Those who read this splendid Second World War memoir will doubtless come to the conclusion that the author is extraordinarily lucky to be alive! After joining up in 1939 with the Queen's Royal Regiment, Mike Lowry was posted to the North West Frontier of India where he cut his military teeth chasing Pathan tribesman bandit gangs for two years, where he was wounded and received a Mention in Despatches. This was exciting enough but only a taste of what was to come. The Japanese advance into Burma threatened India and, along with many thousands of British and Colonial troops, Lowry found himself fighting in the Arakan region, where he earned a further Mention in Despatches. Conditions were appalling and the fighting was bitter by any standards. At one point his Battalion was cut off by the Japs for three weeks but surrender was never an option. Yet even worse was to come as the Battalion was thrown into the thick of the action at Kohima which is rated as the most desperate defensive action for the campaign. In one week 173 members of his Battalion were lost. All this is vividly described in this fascinating and inspiring memoir which will enthrall its readers.
