Civilians in Uniform

In this human account of World War II experiences, readers are taken into military camps in beautiful parts of Britain and reminded of the absurdities of men who wore the uniforms of soldiers but were clerks and shop assistants at heart. The book's journey also encompasses travel by troopship to West Africa, marches into the Nigerian bush, and voyages in the South Atlantic, across the Indian Ocean to Bombay and beyond to the Bay of Bengal, to the jungle-clad hills of western Burma. The story throughout is replete with incidents - sometimes amusing - involving the men and women of many kinds and many lands. In his postscript, the author discusses the great constitutional events of 1946/7 on the Indian subcontinent and expresses an appreciation of the achievements and policies of Field Marshal Lord Wavell, who was Viceroy of India during the author's spell in the region as an employee of the Colonial Office.