Raymond Sheppard and Fire in the flint

Dustjacket by Raymond Sheppard

A flint, chipped by an ancient Briton, to serve as a weapon against Roman invaders, is the link between the seven incidents in this story, which is set in Norfolk. From Roman times we follow its adventures until the day during the last war when it is lost for ever under the sea. Raymond Sheppard has drawn the jacket and contributed some brilliant illustrations.

This description is on the flyleaf of the dustjacket to this lovely book, which is similar to BB's "Lord of the forest" in that we track through history around a single object. In the latter it's the story told about an oak tree's life; in the former, it's a piece of flint.

Fire in the flint p.10
Ancient Briton's boat sinks as Roman galley approaches

In a review of another book, the Times ("Shorter Notices." 23 Oct. 1936: p.9) notes that with Robertson's book Zambesi Days that "Mr Roberston's experiences occurred in a fast passing age: he lived them unemotionally but appreciatively, and he has a natural gift of writing, a combination resulting in a most attractive volume". The SF Encyclopedia has biographical dates for Robertson:

Wilfrid Robertson
born Bakewell, Derbyshire: 22 April 1892
died Oxford, Oxfordshire: 5 April 1973

Beyond that I couldn't find any information on this author who was quite prolific in "big game hunter" and boy's adventure stories. He was obviously writing about the former from experience and, I would guess, having written so much about Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe), and other southern African countries, he might well have lived there for a period.

Fire in the flint p.20-21
The Icenis storm the Roman fort / Spear with flint attached

The first chapter follows the Iceni in "The finding of the flint" followed by "The heel of the Norman".

Fire in the flint p.26
Pushing blocks of stone uphill to build Norman castle

Fire in the flint p.37
Torfrid and Edgar save Norman knight from the marshes

Fire in the flint p.41
Norman knight rides off waving thanks

The expression "the fire in the flint" comes from Shakespeare's Timon of Athens (Act 1. Scene 1,30-31) "The fire in the flint Shows not till it be struck" and talks of the possibility of someone/something. Spurgeon, the evangelical preacher used the expression in some thoughts on the Book of Job "There's fire in the flint, cool as it looks; wait till the steel gets a knock at it, and you will see"

The next story "The country folk rise" tells of the Peasant Revolt

Fire in the flint p.48
The peasant's uprising in Norwich

Fire in the flint p.56
Two men jump into the moat

Fire in the flint p.61
The flint knife is broken

 This book contains a narrative following a single piece of flint through the ages, starting with the Iceni tribes in Norfolk and the Romans, and rapidly moves onto the rise and oppression of the Norman. Next comes the Peasant's Revolt.

The chapter called "The church breakers" tells of Cromwell's time and what was fascinating to me was that the churches in question are ones I have visited for an earlier blog series. 

Fire in the flint p.67
A farmer is ploughing when he hears the church bells pealing a warning

Fire in the flint p.75
Cromwell's sympathisers fall in the marshes

Fire in the flint p.78
A round-towered church (resembling Haddiscoechurch)

The next story "The harnessing of the marshes" tells of the draining and return to farmland of the marshes.

Fire in the flint p.82
He uses his spyglass to watch a boat sailing down the Yare river

Fire in the flint p.90
The workers escape the King's men in the fog

Fire in the flint p.92
The flint, stored in a caseing saves a gentleman's life

 "The wildfowlers" tells of those living on the marshes  and uses local dialect which reads beautifully.

Fire in the flint p.97
Two men catch "lemon sole" by a windmill

Fire in the flint p.105
Two men catch a thief

Fire in the flint p.106
The flint resides in a rifle

The last tale is "The losing of the flint"  and takes place during World War Two. Two German fighter pilots are captured by a fenlander, waving his old flintlock at them. He and a friend take the prisoners downriver and are in collison with their rescuers!

Fire in the flint p.109
A German plane crashes and its occupants captured

Fire in the flint p.111
A rescue launch, with no lights, collides with the row boat

The final illustration shows trout swimming over the flintlock whose "last remaining portion of the flint found a permanent resting-place beneath the primeval ooze"

WILFRID ROBERTSON BIBLIOGRAPHY
A Hunter talks. London: A.H. Stockwell, 1930
The Mountain of Gold. London; Glasgow: Blackie & Son, 1935.
Rhodesian Rancher. [Autobiographical reminiscences. With plates.]London; Glasgow: Blackie & Son, 1935.
Zambezi days  London; Glasgow: Blackie & Son, 1936.
The Painted Pool. London: Oxford University Press, 1936.
Raiders from the Bush. London: Oxford University Press, 1937.
The Black Planes [Illustrated by Jack Nicolle]. London: Oxford University Press, 1938.
The Scar on the Film, [Cover by Jack Nicolle] London: Oxford University Press, 1939. [a novel in which a civilization of ancient Phoenicians is discovered in Africa]
The day of Rorke's drift January 22, 1879 London: Oxford University Press, 1940.
Gold over the Border London : Oxford University Press, 1940.
The defence of Mafeking [Series: Great Exploits] London: Oxford University Press, 1941.
Wings over the Zambesi, London: Oxford University Press, 1941.
Dunkirk Dunes to Libyan Sand, London: Oxford University Press, 1941.
The Island Plot.[Illustrated by Lewis Lupton] London: Oxford University Press, [1942]
Lorraine Cross and Southern Cross London: Oxford University Press, [1943]
The Emperor's Ring. A story of the campaign in Abyssinia London: Oxford University Press, 1944.
The Affair of A.20. A story of the campaign in Madagascar London: Oxford University Press, 1945.
The Lost Gold Bars [Illustrated by S. Drigin]. London: Oxford University Press, 1946.
The Missing Legatee [Illustrated by Jack Matthew] London: Oxford University Press, 1947.
Coaster's Mate; An African Adventure  [Illustrated by Jack Matthew] London: Oxford University Press, 1949.
Trant of Makati London: Oxford University Press, 1949.
Bush Patrol [Illustrated by Jack Matthew] London: Oxford University Press, 1950.
The Storm of '96: a tale of the Mashona Rising [Illustrated by Jack Matthew] London: Oxford University Press, 1951.
The Zakana Gold Affair [Illustrated by Jack Matthew] London: Oxford University Press, 1952.
The Lost Mines of Chikova [Illustrated by Jack Mathew] London: Oxford University Press, 1954.
The Young Traveller in Tropical Africa. [With a map and 31 photographs]. London: Phoenix House, 1954.
The House on the Broads London: Quality Press, 1954.
Wagons rolling North : a story of Cecil Rhodes [Illustrated by J. S. Goodall] London: Phoenix House, 1954
The Blue Wagon [Illustrated by Jack Matthew] London: Oxford University Press, 1955.
Jack and the Elephant Bull. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1955
Queer Doings at Quantham. London; New York: Frederick Warne & Co., [1956]
Mandala Trail [Illustrated by Jack Matthew] London: Oxford University Press, 1956.
The Village by the Stones [Illustrated by Fred Exell] London: Phoenix House, 1957.
Snow on the Wold. London; New York: Frederick Warne & Co., [1957]
Mystery at Manthorpe London: J. M. Dent & Sons, 1957.
Fire in the Flint. A tale in seven scenes [Illustrated by Raymond Sheppard]. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1957.
Black Meg's London: J. M. Dent & Sons, 1958.
Shadow of a Rope  London: J. M. Dent & Sons, 1960.
Safari. London; Glasgow: Collins, 1961.
Coaster's Mate. London; Glasgow: Collins, 1961.
The House on the Headland [Illustrated by Geoffrey Whittam]. London: J. M. Dent & Sons, 1962.

SHORT STORIES
 Waiting (ss) The Oxford Annual for Boys 1935
“One White Night” (ss) The Citizen (Gloucester) May 3 1949
Better Value (ss) The Citizen (Gloucester) May 19 1949
Distant Fields Are Green (ss) The Citizen (Gloucester) Jun 17 1949
No Complaints (ss) The Citizen (Gloucester) Oct 5 1949
Floating Assets (ss) The Citizen (Gloucester) Oct 10 1949
Spice to Life (ss) The Citizen (Gloucester) Oct 20 1949
A Case for Compensation (ss) The Citizen (Gloucester) Jan 13 1950
Off the Ration (ss) The Citizen (Gloucester) Jan 25 1950
Black Outlook (ss) The Citizen (Gloucester) Feb 28 1950
Thought for the Morrow (ss) The Citizen (Gloucester) Mar 13 1950
The Porridge Pot (ss) The Citizen (Gloucester) Mar 17 1950
Guest Who Guessed (ss) The Citizen (Gloucester) Apr 13 1950
Labels Sometimes Lie (ss) The Citizen (Gloucester) May 23 1950
Patchwork Quilt (ss) The Citizen (Gloucester) Jun 26 1950 The above from the FiictionMags Index

 "Camp Craft in the African Wilds" in The Big Book for Boys. London: Humphrey Milford /Oxford University Press, 1937
[Unknown] in The Boys V for Victory Book 7. London: Oxford University Press, 1942
"Wet journey" in The Treasure Book of Comics. London: Odhams Press, 1955
"Two tales of Africa" in Stirring Stories for Boys [Ed: Eric Duthie] London: Odhams Press, 1960
"African Man-Eater" in Stirring Stories for Girls. [Ed: Eric Duthie] London: Odhams Press, 1963

OTHERS
"Madui's Curse" in Wide World Magazine, [Month unknown] 1933.
[Unknown] in Wide World Magazine, March 1944