecon to look after the Army’s public relations in Wales having previously been the editor of Soldier News, a fortnightly newspaper for the army.

Lu had worked in a wine bar in Camberley prior to the move and wanted to own her own, and the couple eventually decided that Abergavenny was just the spot.

After six years of hard work, Doug was posted to RAF Strike Command in High Wycombe, which proved to be a cross-roads.

Strike was seen as a major promotion but it meant living apart five nights a week, so he resigned and joined the TA to run its newspaper, completing an officer entry course and eventually passing out of the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.

“I think I not only dug up most of Sennybridge training area at that time but then filled it in again. I was not very good at competing against 20 year olds, but relied on age and cunning to fend off youth and speed.

“I just scraped through with a pass but as my company commander said, my one pip was no bigger or smaller than anyone else’s, so I was now commissioned into The Royal Regiment of Wales.”

Then followed two short service Regular commissions, duty in Hong Kong, Northern Ireland, Belize and Cyprus.

“Now I seem to be a writer,” he mused. “I started writing several books on different subjects, but nothing came to anything until I started on the Roman series starting in south Wales.

“ I think my interest started with Castle Meadows, and how important it has been to the town as a flood plain.

“The path of the river has changed quite dramatically since the Roman era, but I could quite easily imagine the Legion and busy traders camped on the meadows, living and working.”