Elephant Company : the inspiring story of an unlikely hero and the animals who helped him save lives in World War II

Summary: Billy Williams came to colonial Burma in 1920 to a job as a "forest man" for a British teak company. Mesmerized by the intelligence, character, and even humor of the great animals who hauled logs through the remote jungles, he became a gifted "elephant wallah" and championed humane treatment for them. When Imperial Japanese forces invaded Burma in 1942, the elephants would carry supplies, build bridges, and transport the sick and elderly over treacherous mountain terrain. As the occupying authorities put a price on his head, Williams and his elephants faced perilous tests, earning military honors.

Record details

ISBN: 9780679603993 (ebk.)
ISBN: 0679603999 (ebk.)
ISBN: 9781400069330 (hardback)
ISBN: 1400069335 (hardback)
Physical Description: xiv, 343 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm
print
Publisher: New York : Random House, [2014]

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 297-328) and index.

Formatted Contents Note:

Introduction -- Map -- Part One. The making of an elephant wallah. Chapter 1. The shoulders of a giant ; Chapter 2. Into the jungle ; Chapter 3. Meeting the boss - and the elephants ; Chapter 4. Initiation rites ; Chapter 5. How to read an elephant ; Chapter 6. The fairest tusker of them all ; Chapter 7. The burning boss ; Chapter 8. Sex, cricket, and blue cheese ; Chapter 9. School for men and elephants ; Chapter 10. Drunk on testosterone ; Chapter 11. Master class in trust and courage ; Chapter 12. The jungle family has no wife ; Chapter 13. "The murder of me" ; Chapter 14. Bandoola : hero or rogue? ; Chapter 15. A murder investigation ; Chapter 16. Rebels and reunions -- Part Two. Love and elephants. Chapter 17. Tiger hour ; Chapter 18. The cannibal islands ; Chapter 19. Sunlight and shadow ; Chapter 20. Into the cauldron -- Part Three. War elephants. Chapter 21. Fleeing Burma ; Chapter 22. No. 1 war elephant ; Chapter 23. The making of Elephant Bill ; Chapter 24. Elephant Company hits its stride ; Chapter 25. A crazy idea ; Chapter 26. The elephant stairway -- Epilogue.