Pick Up Your Parrots and Monkeys and Fall in Facing the Boat. J. W. Pennington, M. C. Cassell - Brief Article - Book Review

Contemporary Review, Jan, 2004

Pick Up Your Parrots and Monkeys and Fall in Facing the Boat. J. W. Pennington, M. C. Cassell. [pounds sterling]16.99. The author, who was born in Salford in 1920, enlisted in the Royal Horse Artillery when only fourteen and within a year saw action in India. Then in 1939 he was part of the B.E.F., escaped via Dunkirk and later saw action in India and Burma in fighting the Japanese--the 'forgotten war'.

These reminiscences concentrate on his years with the R.H.A. and are as valuable for what they tell of life in the British Army in India before 1939 as for the author's experiences during World War II. (The title comes from an order given to men boarding the troop-ship taking them back to England.) He excels in bringing to life the men's daily existence, as well as the more dramatic moments, whether in Imperial India or in the lanes of Belgium and the jungles of Burma. He also paints memorable pictures of Germany during the occupation and of Britain after the war: he and his wife emigrated to Canada in 1951. Books like this are the stuff of future histories and remind readers of the pride one can take in this country's achievements. (T.B.)