Sword of Bone

HERE is a quiet little book of personal experiences unique among the current crop of war reminiscences. Captain Rhodes was an Engineer Stores officer attached to a divisional staff of the BEF in France. It was his job to precede the division on its slow perambulations, to arrange for quarters, and to purchase supplies. The daily comings and goings, the characters and conversation at the officers’ mess, trips afield with the French liaison officer, and meetings with mayors, householders, stationmasters, and bistro proprietors — with these Captain Rhodes creates a haunting picture of British army life in those first eight months of “phony” war. The book ends with a memorable description of the retreat, and of the evacuation from Dunkirk as seen from the beaches.