Three Sips of Gin: Dominating the Battlespace with Rhodesia's famed Selous Scouts

by Timothy G. Bax

There is nothing that terrorized Russian and Chinese-backed guerillas fighting Rhodesia's bush war in the 1970s more than the famed Selous Scouts. The very name of the unit struck fear into the very heart and soul of even the most battle-hardened guerillas. Too afraid to even whisper the name amongst themselves, they referred to soldiers of the unit simply as Skuzapu, or pickpockets. It was not for nothing that history has recorded the Selous Scouts Regiment as being one of the deadliest and most effective killing machines in modern counter-insurgency warfare. The Selous Scouts comprised specially selected black and white soldiers of the Rhodesian army, supplemented with the inclusion of hardcore terrorists captured on the battlefield. Dressed and equipped as communist guerrillas and with faces and arms blackened, members of this elite Special Forces unit would slip silently into the shadows of the night to seek and destroy real terrorist gangs. It became a deadly game of hide-and-seek played out between gangs and counter-gangs in the harsh and unforgiving landscape of the African bush. So successful were the Selous Scouts at being able to locate and destroy terrorist in their lairs that by the mid-1970s, they had begun to dominate Rhodesia's battle space. Working in close conjunction with the elite airborne assault troops of the Rhodesian Light Infantry, the Selous Scouts accounted for an extraordinary high proportion of terrorist killed in Rhodesia's bush war. Not content with restricting themselves to hunting guerrillas inside Rhodesia, the Selous Scouts began conducting external vehicle-borne assaults against terrorist camps situated deep inside neighboring countries with devastating loss to the terrorists. Survival in this cauldron of battle was never guaranteed. In this special 'deluxe' edition of author Tim Bax's hugely acclaimed Three Sips of Gin, we follow Tim on his missions into the silence of the shadows. As his story unfolds, we begin to understand how he managed to survive and it is here you will find the significance of 'three sips of gin' revealed. Readers of the earlier edition of the book will not want to miss reading this 'deluxe' edition, which, for the first time, is illustrated with dozens of photographs of every facet of Tim's amazing journey, including stark, never before seen images of the war. Three Sips of Gin is not just a book about war. It is a remarkable book about a remarkable man's life journey. Tim tells his story with the wit, candor and self-deprecating humor for which he has become so well known. His amazing journey is one, which few could ever have experienced.

Genres: History, Africa, Nonfiction, War, Military Fiction, Biography, Military History

448 pages, Paperback

First published May 7, 2011

Reviews

[Abibliofob · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what a wild ride through a mans life in Africa. Timothy G. Bax does love a gin, or two, or three. This is a very funny book despite its sometimes grim topic. Wonderfully told with lots of humor. Maybe not so detailed about the Selous Scout but you get a good picture of the history in those parts of the world. The thing that I most wondered was how he could afford the private life with all the misfortunes with his possessions and stolen property. Sometimes while reading this book I had to stop and laugh out loud, like when he suddenly is at dinner and finds himself seated with Mikhail Kalashnikov who brags about his invention.

[Liz Balaam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having grown up in Rhodesia, and having a Selous Scout for a brother-in-law I was really interested to read this book. I must say I really enjoyed the humour, although I cannot possibly imagine how one person could possibly drink quite this much. I do think, however, although perhaps it was the author's intention to keep the book very lighthearted, and having been there at that time, that the harsh reality as life as a Selous Scout has been pushed to the side. The guys were brave and suffered much for their country. Nevertheless, I did enjoy reading the book, and it brought back a lot of memories for me.

[Trish Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truth is stranger than fiction--definitely in Tim Bax's life. He doesn't need to write fiction because his life story is probably more interesting than anything he could make up.
A well-written, humorous and fascinating look into his life in Africa, and the challenges he has had to overcome.

[Eric S · Rating 3 out of 5]

First off this book is a memoir NOT a serious history of the Selous Scouts. The subtitle in this version of the book is very misleading. I suspect that is why a number of people have given it a poor review. They bought it expecting something else. The original book cover here
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https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...
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is much more accurate. Also this version does NOT mention the earlier version which makes the endorsement by Lt. Col. Ron Reid-Daly, who died 3 years earlier. look rather odd.

Overall this book is very funny. The author has a dry and witty descriptive style that made reading this a pleasure. He never seems to take himself too seriously and is very self-deprecating. While the book has a lot of humor and describes a tremendous amount of drinking, it has a lot of very accurate details about the Rhodesian military. The author went from an ordinary trooper to an officer in the Selous Scouts. The details are fascinating. This is the type of primary source material that historians should grab on to and relate when trying to explain the history of this period. The author gives very casual descriptions of things most people have no idea about. That is critical in understanding an environment and time period. This helps the reader to know that things they might find very odd were commonplace. An example would be his writing about the head nurse (matron) in the Salisbury (now Harare) hospital. His description of the African bush, the insects, heat, rain, and general feel of it is very good.

On the downside there are a lot of stories/adventures which sound more like the antics of a bunch of high school boys than the actions of soldiers fighting a serious war. The realities of living long stretches of boredom punctuated by absolute terror can do that though.

Finally, I must admit the book brought back fond memories of my time in Rhodesia, when it was super. Of hitchhiking from Bulawayo to Victoria Falls and getting stuck in Wanke (now Hwange) under the hot African sun and learning why it was called that.

So if you want a funny read with some serious information on what it was like to fight the Rhodesian guerrilla war this book is for you. Just remember it is a memoir not a history.

[Pop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not what I was expecting. Not so much about the Selous Scouts as it was somewhat a memorandum about his life. I did like it. It was funny sometimes and sad other times.

I’m not a gin guy but I do like a gin martini every now and then. When I do have one I will probably toast the author. The book was good.

[V · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5 ergo 4
The title is misleading, because this is mostly a light hearted autobiography.
If you ignore the initial expectations evoked by the title, you can embark on Timothy Bax's journey, which is a mostly entertaining one.

[Greer Noble · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most uniquely insightful books on the Rhodesian Bush War I've ever had the pleasure to read. It's well written which in itself is refreshing these days, as is the author's consistently unassuming style. His ability to seduce the reader in becoming one with him, seeing everything unfold through his eyes, is uncanny. The energy, bravery and spirit of adventure with which the author portrays himself and his comrades-in-arms gives the word 'courage' a new meaning. The entire book is 'bullet-ridden' with 'laugh-out-loud' humour. It's inconceivable that the author actually survived to fight another day let alone write his memoirs! I've not yet finished reading it (I know when I do I'm going to miss this bedtime story), and when I have I will be back to complete this review. Everything else I have to do during the day has now become irritating as I can't wait to get back to 'my' Three Sips of Gin!!!
Right, I'm back.. and I'm not happy. Yes, you guessed it, the bottle is empty - I've finished my 'Three Sips of Gin'. Tim Bax you are an inspiration. Never will I again be able to have a Gin without it putting a smile on my face! This is, without a doubt, one of the most enthralling and exciting memoirs I've ever read! In fact it reads more like a novel. I've purposely not looked at any other reviews as I did not want to be influenced in any way and I certainly don't want to try to re-write this masterpiece other than to say the author has a remarkable ability to transport one back in time as if it were yesterday. If I were a film producer this book would certainly inspire me - definitely a movie in there somewhere! Tim Bax, thank you! You are greatly gifted and I'm very pleased to hear that you are writing another book. I, for one, can't wait to buy it!

[Elizabeth Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written and entertaining. The Bax family has adventures and Timothy recounts them in vivid detail. Gives a picture of East Africa in the 1960's-1970's that we don't often get. You will enjoy it!

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book. Mr Bax, what a legend!

[Greer Noble · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Bullet-ridden' with 'laugh-out-loud' humour! Never will I again be able to have a Gin without it putting a smile on my face! This is, without a doubt, one of the most enthralling and exciting memoirs I've read! The author has a remarkable ability to transport one back in time as if it were yesterday.

[Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who is fascinated with the history of Rhodesia, and more specifically the Rhodesian Bush War from 1965-1980 this was a superb read. I was expecting the majority of this book to cover Tim Bax's (the author) time in the elite Rhodesian Selous Scouts, but was pleasantly surprised it was a complete biography from his adolescent time in Africa to his later accomplishments. The author is without a doubt hilarious and self effacing. His descriptions and anecdotes of various situations he finds himself in are witty and humorous. His early years in Africa with his father instilled a deep appreciation for Africa. While in South Africa he was waiting to be hired by a well regarded architectural firm when on a lark and broke he took a trip to Rhodesia in a VW bug jalopy that broke down as soon as they arrived in Salisbury (Rhodesia's capital). With the engine seized they made the proper decision to retire to the nearest pub which as fate would have it was occupied by several members of the Rhodesian Light Infantry (a bad ass bunch of soldiers). An officer invited them to join the Rhodesian army and they accepted. After a week or so Bax's buddy beat feat and decided to flee back to Alice Springs Australia. Bax surprisingly realized he had found his calling and kicked ass during the training, finishing as top recruit. Later Bax was asked to join the Selous Scouts. The scouts were complete ass kickers. Their mission was to conduct pseudo terrorist operations in which they infiltrated terrorist cells invading Rhodesia to locate terrorists camps and call in the fire force (Rhodesian Light infantry) to law down pain and hurt on the invaders. The Rhodesian army had a 20-1 kill ratio against the terrorists, despite the fact the terrorists were better equipped with Soviet weapons. During the course of his time in the scouts Bax was blown up (anti-tank mine) in a vehicle and shot nine times by various AK models which led to an amusing encounter with Mikhail Kalashnikov the inventor of the AK-47. Later in life after the fall of Rhodesia Bax was a high level manager for a South African security firm and had occasion to meet Kalashnikov at a dinner and while he was going on and on about what a wonderful weapon he invented Bax pointed out it was not that impressive he had managed to survive being shot 9 times by it and survived! Mikhail in true Russian fashion offered his watch to Bax and they swapped watches. This is a fascinating book I highly recommend to anyone that has an interest in the Rhodesian Bush war.

[Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title of this book and the summaries from Goodreads and Kindle describe a book about the author's experience as a Selous Scout in the Rhodesian Bush War. In reality, it is a series of short stories of the author's life. In the prologue, the author provides a more accurate description: "This book is certainly not intended as an autobiography, or even as an historical account of my life. It is a loose recollection of stories, anecdotes and incidents, some amusing, others outrageous, but all entirely real, that I shared with my family and friends in the course of my life's journey in Africa and which I have attempted to string together in some sort of sequential order."

Only about a third of the book is actually about the author's experience in the Rhodesian Bush War. The first third of the book recounts stories from the author's childhood in Tanganyika (now Tanzania) and Canada (where his family moved when he was 12). As an adult, he initially moves back to South Africa, but somewhat accidentally (it's one of the stories) ends up in Rhodesia. My kindle reader told me I was 40% of the way through the book before the stories from Rhodesia began.

I gave the book 3 stars, because I did find some of the stories amusing and it did include a few interesting stories of the Rhodesian Bush War. Otherwise, the book felt long. Most of his stories as an adult seemed to include booze, mostly gin. I did find myself wondering how the author could remember so many details - or even survive - given how much he drank. I suppose I was expecting to learn more about the Rhodesian Bush War. If you decide to read the book, expect a series of short stories, mostly sequential but not necessarily connected, most involving a bit of humor, with a small number of serious war stories thrown in.

[Nicholas Najjar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good insight into the Rhodesian military and its elite fighting force. The chapters that covered the operations the soldiers embarked on in Mozambique, Zambia, and Rhodesia itself were quite interesting and exciting.

I was reminded of the American war in Vietnam when reading this. Many stories in this book involved drinking, fornicating, rabble rousing, and other non-military activities. The officers lived in their own private villas and the pageantry of the military seemed excessive. It did not matter how many victories the Rhodesians obtained in the field, they were never going to win. Same with the Americans in Vietnam and the Russians in Afghanistan. When you fight a war from a position of comfort with alcohol and fine tobacco, you cannot win it. The enemy is out in the bush or the jungle, eating baboon meat and preparing for the next ambush. There is no stopping them. They will never stop coming. Their goal is an ideological one that has consumed every fiber of their being. Your mind is back home at the villa or in the bottom of a bottle. That is the difference.

Anyways, I liked this one.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've become interested in the history of Rhodesia and its transition in 1980 to Zimbabwe. I started reading Ian Smith's memoirs, "The Great Betrayal", but got too bogged down in the political intricacies. So I switched to this definitely more light-hearted memoir of a man who worked in a special forces group called the Selous Scouts.

Box tells his story of growing up and not knowing what to do wit himself, then getting into the Rhodesian army and eventually moving into this elite fighting force. He refers to the opposition as "gooks" or "terrorists" but it is hard to get a clear picture of the overall situation, which I believe was Communist influence on the natives, trying to stir up rebellion against the government.

Bax drank almost all the time—think of the alcohol consumption on "Madmen"—so it's amazing that he lived to tell his tale. He gave credit to God for keeping him alive after one of his near-death experiences, which seemed fascinating in light of his hard adventures.

[Scott Baar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Now this is a an adventure story. The first third describes the boyhood of a collapsing colonial Africa as his family moves around and takes up various trades around various capital C Clubs. He is subjected to a battery of disciplines and punishments by a sweeping cross section of religious institutions to no great affect. His academic life is beyond his control and the academic life cannot control him, so he takes a very cool detached view of institutions and authority.

The most shocking parts of the book are how he manages to become a lumberjack, quite nearly a building draftsman and farmer, not to mention a soldier and security consultant. The opportunities available to him as a white guy willing to go with the flow in this time and place is astounding. It will be unimaginable to many readers today where you can't make a fancy coffee without a bachelors.

As for what the reader signed up for on the cover, there is no disappointment. The RLI life is detailed extensively, and the sheer breadth AND depth of his experience is what makes this book a hidden treasure. He dealt with essentially ranger police action as a trooper (and a little when off duty), assaults into foreign countries, small scale diplomacy with neighboring allied powers, and a host operations in the Selous Scouts. This is not a case study in counter insurgency, but what is here is fascinating, even though the tactics are particular to the limitations of communication and organization of the 1970s.

What was surprising was his account of the end of the Scouts. He intimates with a frustrating lack of scale that the war is not going well, despite the impressive contributions of his outfit. He is taken to essentially a security council meeting with some of top political and military resources in the country of basically everyone except the PM. We actually gain insight into the internal struggles of the RLI in the latter days when a negotiated settlement was in sight, and his CO's fall from grace.

In a jaw dropping vignette, he is even tasked with planning and nearly executing a plan to assassinate Mugabe! Even a plan to capture and destroy voting ballots!

I feel comfortable spoiling these parts because it is given just as much leadup and treatment as those two sentences in this review. He never reflects or blinks at the countries he lives in collapsing or being tasked to assassinate a politician. This was understandable when he was a drifter without prospects and had considered joining the military as his only chance to be good at something and his foe was a real threat to civilians. But the fact that he has done so much affects the lives of so many without a thought to their consequences is disturbing. The book really does provide context for this though. This is a book about a man without a country who has lived in more places that no longer exist than 99% of people will ever live in their lifetimes.

I have to count this omission against the book itself and not just Bax the man, because of the other missing pieces of the puzzle. We are introduced to his wife only shortly before they are wed and only for the purposes of a good story (one of those sips of gin). We learn less about her than most other women in his life, which is a real shame because one has to imagine she affected his plans and outlook more than anything else. If not, then he is even more aimless than he appears, which wears thin hundreds of pages into an autobiography, no matter how captivating.

For such an impactful life to others, it is a shame Bax does not spend time telling us how other people and ideas affected him.

[Vern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not exactly what I expected, but a very entertaining read. The book is primarily about one man's journey through life, which almost by accident brought him into the Rhodesian Army, and ultimately as an officer in the Selous Scouts, during the relatively short lived history of Rhodesia. Yes, there is some war and violence in the book, but mostly it is a well written, tremendously humorous and humble story of a man's life that began in colonial Africa, moved to Canada as a young lad, and ultimately back to Africa to find adventure, a search in which he was enormously successful.

You don't have to be a fan of military history to read and enjoy this book. But you should be one who enjoys the vagaries and irony of life's journey.

[jeremy dierst · Rating 2 out of 5]

For the historical value, this is the only reason why I gave it only two stars. There was not much or nothing at all detailing how these Scouts were so successful. Just quick anecdotes, that almost always ended up the characters getting soused or meeting up at a local pub to solve the worlds' problems. And I will never understand the custom of having children and sending them off to boarding schools. And the comment about being middle class, even though the author's dad ran a country club. And being raised by servants all around the house. There should have been more explanation of how the Scouts did their job than just anecdotes to finish out the chapter. If you want more information on the Selous Scouts, I would recommend you look elsewhere.

[Wilder · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the most stimulating books I've read on post-independence Africa since Kapuscinski's "Shadow of the Sun." Bax's accounts of his early childhood and young adulthood in colonial Africa, Canada, and then back to Rhodesia are fascinating, and provide insight into the revolutionary situation in southern Africa as one of the forgotten battlegrounds and intersections of the colonial revolutionary struggle and greater Cold War geopolitics. My only complaint about the book is that after Rhodesia falls and becomes Zimbabwe, the book stumbles for the last 100 pages and never really quite regains its momentum.

[Andy Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

An insight into a forgotten war to save a forgotten country

2 years ago I read my fist account of the Bush war by Andy Balham it opened up a whole world of Rhodesian military history and I developed an interest in modern African wars. It's a delicate subject but putting aside the political minefield this is an excellent account of real people fighting and surviving on a hostile environment,utilising controversial counter insurgency methods to great effect it s harsh but not without humour and it feels very genuine giving an insight into the last days of a proud nation the world simply couldn't accept anymore...

[James Hendrickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chaotic and fun read about a place and time most of us don’t know about

Most people probably have no idea about the Rhodesian war and the Selous Scouts. Tim Bax tells his story and a little bit of the story of the Selous Scouts in a fun and chaotic way. He really captures the feeling of Africa in the second half of the 20th Century.

I wanted to learn about the Selous Scouts and this book gives an introduction but it is definitely not enough of an overview of the Selous Scouts but boy is it a fun and and funny book.

I often found myself laughing out-loud about the various hijinks that Bax gets into.

[Paul Langenwalter · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author is more interested in being glib than telling any story of substance about his life, his comrades, his enemies or of Rhodesia and the politics of the time. So much so that by the end I almost couldn't finish it was trying so hard to be funny at the expense of anything interesting. If the author is representative of the Rhodesian government in how little he seems to care about anything, than perhaps unsurprising he was ultimately on the losing side. It's a lost opportunity and for me a disappointment.

[M · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 'frat daddy' account to growing up and living through decolonialization and the Rhodesian Bush War where every stop the author sees an attractive woman and imbibes in a copious amount of alcohol... including battlefields.

So overall a very entertaining and quick read. Would recommend "Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight" by Alexandra Fuller for a more nuanced account of this often overlooked period of time

[christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

Remarkably well written by a man who, by his own telling, spent as much time drinking as he did fighting. The first half of the book is devoted to his family and upbringing and, whilst quite amusing, has absolutely nothing to do with the military side of his career. Hence the missing star.
I was fascinated by the second half of the book, having been in Rhodesia from 1973 to 1977 and serving in the territorial forces.

[MT James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book about one man’s exploits of in Sub-Saharan Africa. Often touted as a book about the Rhodesian Bush War, it tells more about his personal experiences and less about the historical circumstances of Rhodesia. Look elsewhere if you are seeking a history of the Selous Scouts. Regardless, Tim Bax lived an incredibly unique life and constantly finds a way to sprinkle in humor during times of adversity that most of us will never experience.

[R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good book all in all. I would recommend this to all my military compatriots but that's about the only circle that I'd recommend it in, honestly. It wasn't so good that it would appeal to people outside of the military. Maybe there is some appeal for people who like a good adventure story.

This is the story about a South African who became Canadian and then Rhodesian and then who knows what . . . maybe South African again? Oh yeah, and he was shot a bunch, drank a lot, and was a lumber jack too. Woohoo! Get some!

[John Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great memoir and an entertaining look at the world the author knew. Mr. Bax is an excellent author and his no-nonsense writing style holds your attention from start to finish. If you’re just looking for a collection of war stories you will probably find this book disappointing, but I enjoyed it very much. Three Sips of Gin isn’t so much about the war in Rhodesia, but one man’s life.

[joey generoso · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting but lacking in the actual topic I had sought for

While the authors recounting of his life’s story was utterly fascinating and allowed for a glimpse into a life and times last, I found myself not having gained a further detailed look into the mystique behind this amazing military unit called the Selous Scouts.

[Carlton Sirewu · Rating 4 out of 5]

fast moving, enjoyed reading, extraordinary life lived around the world, from the East African Savannah to the Uk, Canada, South Africa with misadventures all the way and some humor spread out throughout the book and the Rhodesian Bush war through his eyes will give you an eye opener - yes he joined the Rhodesian army by almost coincidence, i still wonder what became of his Australian mate

[Walter Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found his life experience to beinteresting, but I wanted a fan of his semi- humorous style of writing. It didnt provide the level of honesty I wanted. In addition, the story of his earlier life is tools in what to me seemed a highly self-conscious style of writing. So overall, note bad, Burr ir could have been much better.

[Iaine Meyer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining snap shot of a time in africa.


I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Reflecting on a time and life in Africa. The characters were real people and had real experiences through a bush war and then rejoining civvy street and then enduring the war in the corporate environment.