It's Me Again

A dark period of Brandy’s career. After too short a period enjoying married life Brandy is sent back into battle in command of a non descript squadron of the RFC. This he welds into an effective fighting force with many victories. While leading a flight over enemy lines they meet up with a German ace with a superior machine and they all get shot down but Brandy survives and escapes to returns home on leave a hero only to find his wife dying a victim of a flu epidemic. Although distraught he is sent on a short trip back to Canada for a hero’s reception. On his return he is sent to Russia. While in transit he distracts himself by learning Russian and is befriended by a Russia General and learns to give way to grief and so mourns his loss wife. In Russia he becomes involved with leading units of the White army which he does with distinction and returns back once more a hero.. The war has ended and he returns to Canada and the bosom of a his family facing life once more as a nobody.

The third instalment of the Bandy Papers, and I'm glad to report that it continues to be the comic masterpiece promised by the first volume. These books are, if you can picture this, kin to Flashman and Blackadder, with PG Wodehouse as one parent and Caryl Brahms as the other. It's a very difficult thing to pull off a story dealing with the events of WWI and the Russian Civil War (including deep personal loss on the part of the protagonist) and make the governing tone uproariously funny while covering up none of the horrors. - but Donald Jack manages it with élan. Our unlikely hero is so believable one would swear the reader is rooting for a real person. Extremely highly recommended (but start with Book 1!).