NTR: Nothing to Report

by James Leasor

"Superbly authentic atmosphere, taut narration. Mr Leasor would have delighted Kipling." - The Observer"The most clinically accurate description of India and Burma about the time of the Kohima breakthrough I have yet seen." - Daily Telegraph"Mr. Leasor brings to 'Nothing to Report' a journalist's straightforwardness, and an on-the-spot sureness about how frightened men behave, that are both refreshing and effective." - SpectatorIn the early spring of 1944, when the British fortunes of war in the East were low, the Japanese invaded India. From General Headquarters, the word went out that the invasion must be stayed whatever the cost and thus it was that the men of draft RAKXK were sent to one of the unknown, unheard of places in India to defend one of the smaller sectors of the front. NTR is their story and tells of their battles, their loves, their deaths. For they travelled halfway round the world, they endured dangers by land, sea and air, and then, in the end, what was the message they sent back? NTR - Nothing to Report. The reason behind this, illustrating all the irony of war and its consequences, is related in James Leasor’s semi-autobiographical, moving and realistic novel.“…Before a battle, everyone comports himself in a different way, and one that is curiously symbolic of the man himself. There are those who lay out their kit neatly by the side of their bed roll, and then calmly, so it seems, unroll their mosquito nets and lie down, ready and willing for sleep, no more concerned, at least to the looker-on, than if they were off on a week's holiday next day. There are others who lie, nets up, surrounded by busy mosquitoes, talking with friends in low tones, trying to peer through the dimness of the night and see the future and the day beyond. Still others smoke nervously and constantly, jamming their cigarettes through the hole in the concealing tobacco tin, lonely, yet drawn in on themselves like snails with their feelers beneath their shells.All waiting. All passing the time in the only way they know that would make it seem to go quickly. But for all of them, the time drags slowly, and there is no way of making it hurry. Some lucky ones actually fall asleep unexpectedly, and lie on their backs, fully dressed, snoring. But even for them, two o'clock eventually comes; for some too soon, and for others far too late…”“…When the dust had cleared there was no-one left among them to grumble at all, not even Mr Brown. Ten men accounted for in an instant by one shell that had been made months before in a munition sweat shop outside Yoshida City by bare-foot, hungry workers; that had been carried a thousand miles in a ship with some hundreds of British civilians who were being transferred to Changi Jail from Hongkong, and then up through Malaya to Bangkok and Rangoon; and then brought lashed on the backs of mules, six shells a side, to Nyaunglebyin, where a gun crew of unknown Japanese lubricated it with urine and slapped it in the breach….”“…Men who had come from opposite sides of the world to meet so fiercely thus in a place none had heard of a month before. Men who did not hate each other because they did not know each other, but who were intent on killing quickly if they could, for otherwise they might be killed themselves…”

294 pages, Paperback

First published January 20, 2012

About the author

James Leasor was a prolific British author, who wrote historical books and thrillers. A number of Leasor's works were made into films, including his 1978 book, Boarding Party, about an incident from the Second World War that until that time was secret, was turned into a film, "The Sea Wolves", starring Gregory Peck, Roger Moore and David Niven.

Thomas James Leasor was born at Erith, Kent, on 20th December 1923 and educated at the City of London School. On leaving school, whilst waiting to join the army, he had his first foray into journalism, as a cub scout reporter for the Kent Messenger.
He volunteered for the Army in World War 2, as soon as he was old enough. He was commissioned into the Royal Berkshire Regiment and served in Burma with the Lincolnshire Regiment.

After the war he went up to Oriel College, Oxford, to read English. There he edited the Isis magazine, before joining the Daily Express. He became a full-time author in the 1960s. He also ghosted a number of autobiographies for subjects as diverse as the Duke of Windsor, King Zog of Albania, the actors Kenneth More and Jack Hawkins and Rats, a Jack Russell terrier that served with the British Army in Northern Ireland during the Troubles.

He lived for his last 40 years at Swallowcliffe Manor, near Salisbury in Wiltshire. He died on 10th September 2007 and is buried in the churchyard of St Peter’s Church, Swallowcliffe.

Reviews

[David Evans]

Outstanding semi-autobiographical novel from a journalist/novelist with first hand experience of the war in Burma. Reminiscent of “The Manner of Men” which relates the true-life experience of paratroopers in D-Day Normandy, this is a fictionalised account of the real Japanese excursion into India in 1943 which was viewed with alarm lest it lead to an Indian insurrection.
How do soldiers think and behave while waiting for action? The psychology of fear and coping with seemingly random acts of fate which can lead men into the front line of the infantry or leading a night patrol; or having to amputate a foot for the first time; or fight to the death with a fellow over flotsam following a sinking. How would any of us ordinary people cope with extraordinary situations that arise in a seemingly chaotic yet somehow highly organised war? Death comes suddenly and violently to punctuate hours and days of ennui and travel. There’s a lot to ponder, a lot of gin to drink and loads of cigarettes to smoke.
The heat of India is oppressively palpable and the mosquitoes seem to fly around the page to irritate the reader. We follow the travails of various willing and unwilling players who have put their hopes and dreams on hold for the duration while their previous lives seem hazy and unreal. Some will surprise themselves and, while others fall short, life at home is put firmly in perspective.