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Elephant Company the inspiring story of an unlikely hero and the animals who helped him save lives in World War II

"In 1920, Billy Williams came to colonial Burma as a "forest man" for a British teak company. Mesmerized by the intelligence and character of the great animals who hauled logs through the jungle, he became a gifted "elephant wallah". In Elephant Company, Vicki Constantine Cr...

Full description

Main Author: Croke, Vicki (Author)
Format: Books Print Book
Language: English
Published: New York : Random House, 2015.
Edition: 2015 Random House Trade Paperback Edition.
Subjects:
Williams, J. H. > (James Howard), > 1897-1958.
Bandoola > (Elephant)
Elephant Company (Great Britain)
World War, 1939-1945 > Campaigns > Burma.
Animals in logging > Burma > History > 20th century.
Asiatic elephant > Burma > History > 20th century.
Working elephants > Burma > History > 20th century.
Animals > War use > History > 20th century.
Burma > History > Japanese occupation, 1942-1945.
Summary: "In 1920, Billy Williams came to colonial Burma as a "forest man" for a British teak company. Mesmerized by the intelligence and character of the great animals who hauled logs through the jungle, he became a gifted "elephant wallah". In Elephant Company, Vicki Constantine Croke chronicles Williams's growing love for elephants as the animals provide him lessons in courage, trust, and gratitude. Elephant Company is also a tale of war and daring. When Japanese forces invaded Burma in 1942, Williams joined the elite British Force 136 and operated behind enemy lines. His war elephants carried supplies, helped build bridges, and transported the sick and elderly over treacherous mountain terrain. As the occupying authorities put a price on his head, Williams and his elephants faced their most perilous test. Elephant Company, cornered by the enemy, attempted a desperate escape: a risky trek over the mountainous border to India, with a bedraggled group of refugees in tow. Part biography, part war epic, Elephant Company is an inspirational narrative that illuminates a little-known chapter in the annals of wartime heroism"--Back cover.
Physical Description: xiv, 343 pages : illustrations, maps ; 21 cm
Bibliography: Includes bibliographical references (pages 297-328) and index.
Includes index.
ISBN: 0812981650 (paperback)
9780812981650 (paperback)
Author Notes: Vicki Constantine Croke has been chronicling animal life for more than two decades--tracking polar bears, Tasmanian devils, and Madagascar's top predator, the fossa. She now covers animal issues for WBUR-FM, Boston's NPR news station, on air ( Here and Now ) and on WBUR's The Wild Life online. Her work there earned a 2013 regional Edward R. Murrow Award. She is the author of The Lady and the Panda: The True Adventures of the First American Explorer to Bring Back China's Most Exotic Animal, and The Modern Ark: The Story of Zoos--Past, Present and Future. Croke has worked on nature documentaries for Disney and for the A&E channel and anchored The Secret Life of Animals on NECN-TV. She also wrote The Boston Globe 's "Animal Beat" column for thirteen years, and has contributed to The New York Times, The Washington Post, The London Sunday Telegraph, Time, Popular Science, O: The Oprah Magazine, Gourmet, National Wildlife, and Discover magazine, among others. She lives in the Boston area.

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