A fighting retreat: The British Empire, 1947-1997

by Robin Neillands

An oral history of the British Empire from the partition of India in 1947 to the handover of Hong Kong in 1997. Neillands interviewed hundreds of civil and military leaders who explain how the Empire ended in places such as Palestine, Malaya and the Canal Zone.

Genres: Nonfiction

586 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1997

About the author

Robin Hunter Neillands was a British writer known for his works on travel and military history. A former Royal Marine who served in Cyprus and the Middle East, he later became a prolific author, publishing under multiple pen names. His military histories, often featuring firsthand accounts from veterans, challenged revisionist narratives, particularly regarding Bernard Montgomery, the Dieppe Raid, and the Allied bombing campaign in World War II. Neillands also authored numerous travel books inspired by his extensive journeys across Europe. His works, both popular and scholarly, earned him a nomination for the Royal United Services Institute’s Military Literature Award.

Reviews

[cool breeze · Rating 4 out of 5]

This an oral history of the final 50 years of the British Empire, as the sun finally set on it. The author acknowledges that “Some people claim that it is still too soon to have a clear view of the British Empire but ‘oral history’ depends on living people. The justification for an ‘oral history’ is that the memories, opinions and attitudes of people who worked in the Empire and saw life there at first hand deserve to be put on record, or the revisionists will have a clear field to distort the past and rewrite the history.”.

I knew it was going to be a fun book when I read, “This book may paint a different picture of the old Imperialists from that commonly held today in certain quarters” - “The popular, modern conception of the British Empire, that it was a tyranny… run by racists who rode around on elephants wearing solar topees [pith helmets] and dismounting from time to time to lash a native or commit adultery.”

Some examples of other colorful quotes include:

British General Gerald Templar quotes American Ambassador to Britain Joseph Kennedy (father of the President) as telling him in 1940, “England will be invaded in a few weeks and your country will have it’s neck wrung by Hitler like a chicken”.

British Lt.-Colonel John Owen, “Higher minds were devoted to keeping the Arabs happy and one of their proposals was that the troops should no longer refer to the locals as ‘wogs’. An order to that effect went out and the troops’ reaction was almost instantaneous: within days – perhaps hours – the locals were referred to as ‘the gollies’.”

Royal Marine Colour Sergeant Eric Blythe says of the Irish during The Troubles, “If only they were wogs, we could sort this lot out in no time”.

The book is well researched and organised, and a fun read for anyone interested in the subject.

[Stuart Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed many aspects of this book; especially the many personal recollections of the participants in the events described. Neillands main concern is with the reputation of Britain's armed forces - he argues that no other armed forces would have conducted themselves as well in equally trying circumstances. He makes a good case.

When referring to the consequences of Britain's withdrawal from empire - the often tragic collapse into sectarian violence in many former colonies- Neilland's tone can be quite patronising. The impression he leaves is that much pain would have been avoided if only the divided parties had followed Britain's plan for a gradual assumption of independent political power. What such an analysis overlooks is the disruption wrought upon colonised peoples in the first place. Britain (England) redraw the world's boundaries to suit her own ends; created an alien 'class' and imposed a foreign culture on many of her 'client' states. Certainly, we can argue that many benefits resulted and many lives were improved - provided we also acknowledge that such judgments are offered from an assumed superiority of European cultures. No one can say what shape these many societies may have taken if not disrupted.

That said, what this narrative does very well is present a view of the many engagements (or should that be disengagements) from empire from the point of view of the men (mostly) who were tasked with carrying out the sometimes seemingly impossible tasks set by the government of the day.

[Jeff Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really interesting book giving some first-hand recollections of some of the major events contributing to the decline of the British Empire between 1947 and 1997, covering Suez, Aden, the Falklands and Hong Kong. Fascinating read.

[Neil Aplin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A world view from 1947-1997 from the perspective of the British Empire from those that were there on the ground. Should be illuminating - hopefully honest, and not jingoistic.

Wonderfully written account, using submissions from those on the ground, of the end of our Empire. And for all the bad press we got at the time, I think we generally acquitted ourselves with honour and dignity.