The Complete MacAuslan

“As a subaltern, you get used to doing pretty well anything. In my brief time I had been called on to command a troop-train, change a baby's nappies, quell a riot of Arab nationalists, manage a football team, take an inventory of buried treasure, and partner a Mother Superior at clock-golf.”

Freshly minted 2nd Lieutenant Dand MacNeill has just been assigned to his first real command: D Platoon of the 2nd Battalion of the Gordon Highlanders, stationed in Tripoli just after the end of WW2. Unfortunately, lurking among the stalwart Scotsmen he is charged with leading is Private MacAuslan, the dirtiest and least competent soldier in the entirety of the British Army. Brave and honest he might be, but MacAuslan is lacking in almost every other quality necessary for a soldiering life, to the point of being referred to as ‘Private Piltdown’ during his court-martial.

What follows is an education for the reader, as through a series of vignettes, MacNeill describes the traditions both of Scotland and of the Army through his many and strange adventures. He travels to the very depths of the African desert to guard a deserted fort, faces off in a football match against the combined might of the Royal Navy, and heads to the wilds of the Scottish Highlands.

Every adventure has a deeply personal feel, as they are semi-autobiographical. MacNeill is an avatar of Fraser himself and reflects his own life in the military. Being a junior officer, the narrator is able to give a balanced view of military life, from the officers’ mess to barrack-room gossip. Although Fraser has a gift for transcribing the various Scottish accents, the casual reader may be bewildered. Thankfully, he has provided a glossary for the odd mix of English, Gaelic, and Hindustani that made up the British soldiering argot.

I think anyone interested in adventure, military history, and warmly humourous writing would get a kick out of these stories. Tales like Captain Errol, The General Danced at Dawn, and especially The Sheik and the Dustbin are simply the sort of writing that doesn’t see the light of day anymore. Readers will meet a colourful cast of characters in a unique setting and may even pick up a yearning to learn to play the bagpipes.