Elephant Company: The Inspiring Story of an Unlikely Hero and the Animals Who Helped Him Save Lives in World War II, Croke - B

                                               I must admit when my friend Jack Blair mentioned this to me, I wasn't very hopeful. Elephants?  However, this has turned out to be an absolute delight. Elephants were the backbone of the the transportation system used in Burma to export 90% of the world's teak in the 20's and 30's.  English and Burmese companies supervised the harvesting of the trees and the dragging of the trunks to a waterway. After WW1, Billy Williams strode into this world and became one of the finest, if not the best, elephant wallah, in the country. Asian elephants are extremely intelligent, have communication skills and respond well to caring and committed humans.  Williams was one of the most successful people working for the Burmah Teak Trading Co., was promoted and eventually married in 1932. In 1939, over half-a-million people, mostly Indians ,fled from the Japanese invaders west into India and safety. Williams led about 100 company employees and dependents on an elephant safari to safety. For the next six years, he led the Elephant Company which built over 200 bridges that ultimately helped the Empire turn the tide against Japan. He received the OBE in 1945.  This book has been a surprising pleasure.