The Role Of Birds In World War Two

Having enjoyed the author's previous book covering the First World War, I was looking forward to seeing what would be revealed in this one.

Once again we are introduced to a variety of people, some more well known than others, who despite the war contributed greatly to the study of birds across the globe, and continued long after in many cases.

From the middle of the Atlantic, to a Japanese POW camp, these men were able to study & record bird behaviour & numbers. Often recording information & illustrating birds for the first time.

Readers will learn of one such individual who Sir David Attenborough describes as "the man who most inspired my career."

Anyone who has read Alan Brooke's diaries will know how he loved to dash off for a bit of birdwatching. It was to him a great solace in dealing with the stresses of wartime command. Here we learn more of what he also did post-war, long after his diary stops.

Then we have the chapter on pidgeons & peregrines. While we know how pidgeons were used to send messages, it was fascinating, & at times shocking, to learn of the methods used along the British coastline to reduce the number of peregrines. The pidgeons main adversary.

This book has been another fascinating account of how war & nature are connected.

I really do recommend it to you.

Once again my thanks to Pen & Sword Books for my review copy.