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The field marshal's memoirs: A novel
The Field Marshal's John The Field Marshal's Doubleday & FIRST First Edition, First Printing. Not price-clipped. Published by Doubleday & Company, 1975. Octavo. Hardcover. Book is very good. Dust jacket is very good with shelf/edgewear. 100% positive feedback. 30 day money back guarantee. NEXT DAY SHIPPING! Excellent customer service. Please email with any questions. All books packed carefully and ship with free delivery confirmation/tracking. All books come with free bookmarks. Ships from Sag Harbor, New York.Seller 326855 Literature We Buy Books! Collections - Libraries - Estates - Individual Titles. Message us if you have books to sell!
- GenresFictionMilitary Fiction
325 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1975
25 people want to read
About the author
John Masters
148 books52 followersMasters was the son of a lieutenant-colonel whose family had a long tradition of service in the Indian Army. He was educated at Wellington and Sandhurst. On graduating from Sandhurst in 1933, he was seconded to the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry (DCLI) for a year before applying to serve with the 4th Prince of Wales's Own Gurkha Rifles. He saw service on the North-West Frontier with the 2nd battalion of the regiment, and was rapidly given a variety of appointments within the battalion and the regimental depot, becoming the Adjutant of the 2nd battalion in early 1939.
During World War II his battalion was sent to Basra in Iraq, during the brief Anglo-Iraqi War. Masters subsequently served in Iraq, Syria and Persia. In early 1942, he attended the Indian Army Staff College at Quetta. Here he met the wife of a fellow officer and began an affair. They were later to marry. This caused a small scandal at the time.
After Staff College he first served as Brigade Major in 114th Indian Infantry Brigade before being "poached" by "Joe" Lentaigne, another officer from 4th Gurkhas, to be Brigade Major in 111th Indian Infantry Brigade, a Chindit formation. From March, 1944, the brigade served behind the Japanese lines in Burma. On the death of General Orde Wingate on 24 April, Lentaigne became the Chindits' overall commander and Masters commanded the main body of 111 Brigade.
In May, the brigade was ordered to hold a position code-named ‘Blackpool’ near Mogaung in northern Burma. The isolated position was attacked with great intensity for seventeen days and eventually the brigade was forced to withdraw. Masters had to order the medical orderlies to shoot 19 of his own men, casualties who had no hope of recovery or rescue. Masters later wrote about these events in the second volume of his autobiography, The Road Past Mandalay.
After briefly commanding the 3rd battalion of his regiment, Masters subsequently became GSO1 (the Chief of Staff) of Indian 19th Infantry Division, which was heavily involved in the later stages of the Burma Campaign, until the end of the war. After a spell as a staff officer in GHQ India in Delhi, he then served as an instructor at the British Army Staff College, Camberley. He left the army after this posting, and moved to the United States, where he attempted to set up a business promoting walking tours in the Himalayas, one of his hobbies. The business was not a success and, to make ends meet, he decided to write of his experiences in the army. When his novels proved popular, he became a full-time writer.
In later life, Masters and his wife Barbara moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. He died in 1983 from complications following heart surgery. His family and friends scattered his ashes from an aeroplane over the mountain trails he loved to hike. General Sir Michael Rose, the former UN commander in Bosnia, is a stepson of Masters.
During World War II his battalion was sent to Basra in Iraq, during the brief Anglo-Iraqi War. Masters subsequently served in Iraq, Syria and Persia. In early 1942, he attended the Indian Army Staff College at Quetta. Here he met the wife of a fellow officer and began an affair. They were later to marry. This caused a small scandal at the time.
After Staff College he first served as Brigade Major in 114th Indian Infantry Brigade before being "poached" by "Joe" Lentaigne, another officer from 4th Gurkhas, to be Brigade Major in 111th Indian Infantry Brigade, a Chindit formation. From March, 1944, the brigade served behind the Japanese lines in Burma. On the death of General Orde Wingate on 24 April, Lentaigne became the Chindits' overall commander and Masters commanded the main body of 111 Brigade.
In May, the brigade was ordered to hold a position code-named ‘Blackpool’ near Mogaung in northern Burma. The isolated position was attacked with great intensity for seventeen days and eventually the brigade was forced to withdraw. Masters had to order the medical orderlies to shoot 19 of his own men, casualties who had no hope of recovery or rescue. Masters later wrote about these events in the second volume of his autobiography, The Road Past Mandalay.
After briefly commanding the 3rd battalion of his regiment, Masters subsequently became GSO1 (the Chief of Staff) of Indian 19th Infantry Division, which was heavily involved in the later stages of the Burma Campaign, until the end of the war. After a spell as a staff officer in GHQ India in Delhi, he then served as an instructor at the British Army Staff College, Camberley. He left the army after this posting, and moved to the United States, where he attempted to set up a business promoting walking tours in the Himalayas, one of his hobbies. The business was not a success and, to make ends meet, he decided to write of his experiences in the army. When his novels proved popular, he became a full-time writer.
In later life, Masters and his wife Barbara moved to Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. He died in 1983 from complications following heart surgery. His family and friends scattered his ashes from an aeroplane over the mountain trails he loved to hike. General Sir Michael Rose, the former UN commander in Bosnia, is a stepson of Masters.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 14, 2014
It is almost 100 years since John Masters (1914 - 1983) was born in Calcutta (India). His ancestry included both European and Indian roots, and a recent book on the Anglo-Indians, “The Anglo-Indians: a 500 year history” by Muthiah and MacLure confirms this. Indeed, his novel “Bhowani Junction” is based on the lives of Anglo-Indians in India as the country approached independence. After a distinguished military career in the British Indian armed forces, which included active service during WW2, he began publishing novels.
I discovered my tatty paperback version of “The Field Marshall’s Memoirs” in the crowded shelves of Blossoms Book Stall in Bangalore (India). I was attracted to it because the blurb on its cover alluded to the story being related to a military campaign in the Balkans during WW2. As I am fascinated by the Balkans, I purchased the book, and began reading it.
About 30 years after the end of WW2, the Field Marshall decides to write his memoirs of his activities during WW2, particularly the campaign that he won in Yugoslavia at an unlikely named place called ‘Vojja Lovac’ (there is a place in Montenegro called ‘Voja Lovac’; maybe, this is what the author meant). The Field Marshall decides that in his memoirs, everything will be revealed regardless of how damaging it may be to those mentioned in them who are still alive. A newspaper learns that he is beginning to write these no-holds-barred memoirs, and offers to serialise them when they are finished. This paper publishes advance notices about the forthcoming publication, and this is when troubles begin. The Field Marshall knows much that might well harm the reputations of prominent people both in the UK and the USA. He and his family begin receiving threats from all quarters including the UK government. None of these deter the Field Marshall and those who are helping him including his feisty granddaughter Caroline. As the Field Marshall researches his memoirs and surprising revelations appear at a remarkable rate, the mafia and the London underworld become involved. It is impossible to know where the author of the novel is leading us until the slightly disappointing last few pages.
This story unfolds at a spanking pace. There is hardly a page on which some surprising twist in the plot is not introduced. The story-telling in this book is almost as good as that of John Buchan. I read most of the book during short journeys between home and work, but would have probably raced through it in a few hours had I read it in bed. It is ‘unput-downable’.
Masters does not appear to be sympathetic to most of his ‘upper class’ protagonists in this novel, and made me dislike them. Oddly enough he did the same for the majority of the Anglo-Indians, who he portrayed in “Bhowani Junction”, the only other book by Masters that I have read.
The author describes much material related to the military in an easily comprehensible way. This is no doubt because of his considerable experience in the army and the battlefield.
I picked up the “Field Marshall’s Memoirs”, attracted by the promise of some Balkan content, but was disappointed. It would seem to me from reading this novel that Masters was not overly familiar with the region, and his brief biography on ‘Wikipedia’ suggests that he did not see active service in that part of the world. Although this saddened me a little, it certainly did not detract from a fascinating and exciting read.
Reviewed by author of "SCRABBLE WITH SLIVOVITZ", a book about the last years of Yugoslavia.
I discovered my tatty paperback version of “The Field Marshall’s Memoirs” in the crowded shelves of Blossoms Book Stall in Bangalore (India). I was attracted to it because the blurb on its cover alluded to the story being related to a military campaign in the Balkans during WW2. As I am fascinated by the Balkans, I purchased the book, and began reading it.
About 30 years after the end of WW2, the Field Marshall decides to write his memoirs of his activities during WW2, particularly the campaign that he won in Yugoslavia at an unlikely named place called ‘Vojja Lovac’ (there is a place in Montenegro called ‘Voja Lovac’; maybe, this is what the author meant). The Field Marshall decides that in his memoirs, everything will be revealed regardless of how damaging it may be to those mentioned in them who are still alive. A newspaper learns that he is beginning to write these no-holds-barred memoirs, and offers to serialise them when they are finished. This paper publishes advance notices about the forthcoming publication, and this is when troubles begin. The Field Marshall knows much that might well harm the reputations of prominent people both in the UK and the USA. He and his family begin receiving threats from all quarters including the UK government. None of these deter the Field Marshall and those who are helping him including his feisty granddaughter Caroline. As the Field Marshall researches his memoirs and surprising revelations appear at a remarkable rate, the mafia and the London underworld become involved. It is impossible to know where the author of the novel is leading us until the slightly disappointing last few pages.
This story unfolds at a spanking pace. There is hardly a page on which some surprising twist in the plot is not introduced. The story-telling in this book is almost as good as that of John Buchan. I read most of the book during short journeys between home and work, but would have probably raced through it in a few hours had I read it in bed. It is ‘unput-downable’.
Masters does not appear to be sympathetic to most of his ‘upper class’ protagonists in this novel, and made me dislike them. Oddly enough he did the same for the majority of the Anglo-Indians, who he portrayed in “Bhowani Junction”, the only other book by Masters that I have read.
The author describes much material related to the military in an easily comprehensible way. This is no doubt because of his considerable experience in the army and the battlefield.
I picked up the “Field Marshall’s Memoirs”, attracted by the promise of some Balkan content, but was disappointed. It would seem to me from reading this novel that Masters was not overly familiar with the region, and his brief biography on ‘Wikipedia’ suggests that he did not see active service in that part of the world. Although this saddened me a little, it certainly did not detract from a fascinating and exciting read.
Reviewed by author of "SCRABBLE WITH SLIVOVITZ", a book about the last years of Yugoslavia.
October 5, 2025
I had seen this book when I was growing up and thought it was based on an intriguing idea: a Field-Marshal intends to write his memoirs and dredge up revelations that others want to keep buried. However, when I finally got around to reading it, it was a struggle to finish. It read more like a soap opera than a thriller, with very little insight or action, and certainly not a compelling storyline. There's an episode of the original tv series Bergerac (S1E4), that used the central idea in a much more exciting way.
October 4, 2018
I picked this book up mainly because I admire the writer but I did not have high expectations. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find the book an entertaining & interesting reading. The main theme follows a retired field marshal who has decided to write his memoirs about the victory he achieved in the Second World War and, in doing so, honestly reveal all the controversial issues that took place during the campaign . This shocks many powerful influences who try to stop him because they never want these secrets ever to be revealed. This also throws his family into turmoil because of the many personal issues that are exacerbated. While the story is obviously fictitious, Masters has been able to portray an interesting picture of the pressures within the British military and social establishments.
December 24, 2016
This cracks on at a fair pace and is worth reading.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews