The never-before-told story of Britain’s greatest Special Forces Commander in WWII, unsung hero Lt. Col. Edgar Peacock DSO MC & Bar, who led the fight against Japan in Burma

Lt. Col. Edgar Peacock was a remarkable man who, after an eighteen-year career as a Forestry Manager and Game Warden in the remotest parts of Burma, brought his unparalleled knowledge of the country, its jungles and forests, its peoples and its languages to opposing the Japanese occupation of Burma in the Second World War.  

Peacock taught the British Army how to conduct jungle warfare after their 1942 humiliation, training General Slim’s 14th Army in guerilla warfare. He then practiced what he preached by running his own operation in which his forces, recruited from the local population, killed the enemy at a ratio of over 500 to 1 – at one point outperforming the entire British 12th Army (the successor to the 14th Army in Burma from May 1945). It was the most militarily successful mission that the Special Operations Executive conducted anywhere during the Second World War.

Using brand new research from archives along with interviews with people who had direct involvement with operations, Richard Duckett has pieced together an insightful, engrossing and, at times, thrilling biography of the man, his operations and his life.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

RICHARD DUCKETT is a historian and author who specialises in Special Forces Operations in Burma. His previous books include The Special Operations Executive (SOE) in Burma: Jungle Warfare and Intelligence Gathering in WW2 and Serving the Empire: The Karen of Burma.

Richard Duckett grew up in Eastbourne and, inspired by the wartime stories of his uncle, a veteran of the Burma campaign, studied History and German. He frequently delivers talks about the SOE in Burma including at The Special Forces Club, The National Army Museum, SOAS, Defence Academy at Shrivenham, Britain Burma Society and more.

ABOUT THE CONSULTANT

DUNCAN GILMOUR is the grandson of Lt. Col. Edgar Peacock. Born in Africa, he grew up in Sussex and Oxford and spent 35 years as a British Airways pilot. During this time, he researched his grandfather’s life story and, inspired, joined the small British charity Help 4 Forgotten Allies, which supports old soldiers from Burma, becoming a trustee in 2015. He has made many visits to Myanmar, travelling deep into the country visiting people and places, normally inaccessible to foreigners. During these trips he has met many old veterans and their families, including some who fought alongside his grandfather. Almost everyone of that generation in the region remembers the name Edgar Peacock.

The book also contains a foreword by General the Lord Richards GCB, CBE, DSO –  a retired senior British Army officer and Peer who was formerly the Chief of the Defence Staff, the professional head of the British Armed Forces.