CANNON FODDER: An English Boy Raised and Blooded in the Cannon's Mouth

Like many English couples exhausted and disenchanted after World War One, Douglas Baker's mother and father emi­grated with their children to South Africa searching for new opportunities to settle the restlessness that the war had engen­dered in them. South Africa itself was a potpourri of races and cultures which offered opportunities that favoured some, whilst allowing them to retain their very English culture.

Douglas himself, born in England, had to contend with conditions in the foreign land in which his family had chosen to raise him. South Africa was a war torn nation where there had been 82 fiercely fought battles against indigenous peoples like the Zulus, more recent settlers like the immigrant Boers, German colonials and more recently rebellious elements bordering on civil war. Added to this furore, a mix of contending civilizations was the discovery of gold and diamonds on the Rand and at Kimberly which added to the excitement and competition. It was through the English residents and Empire builders like Cecil Rhodes that the curse of Apartheid and its stark regulations were challenged.

Cannon Fodder is the prequel to War, Wine & Valour (published in 2005), and documents the author's childhood up to his volunteering to fight for king and country during the Second World War.

"Douglas Baker is a remarkable man and has written a remarkable book. As an infantryman, he rescued a wounded comrade at Gazala while under intensive cross fire. In the carnage at Alamein a shell took away most of his right shoulder blade. He retrained on Sherman tanks. Near Florence an 88mm shell burst on his tank perforating his right lung and almost severing his left arm. He absconded from hos­pital and fought once more at the front. Although just one man's experience of the war it is a gift to the historian with its engrossing accounts and accurate detail. It is also a fascinating insight into day-to-day events and personal feelings during this dif­ficult time. He is undecorated and receives no military pension from the British Government."

William Roach MBE

Douglas Baker, now in his eighty eighth year, is a medical doctor, academic and public speaker who has spent the past fifty years researching the hidden facets of human nature.

The second volume of the author's autobi­ography, War, Wine and Valour describes in vivid detail the six arduous years he spent in the British Armed forces during World War Two. Born in England, but raised in South Africa, he responded to the threat of Nazism and barely sixteen years old enlisted in the Natal Mounted Rifles. His regiment faced Axis forces on five fronts, in Kenya, Central Abyssinia, Cyrenaica and with the British Eighth army he participat­ed in the Battle of El Alamein in which he was dangerously wounded. During the Italian Campaign he fought with the United States Fifth Army and again suf­fered near mortal injuries when his Sherman tank was hit with enemy shell fire. Through six years of active service he came to understand the psychology of men at bay when confronted repeatedly with bombardment, direct attack and sus­tained terror.

The experience of war evoked in him curiosity and discovery which led to the mastery of medicine at Sheffield University. Interweaving the narrative are detailed descriptions and maps, thoroughly researched, of the major battles that the author and his comrades participated in. Their first hand experience adds richness to these events. This is a remarkable story of a remarkable man.