Book Review: Three Sips of Gin by Timothy Bax

Three Sips of Gin
Timothy G Bax
Published by Masai Publisher, Inc.
ISBN:978-0-615-45552-5

I suppose when one settles into an autobiography in which many of those named are known to you, one acquires a sense of comfort. For Rhodesians who did any time in the military or associated services, the surroundings are familiar, you have been there before and you have stepped in the footsteps of the author. Three Sips of Gin goes a little further though, outlining a unique adventurer’s story of professional soldiering in Africa.

Born in Tanzania and raised partly in East Africa and Canada, Bax ends up on the receiving end of a vicious insurgency in the heart of Africa. The author was weaned on danger and yearned much for the adventure of Africa, receiving his fair share of it. He suffered serious wounds during conflict with terrorist gangs mostly on foreign soil.

Bax introduces you to the rugged life of the Rhodesian Light Infantry, as a miserable, non entity recruit, and then, following an abrupt metamorphosis, his status as a proud and highly respected trooper in an elite commando unit at which he apparently excelled. Tim soon finds himself on officer selection and on the hallowed parade grounds of the Rhodesian School of Infantry.

The book presents the reader with more than just ‘war stories’ and Bax blends in many light hearted and humorous anecdotes of his life in the services, in which he pokes fun at military establishment, the espirit de corp and merriment of the Officers Mess, not to mention himself, if not in a slightly self-deprecating way. There is no conformity here and this rather explains Bax’s penchant for the unconventional and, perhaps, why he eventually lands up on selection for a place in the highly esteemed Selous Scouts Regiment.

Readers will follow Tim Bax into the shadowy, top secret world of the pseudo-terrorist operations and thoroughly unconventional warfare. The Selous Scouts blends soldiers and captured nationalist terrorists into small effective units, trained to survive in an uncompromising and abrasive African bush, while delivering subterfuge, death and destruction to their foes in war.

This book is a pleasant and easy read. It will bring particularly more delight to those who were there, but will provide an interesting perspective for those who were not. This is not some boring personal history, it is a well narrated, captivating, all absorbing read, and a must have for anyone interested in Rhodesia’s explosive counter-insurgency history. Bax should be complimented for adding to the ever expanding military book genre on southern Africa, particularly Rhodesia, about which much of the truth is fogged.
Andrew Field
14 December 2011

Book Review: Lost in Africa by Stu Taylor

Lost in Africa
Stu Taylor
Published by 30° South Publishers: Johannesburg
ISBN: 978-1920143-16-9

Stu Taylor, perhaps not surprisingly, is still living in Zimbabwe.  His book describes the life, abuse and hardships of a regular Rhodesian army soldier in the ranks and then Taylor’s struggle with civilian life, in newly independent Zimbabwe, after ‘de-mobbing’.  It is a somewhat capricious account, which many of his contemporaries will find both amusing and tragic as he reflects, in his own humble, often belittling way, a seemingly superfluous, sometimes bacchanal, existence entirely beyond his control.  Despite this he keeps soldiering on, facing hurdles and obstacles, which most mere mortals will never meet.  This is hardly a trumpet blowing account either, despite Taylor having served in the Rhodesian Light Infantry, a crack airborne unit, for thirteen years.  His stories of combat hardly scratch the surface of what it was really like in the thick of battle, yet he captures the hard knocks shared by so many of his ilk during war, political transition and a peace which never really endured.
Andrew Field
9 November 2009

Book Review: All for Nothing by CG Tracey

All for Nothing
C.G. Tracey
Published by Weaver Press, Avondale 2009
ISBN: 978 1 77922 079 0

Tracey’s autobiography is a noteworthy insight into the life of an apolitical, but prominent, ‘Rhodesian’ farmer, from humble beginnings and limited education to one of the most influential and committed men in Zimbabwean agriculture. Tracey dedicated his years to farming and business, but more than anything he was notable in contributing to and promoting a nation through its political upheavals, trade sanctions, an insurgency and the subsequent peace and reconciliation. He was thoroughly dedicated to the new Zimbabwe, guiding many of its nouveau politicians. Tracey was a highly respected man of great ethical standing who knew no colour bar. Yet, all this was no getaway from the greed and ravages of Robert Mugabe’s destructive land reform policy, during which Tracey saw members of his family murdered, and he too being forced off the land by none other than a High Court judge and a senior army officer. Compelling reading for those who need to learn of the racial injustices perpetrated for a very select pecuniary cause.
Andrew Field
3 October 2009