Monty: His Part in My Victory (War Biography Vol. 3) [Paperback]

Spike Milligan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 3, 1978

Britain's looniest war hero completes the third volume of the Milligan memoirs. The nineteenth battery forge into Tunis, cocksure and carefree. They climb on aqueduct with no trousers on (the battery that is; the aqueduct was very well-dressed). Five hundred gunners try to dance with two girls and an old French matron...up there in Valhalla, Monty's laughing fit to burst.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Spike Milligan was born at Ahmednagar in India in 1918. He received his first education in a tent in the Hyderabad Sindh desert and graduated from there, through a series of Roman Catholic schools in India and England, to the Lewisham Polytechnic. He then plunged into the world of Show Business, seduced by his first stage appearance, at the age of eight, in the nativity play of his Poona convent school. He began his career as a band musician, but has since become famous as a humorous scriptwriter and actor in both films and broadcasting. Spike received an honorary CBE in 1992.

Product Details

• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (January 3, 1978)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140045031
• ISBN-13: 978-0140045031
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 4.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.9 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,044,857 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars continues to be worth reading, March 23, 2003

By 

Lee E. "idlefingers" (Arkansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Monty, his part in my victory (Hardcover)

Everytime I pick up one of Milligan's war memoirs I think: "Oh, this one can't possibly be as good as the last" and everytime he proves me wrong. Although Monty is not as engaging as ROMMEL, it is still up there. The book covers the aftermath of the British victory in Africa, which consists of a lot of partying and a lot of sleeping. What's most entertaining is Milligan's recounts of his Old West obsessed father and his accident prone best friend, Harry Edgington. Once again, he makes you wish you were there to experience the times with him. These war memoirs are high reccommended!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another great historical satire from Spike Milligan, April 23, 2010

By 

Randall Abbey - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Monty: His Part in My Victory (War Biography Vol. 3) (Paperback)

Spike Milligan was an outstanding historical satirist. What makes his works different from other contemporaries is that he actually lived what he wrote about. Like greats, such as Hemingway, Milligan reports on the obscure and tangential elements of war, but in a fantastically humorous way.

" Monty . . . " is the third of four installments in Milligan's war biography trilogy. It is a bit shorter the than the other three but contains the same elements of history, humor, and observations. It, like the others, is easy to read in short segments. Each chapter is fairly self-contained.

If you are a fan of Monty Python, Joseph Heller, or Doug Adams, I highly recommend this work.

4.0 out of 5 stars Red Sails in the Sunset, January 31, 2011

By 

Craobh Rua "Craobh Rua" (N. Ireland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Monty: His Part in My Victory (War Biography Vol. 3) (Paperback)

Spike Milligan was born in India, the son of an Irish father who was serving in the British Indian Army. He spent most of his life in England and served in the British Army in World War II - though he took Irish citizenship. Milligan was an undoubted comedy genius and was the principal writer of The Goon Show. He was one of the few people who could get away with referring to a member of the British Royal Family - Prince Charles - as a "little grovelling b@$t@rd" on live television.

"Monty: His Part in My Victory" is the third of Spike's war memoirs. Set between May and September 1943, it's a great time for Spike and his colleagues : with the fighting over in North Africa, they have a few months rest and relaxation before being sent to Italy. There's drinking, dancing, a couple of concerts and even a visit to Carthage. It's not all good news though, as Spike CO is promoted and transferred - his replacement, Jumbo Jenkins, proves to be something of a disaster.

As you'd expect from Spike, there are puns and gags all over the place, aptly captioned sketches and photos and a few Hiltergrams and Stalingrams too. (Still, it might be worth noting that the book was set, and written, in different times...some of the terms used from time to time aren't the most fashionable these days). A couple of quips about his family seem to show that Spike was very much a chip of the old block - Spike's father seems to have been very...Spike-like. (He was apparently obsessed with the Wild West). A short, easily read book, one that'll certainly raise a few laughs.