This is the second book in the series and I enjoyed it just as much as the first book, A mixture of black humour and laugh out loud humour as the tale of World War 1 continues - some of the tales were so funny I had to stop reading as my eyes were watering. Thoroughly recommended.

I thought the first book in this series was a great read, but its sequel has outdone it! How Donald Jack manages to wring laughs out of the awful mess that was WWI without in the least trivialising its horrors is a literary miracle. What to compare it with? Blackadder and Flashman jump to mind. Traces of PG Wodehouse and, perhaps, faint echoes of Caryl Brahms and Skid Simon's mordant tales of Vladimir Stroganoff's company of Russian exiles may also be detected therein. That said, Jack is his own man and Bartholomew Bandy is a wonderfully original creation. I read this at one sitting and went to bed a happy insomniac at 4:00 am. The description of Bandy's wedding night has to be an all-time comic classic. I can't wait till the third volume in the series comes out. Very, very highly recommended.

A most interesting and entertaining story that involves spies, Irish rebels, political skulduggery, love and marriage, brisk action and hilarious events that beggars belief. Having been posted back to a training squadron Bandy is given rapid promotion to acting colonel which some what goes to his head to the disgust of his friends. However his new political masters require him to do a dirty deed by providing him with data so as to make a political speech to back stab the Army C in C. This misfires and he is immediately demoted to Lieutenant and posted to join the Bicycle corps fighting a rear guard action in the battle of Amiens. After distinguishing himself in action he is recalled home, driving himself back in an abandoned RR silver ghost that he acquires during the retreat. He is re promoted to Major and rejoins the air force now the RAF. On home leave he finds time to get wed. How his new wife and friends manage to get him into the nuptial bed and overcome his ingrained prudish inhibitions results in a series of hilarious incidents. Fortunately once he gets the bit between his teeth there is no holding him back resulting with his wife having to suffer a lack of sleep.