Wild in the hot blind earth

This story is about the experiences of some of the soldiers who endured the largely forgotten Allied campaign in Burma, modern Myanmar, during the last years of the Second World War. This theatre of war featured the broadest coalition of nations, from America, Britain, India, Nationalist China, the Spider Brigades of West Africa and the Gurkhas of Nepal all pitted against the ferocity of the Imperial Japanese army.It traces a soldier’s journey from the Aintree racetrack in Liverpool, via the rural tranquility of West Wales to deep behind enemy lines in Japanese occupied Burma where some of the most brutal fighting of the war took place. It is a tale of endurance and survival in the harshest of environments, interlaced with moments of peace, reflection and romance.There are also several cameos from famous people from the period, including notable military figures such as Brigadier Michael Calvert, a pioneer of Special Forces operations, as well as the actors Paulette Goddard (Modern Times), Jackie Coogan (The Addams Family) and Bill Travers (Born Free). The adversities and hardships these men experienced were extraordinary and their courage and resilience worthy of the commemoration and recognition so many of them were denied during their lifetimes. The title of the novel is taken from a line from the novel As I lay dying by William Faulkner. 6