Try Not to Laugh, Sergeant-major

By Jeremy Hands and Robert McGowan

No Synopsis Available.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0708825567
• ISBN13: 9780708825563
• Release Date: May 1989
• Publisher: Time Warner Paperbacks
• Length: 223 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Follow up to the debut

Having first written a book about the experiences of the British military in the Falklands War with a view to providing levity and an insight into the humour used by soldiers to lighten their load, the authors have here followed it up with a variety of amusing anecdotes about the British military in peacetime. Much of the action here involves the BAOR - British Army Of the Rhine - which was the battlegroup the UK had stationed in West Germany as part of its contribution to the defence of Western Europe in the event of Soviet bloc aggression. As such there is not the military action that was prevalent in their first book, Don't Cry For Me Sargent-Major. Without that there is less of a juxtaposition of death and violence and comedy. Which makes the book flow better in some ways. However some chapters are given over to serious discussion of the threat facing the NATO military during the mid to late 1980's and while these are redundant now they are still valid to give a sense of what the Western nations were up against had some unfortunate decisions been made in the Kremlin. I won't spoil it for you by reciting or paraphrasing any of the crazy, ridiculous or downright stupid escapades in my review suffice to say that many are hilarious and will stay with you for a heck of a long time. Not to mention the fact that such a tradition steeped organisation such as the British military is a pretty easy target for irreverent humour. What is lovely about this book and something I only appreciate now that I'm older is that there is no looking down at the troops. Some may be portrayed as not the sharpest tool shed but they actually want to do a good job and at the end of the day they signed up, so there is a sort of unspoken respect for them as well. If you've ever been in the military or been a student of military history professionally or from the armchair then this is a fine book to track down.

back in the military

I spent 15 years in the Air Force and loved the stories in this book, it took me back to the cameraderie and team work that i felt in my service time. Any service man from any branch would instantly connect with this book. Thanks

Funny yet thoughtful

This book is a great mix of stories, many funny, but with some items that give you reason to think. A notable example is that of the tank commander in Germany (before the fall of the Berlin Wall), who discusses quite calmly the prospect of a vastly superior Soviet force descending on him. Particularly chilling is his statement that should such an invasion happen, his life expectancy would be 20 minutes.But on the whole this is a hugely amusing book, that gives a real insight into the everyday life of the British Forces, rather than the traditional gloss of the 'boys in uniform.' Find it and read it!