Peace Work

War Memoirs #7

by Spike Milligan

This volume of Spike Milligan's memoires begins in 1946 when he leaves the army and returns to a drab London to resume his career as a band musician. Eventually after several tours entertaining the troops in Germany, he turns to script writing for radio, then teams up with some other lunatics including Harry Secombe and Peter Sellers who decide to call themselves "The Goons".

Genres: Biography, Humor, Nonfiction, Autobiography, History, Comedy, War

240 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published October 3, 1991

About the author

Terence Alan Patrick Seán Milligan, known as Spike, was a comedian, writer and musician. He was of Irish descent, but spent most of his childhood in India and lived most of his later life in England, moving to Australia after retirement. He is famous for his work in The Goon Show, children's poetry and a series of comical autobiographical novels about his experiences serving in the British Army in WWII. Spike Milligan suffered from bipolar disorder, which led to depression and frequent breakdowns, but he will be remembered as a comic genius. His tombstone reads 'I told you I was ill' in Gaelic.

Reviews

[Tony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bit disappointed to be honest. Too staccato. Still funny but this time at the expense of story.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume VII

Because this was a series of books, rather than judging them individually, I prefer to think of each one more as a chapter.

Some other readers felt that some of the volumes were weaker than others.
Although this may be true, I choose to rate it as if it were one continuous book.

I did enjoy these memoirs very much.

My original interest came from learning that Spike had served in North Africa at the same time and in the same area as my father-in-law, an American tank commander who was captured by the Germans in Tunisia during the first American battle of WWII.
He spent the remainder of the war in captivity, mainly in Poland until he and another soldier were able to escape.

He’s no longer with us and there are so many questions I wish I would have asked him.

Reading Spike’s story gave me a better understanding of what it was like for these men who truly were heroes.
And I do believe that they really were of the Greatest Generation.


.

[Bob · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute pleasure

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am glad I read the whole series, this volume was less amusing than the others.

[David Campton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read the first couple of books in this series when still at school and they were not only the funniest things I had read but also gave a perspective on the desert war from the perspective of a squaddie rather than a general or historian, if a slightly twisted perspective. I then read the next couple while at university, and again they were very funny. When the next couple came out I read them with slightly less enthusiasm. Partly because they were darker, with the development of Milligan's mental illness (my own development of depression at the time probably didn't help my appreciation of them... I could see why Milligan was I'll but couldn't understand my own... I hadn't fought a war), but I also was falling out of love with what seemed like juvenile humour, and his unreflective, casual sexism and racism, which may been a feature of the forties, but not the 80s when he was writing. So I didn't pick up on this last installment when it came out, indeed only learned that it existed recently, and sadly, reading it reminded me why I wasn't originally on the lookout for it. It is little more than a travelogue cataloguing his successes and failures on stage and in bed, with a few glimpses of the next, unwritten, part of the story - the Goons re-writing the direction of British comedy from the early 50s. There is a sign of what was to come in the concluding script written in part by Milligan for the now largely unremembered Derek Roy, one of those whom Milligan tears apart in the pages of the book despite him effectively heading up his breakthrough vehicle on the BBC. There are some laugh out loud moments, but I was left with a sense of casual cruelty, and am now fearful of going back to read those earlier teenage favourites incase I find that same cynicism there too.

[Dave Lefevre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spike Milligan's string of World War II memoirs gets high accolades, and they deserve their praise. However, something often overlooked is that Spike recorded the audio book versions of each of the books himself! They are treasures! He is a gifted reader, creating voice characterizations for all his friends and the odd characters he meets over his war years (and slightly beyond).

The later books (which, by the sound of his voice, were probably recorded in the 1990s) also contain some loose editing. For just about any other audio book this would be a bad thing, but when done with Spike Milligan it perfect! You get to hear Spike cracking up over his own jokes and memories and you also get to hear the occasional ad libs he was famous for over his entire career.

If you've read the series, be sure to also listen to Spike's readings. It's worth the time.

[Richard Olney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I whizzed through this book, unlike the rest of the series there weren't occasional moments of utter horror to stop me in my tracks - the tale of the woman in the ruins of a town in Italy carrying a dead baby and screaming without making any sound may well stay with me for the rest of my days - but there really are plenty of laugh out loud moments. I would certainly have loved to have watched and then had a drink with the Bill Hall Trio.

Spike returns to England, works up and down the UK as part of The Bill Hall Trio, touring continental Europe including Italy and Germany, the atmosphere of people making the best of the hard times after the Second World War shines through and he's lucky to find and make friends with witty people, though this time there doesn't seem to be anyone funnier than him. The characters are well drawn and although they clearly are real people, or based on them, they still seem real.

While there are funny bits, the mood of this book seems to be gloomier than other volumes, maybe Spike thought he had to try harder for laughs in the volumes set during the War given the context.

This wasn't Spike's last book, he wrote many "..... according to Spike Milligan" books but he didn't write another volume of memoir. Maybe he thought what happened after this book was too well known, The Goons, depressive episodes, devoted father, ladies man, father of British Comedy and National Treasure and so on, maybe that is why this is the last of the series. I'm glad i read all of them, and while i'd maybe not recommend this as heartily as those from "Mussolini.." to "Goodbye Soldier" this still works.

[Rupert Grech · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am biased. I think Spike Milligan is a comic genius and one of the funniest men to have ever walked the planet. The humour may not be to everyone’s taste; it is a very silly, British type based on puns, deliberate misunderstandings and wordplay with a strong sense of the ridiculous. I found this book laugh-out-loud funny, especially the first half before the quips and wisecracks became anticipated. Not just funny, the book is interesting in that it describes the life and times of British variety performers in mid-century Europe. I didn’t know that SM was an accomplished guitarist and played gypsy swing, a la Hot Club de Paris! The script at the end of the book illustrates just how bad English variety-style comedy was in those days.

[Matt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great Finnish to his “war memoirs”. I’ve really enjoyed this series of books, this books sees Spike leave his show in Italy and return to England leaving Toni behind.
It follows him on his tours around Europe entertaining the troops and civilians alike.
If you like Spike then you’ll enjoy this.

[Darla Ebert · Rating 2 out of 5]

A disappointing read, and not quite a memoir as one thinks of a memoir. I think the problem with the book is there is such a brevity to it, a hurried-ness. And the anecdotes, the attempts at humor, are significantly outdated. Plus, the oddball "jokes" can only be understood by people who grew up in the U.K in the 1930's.

[Rob Pearson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sage continues.

Mostly the saga (old folks insurance policies) (oh, and travel agents) (other old peoples stuff is/are available) continues.
Mostly bonking various females (othe sexes are available )

[Jeff Mayo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the seventh and final Spike Milligan memoir. His books covered his time fighting in World War II. By this time, the war was over and the comedian toured with the Bill Hall Trio. Overall, this was a good series, irreverent, and funny. However, the humor has not aged well.

[Steve Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not as good as those before

Love Spike Milligan and his writing. However this seemed rushed and not as fluid as the previous in the war memoir series. Still good, just not great.

[Katherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Spike is funny but I just couldn't handle this book. Gave it half an hour then gave up. I felt as if someone else should have been the narrator...forgive me

[Josh Clubley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like the later books in this series, this book covers his career after the war. I found it a little less interesting than the others but am glad i finished the series.

[Edward Cook · Rating 1 out of 5]

His sense of humour and view on the world have not dated well.

[Jason Towers · Rating 3 out of 5]

**½. Readable and often funny, but feels unfocused, dashed off and poorly edited.

[Adz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not quite as enjoyable as the earlier books in the series, but still humorous.

[Dennis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I have read enough Spike for the time being. Maybe Volume 7 was the one too many. I found this one unfunny, boring and depressing. Admittedly it is in a period of war ravaged Britain recovering from a devastating war and a Government intent on introducing social engineering which was subsequently disastrous. At the same time, Spike is finding his feet as a performer with a succession of gigs in obscure theatres, sometimes to an audience in the single figures. I think I will give Spike a reading rest for a while.

[Andy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final part of Spike's memoirs is an amusing insight into post-war Britain and the reality check The Bill Hall Trio gets after concert party 'fame' overseas. A shot at playing it straight falters but eventually, Bentine, Seagoon and Sellers appear on the scene and save the day. As they say, the rest is history... and not included in this volume. Goon hunters will need to look elsewhere.

[Tosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Spike Milligan is a master wordsmith of sorts. Border line DADA, but yet can still write a narration from point A to Z, but it will be an insane trip from one to the other. Milligan is famous for being part of the Goons, which also included Peter Sellers.

As far as I know their performances were made for the medium of the radio, and although they did live shows in front of an audience, it was mostly for the BBC. The Beatles' George Martin was the main producer for their recordings. Which is one of the reasons why he was chosen to produce the Beatles - John Lennon was a huge fan of the Goons.

Milligan wrote a series of memoirs regarding his experience as a soldier in World War 2; all the horror is expressed via Milligan's surreal wit. This particular volume focuses on the years right after the war, when he was touring through out Europe and the UK with his band. A hardcore Music Hall act, Milligan was one of the last performers of that specific type of Variety Show Theater. He was and still is incredibly influential in the comic world, but also I think his books are great as well.

His description of the UK right after the war is quite visual, and one gets the feeling of long winters, dark days, and the artificial world of the theater at that time. In many ways a good piece to read along with John Osborne’s play "The Entertainer." Both works captures the UK at a certain time and its people dealing with life after such hardship emotionally and economically.

[Reds_reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final book of Spike's wartime memoirs, although really this is all postwar. Spike is still doing some work entertaining troops stationed in Germany but is now looking to move away from that line of work and to find jobs back in the UK. As time moves on he is increasingly working on comedy scriptwriting and less on music. He comes into contact with the BBC, Peter Sellers and Michael Bentine and meets up with Harry Secombe again. By the end of the book all the ingredients are there for The Goons.

I found this volume more enjoyable than the previous two, probably because it was possible to see Spike's transition from troop entertainer to the comic we are more familiar with. The pluses and drawbacks of the previous books are still there (humour - positive, casual sexism of the time - negative) but this book has the added advantage of describing the post-war austerity in Britain which Spike does very well.

[Mike Steven · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although it's a short book, it actually took me quite a while to read as it's very easy to put it down.

The last installment of Spike Milligan's 'war diaries' takes place in the years following the war and follow Spike as he tries to launch his showbiz career. This is, in no way, as interesting as when he was actually at war and is very, very repetitive. Basically, Spike played in theatres in different cities and different countries. He also tries to have sex with various women he meets along the way and is often successful.

Don't get me wrong, after the horrors of the war, I'm pleased that Spike had some good times. However, reading about it was just a little boring. It got two stars instead of one because it did pick up towards the end but I'm probably being a little generous because I enjoyed the earlier diaries so much.

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, I don't think this measures up to the volumes which cover his time in the army in Africa and Italy but this one is much better than book #6. The war books had a nice sense of fun (including Hitler skits), a sense of comradely with his fellow soldiers, while in the midst of a massive horrible war. After that danger and black humor is lost, the post-war books read a little more like a rock 'n' roll tour diary, complete with a detailing of conquests and lots of business details about a touring music group. It is still an interesting read and humorous in spots but much less so than the few few volumes of the series.

[Tanis · Rating 1 out of 5]

I love Spike Milligan but this is a terrible book. He's obviously written it from his appointments diary which makes it quite dull. Nothing more really than a list of woeful bookings in Europe and women he slept with or wanted to sleep with.

[Iain Watson]

Peace Work by Milligan (1999)

[Ben Shepherd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good - definitely one of the better ones of Spike's war septet.

[David Highton · Rating 4 out of 5]

not as funny as the earlier memoirs but still a great read

[Malcolm Pellettier · Rating 4 out of 5]

John Cleese's hero.
prolific bugger.