Skip to main content
Digital Audiobook
Our War by Christopher Somerville

Listen to a sample

00:00
00:00

Our War

Author
Christopher Somerville
Narrator
Christopher Somerville
Publisher
Orion
Publish Date
16 April 2020
Run Time
14 hours 14 minutes
Format
Audiobook
Genre
Warfare and defence, True war and combat stories
$13.95

Log in to see your price

Gift

What to expect

'Extraordinary ...If they had not made our war their war also, victory might not have come in 1945' DAILY TELEGRAPH

In this powerful and moving narrative, Christopher Somerville skilfully links personal testimonies to present an epic which embraces comedy and tragedy, pride and degradation, close comradeship and stark racial prejudice, devotion to the benign Mother Country and a burning desire to see the back of her.

Many of the veterans had never previously talked of their experiences, even to close loved ones. They cover such topics as attitudes to Britain before and after the war, why Commonwealth citizens offered to fight, and how some volunteers were inspired by their wartime service while others were thoroughly disillusioned. The result is a rare and faithful memoir to the five million Commonwealth citizens who fought for the Allies and the 170,000 who died or went missing.

Critics Review

  • Vivid reading. Knowing that some of the fighting in the Burmese jungle was hand-to-hand is one thing; reading what it was like to take part in a bayonet charge is quite another

    SUNDAY TELEGRAPH

  • But for Somerville, many of the stories in this fascinating book would have been lost with the deaths of their tellers. This is the first time some of these men and women have spoken about their experiences

    EYE ON TUESDAY

  • An extraordinary kaleidoscope of the last Imperial experience ... the Africans, whom the British paid miserably even when they were in the front line in Burma, are humblingly generous in their recollections ... If they had not made our war their war also, victory might not have come in 1945

    DAILY TELEGRAPH

  • An engrossing, well told story of terror, extraordinary courage and friendships forged for life. And humour. Somerville wisely gives his interviewees free rein to show that even in the most frightening incidents, people can still raise a smile

    HUDDERSFIELD EXAMINER

See more reviews
  • The book says that Commonwealth veterans may feel exasperation, affection or disillusion for this 'boxed and foxed old Dame' named Britain, but never indifference

    NZ HERALD

  • OUR WAR is based on interviews with over eighty men and women from all corners of the globe who participated and shared some notion of what it was to be a member of the Commonwealth at war. It is a beautifully produced book ... enabling so many different voices from the Commonwealth to enrich our knowledge of the experiences of war

    TIMES LITERARY SUPPLEMENT

  • There are biographies and reminiscences of heroes and villains but this is the first report by ordinary people without illusion or love of war ... These ordinary men and women have brought out some old dreams and nightmares which many of us can match with small packets of faded letters precious in their very unordinary stories

    CONTEMPORARY REVIEW

  • One of the strengths of OUR WAR is that it is truly and even-handedly a Commonwealth history. All its combatants are given attention

    NEWSWEEK BULLETIN

  • OUR WAR is very well-researched and balanced. This is no essay by generals or politicians but a day-to-day account of grassroots experience from its highs to its devastating catastrophes

    CANBERRA TIMES

  • A readable, revealing book ... This is an inspiring story: politicians and generals make the decisions but it is the ordinary people who make history

    THE AGE, MELBOURNE

User Reviews

No reviews yet.

Details
Author
Christopher Somerville
Narrator
Christopher Somerville
Duration
14 hours 14 minutes
Release Date
16 April 2020
ISBN
9781474618717
Format
Audiobook
Publisher
Orion
Genre
Warfare and defence, True war and combat stories

Synopsis

'Extraordinary ...If they had not made our war their war also, victory might not have come in 1945' DAILY TELEGRAPHIn this powerful and moving narrative, Christopher Somerville skilfully links personal testimonies to present an epic which embraces comedy and tragedy, pride and degradation, close comradeship and stark racial prejudice, devotion to the benign Mother Country and a burning desire to see the back of her. Many of the veterans had never previously talked of their experiences, even to close loved ones. They cover such topics as attitudes to Britain before and after the war, why Commonwealth citizens offered to fight, and how some volunteers were inspired by their wartime service while others were thoroughly disillusioned. The result is a rare and faithful memoir to the five million Commonwealth citizens who fought for the Allies and the 170,000 who died or went missing.

More from the same author

About xigxag

xigxag is an independent, UK-based audiobook platform and the UK's only B Corp certified audiobook company. We offer nearly 150,000 audiobooks, all with professional human narration. No AI-generated voices. xigxag is rated an Ethical Consumer Best Buy for audiobooks and a top-rated ethical bookshop.

There is no subscription. You buy the audiobooks you want, you own them permanently, and prices start at $13.95. The more you listen over the year, the less you pay per book, and there is always a selection in Listen for Less from $7.95. You can also send audiobooks as gifts using our audiobook gift cards or in-app gifting.

Every audiobook on xigxag has honest reviews covering both the book and the narration, and our community features make it easy to share what you are listening to, discover what others recommend, and find your next listen.

Download or stream on iOS, Android, or in your browser. Browse the full catalogue at xigxag.co.uk.