Pick Up Your Parrots and Monkeys: And Fall in Facing the Boat

by William Pennington

An unusual, vivid coming-of-age story and unforgettable autobiographical portrayal of the last days of the Indian Raj. "Pick up your parrots and monkeys, and fall in facing the boat" was the traditional order given to British soldiers heading home from India. William Pennington overheard the command when he arrived in India at the age of 17 to serve in the horse artillery. His compelling portrayal of army life extends from the 1930s to the Burma campaign in World War II, where Pennington fought the Japanese as an artillery officer-the most dangerous job in the jungle.
An unusual, vivid coming-of-age story and unforgettable autobiographical portrayal of the last days of the Indian Raj. "Pick up your parrots and monkeys, and fall in facing the boat" was the traditional order given to British soldiers heading home from India. William Pennington overheard the command when he arrived in India at the age of 17 to serve in the horse artillery. His compelling portrayal of army life extends from the 1930s to the Burma campaign in World War II, where Pennington fought the Japanese as an artillery officer-the most dangerous job in the jungle.

352 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2003

Reviews

[Jbondandrews · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did think that the young man in question might be different from the main soldier but no he was just as bad. He seemed to think he should have the same outlook as everyone else and barely tried to see things from another perspective. No wonder the Indians wanted the British out of the country. All the soldiers could do was swear and call the inhabitants any sort of names. I think my family was possibly a rare exception, that they married into the populace and stayed until the third and in some cases fourth generation moved on.

[Darla Ebert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very well told tale from a solider of the Crown who was there in India during most of World War II. Pennington began service as a musician for the troops, and at a very young age, attaining rank by the age of 22. He told all that he remembered from a soldier's point of view, sparing no unpleasant memories from the war itself to the lives among whom he lived in wretched parts of India and Burma.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun memoir of British Colonial India in the 1930s. No politics, just nostalgia.

[Mary Simonsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an eye-witness account of the closing days of the Raj. It is written in a self-deprecating style that just draws you in. It also has one of the best titles for a book ever.

[Patrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

A real disappointment. There are about 100 pages about his life and 250 pages of a general history of WW2.