Elephant company : the inspiring story of an unlikely hero and the animals who helped him save lives in World War II
(Large Print)

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Published
Waterville, Maine : Thorndike Press, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning, [2014].
Format
Large Print
Edition
Large Print edition.
Status
Port Angeles - Large Print Nonfiction
LP 940.5425 CROKE
1 available

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LocationCall NumberStatus
Port Angeles - Large Print NonfictionLP 940.5425 CROKEAvailable

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Published
Waterville, Maine : Thorndike Press, a part of Gale, Cengage Learning, [2014].
Edition
Large Print edition.
Physical Desc
619 pages (large print) : illustrations ; 23 cm
Language
English

Notes

Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references.
Description
Billy Williams came to colonial Burma in 1920, fresh from service in World War I, to a job as a "forest man" for a British teak company. Mesmerized by the intelligence, character, and even humor of the great animals who hauled logs through the remote jungles, he became a gifted "elephant wallah." Increasingly skilled at treating their illnesses and injuries, he also championed more humane treatment for them, even establishing an elephant "school" and "hospital." The friendship of one magnificent tusker in particular, Bandoola, would be revelatory. Vicki Constantine Croke chronicles Williams's growing love for elephants as the animals provide him lessons in courage, trust, and gratitude. But Elephant Company is also a tale of war and daring. When Imperial Japanese forces invaded Burma in 1942, Williams joined the elite Force 136, the British dirty tricks department, operating behind enemy lines. His war elephants would carry supplies, build bridges, and transport the sick and elderly over treacherous mountain terrain. Now well versed in the ways of the jungle, an older, wiser Williams even added to his stable by smuggling more elephants out of Japanese-held territory. As the occupying authorities put a price on his head, Williams and his elephants faced his most perilous test. In a Hollywood-worthy climax, 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.