Bonzo's War: Animals Under Fire 1939 -1945

by Clare Campbell

What was it like to be a dog or cat when the world was at war? When food was rationed and cities were bombed? Pets (on the whole) do not write memoirs, so to find the answer to that question, Clare Campbell went in search of voices of those people whose lives were entwined with animals.She found stories - inspiring and harrowing - of animals under fire, of evacuated and homeless pets, of brave animals who provided comfort to humans while the bombs fell. Of pets unwittingly entangled in war, like the Dunkirk pets and the camp followers who switched sides to stay alive; and the 6,000 dogs recruited by the British Army - loaned for duty by their families - many never to return. Meanwhile with food in short supply, government officials launched a ruthless campaigns against pets... Thoroughly researched and deeply moving, Bonzo's War gives a fascinating account of, and platform for, the forgotten stories as yet unheard, of the creatures big and small caught up in a human conflict far beyond understanding.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Animals, World War II

416 pages, Paperback

First published October 15, 2013

Reviews

[Darya Silman · Rating 3 out of 5]

When people are dying in wars, nobody cares about animals. I remember a Ukrainian teenager's story in a local newspaper. Her family, fleeing from Eastern Ukraine, left their cat with food and water to last her two weeks. I wonder what happened to the cat.

There is still no book about animals in Ukraine during this war. Maybe, one day, such a book will be written.

BONZO'S WAR: ANIMALS UNDER FIRE 1939-1945 by Clare Campbell discusses the fate of "civilian" pets—dogs, cats, race horses—and zoo animals in England. The German navy ensured that the delivery of foodstuffs to England became a maximally risky endeavor. The Waste of Food Act prohibited feeding animals food that could potentially be used by humans: no meat for dogs, no milk for cats. Animals could become hysterical during the anticipated bombing since they were not allowed into bomb shelters, and, with few exceptions, were not evacuated far into the countryside. In the rash of August-September 1939, Londoners were advised to free pets from senseless suffering. Thousands of pet owners, acting out of love, queued outside veterinary offices to put their pets to sleep. Many regretted the move later.

Torn apart by internal confrontations, animal welfare organizations, along with single wealthy individuals, stood at the defense of animals. It was argued that, for example, cats kept mice and rats at bay, and dogs soothed women, left behind by soldiers fighting on the front. Fox-hunting and horse racing boosted the morale. City dwellers were encouraged to breed chickens and rabbits to receive much-needed meat and eggs. Some initiatives, like marking pets with special collars with the owners' addresses (collars were not free of charge), didn't make much difference in the chaos of evacuations and bombings.

Though exploring an interesting topic on the variety of sources, BONZO'S WAR doesn't represent a solid narrative. It's hard to pinpoint what exactly makes the book tiresome. I assume that the author didn't have a cementing idea behind her research. It's not enough to retell the events, accompanying them with short emotional outbursts; you have to propose a hypothesis - pets suffered more/less than humans during WW2 - at the beginning of a book and prove it. I feel sorry for the author who clearly loves animals and wants to enlighten the public about their treatment in moments of national tragedy. Yet, I'd go with 3 stars for the book.

[Juliet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I suspect this book would be very entertaining to hear read aloud by the author but unfortunately it is a bit winded at times and a shade too in love with each.....and......every......one of the animals.

Her editorial asides are kind of funny but only barely, leaning way too close to "preciousness" at times for my taste ("And what a very good reward for a very good dog indeed! " I paraphrase......)

As I'm an animal lover I really enjoyed this book and especially loved the photos and evidence provided Seemed very well researched.

[Chris Shepheard · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book starts off rather poorly (almost as if the appendices come before the 'meat' of the book).

However it becomes more and more readable, and equally more and more moving, as the author unfolds the story. The book is well researched and brings together many stories of bravery tempered by details of those who were not fortunate enough to survive, either as a direct result of wartime action or because their human companions felt they would be unable to care for or feed them.

One thing that lets an otherwise excellent book down is the lack of sufficient proof-reading before the volume was committed to print.

[Lucy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well this book was an interesting read - but it was rather slow to begin with.

I particularly enjoyed this book due to the interesting information given by the author, Campbell, especially within the war years, often animals such as domesticated cats and dogs were missed out of war documentation and books.

But in this book, we get a detailed, well researched read from the author and an insight into what happened to them. As an animal lover, I did really like this book and it was quite an insightful read, if not difficult and sad to read in some places.

[Rose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mostly covering pet dogs and cats, this book tells about an area often not covered in books about WWII but which was very important to the people of the time. Conversationally written (which sometimes adds to unnecessary asides by the author). Documented but no index. Very good selection of illustrations.

[eleanor · Rating 5 out of 5]

this was SO GOOD and SO VERY PERFECT for my diss oh my gosh! tears came to my eyes at the end! such a great collation of quotes and events throughout the war and some great statements of fact which will be so useful! animal lovers read with caution, but if you can distance yourself from the death and destruction, there are some great stories here!!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Full of interesting facts but wasn't very readable. Felt like the author was just regurgitating all her research and then adding a few pointless comments. I did learn a lot though, both sad and inspiring in equal measure.

[Amy Brook · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting insight to the past would have liked the pictures to have been spaced out rather than clumped in the middle

[Andrew Macfarlane · Rating 2 out of 5]

A story worth telling. Unfortunately this is just sprawling and poorly written

[Caroline Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have not been able to put this book down. Hidden history, covered up, now told. Thank you for telling THEIR story! Never forget

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Writer too emotional in the beginning, but gathers distance as she proceeds. Well researched. Excellent springboard to further research in this area. Would have given 4* if more detached.

[David Keal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read on the history of pets during the Second World War in England. Plenty of interesting stories among the many tales retold.

[Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

A fascinating idea for a book unfortunately the author fails to do it justice. She adds in odd remarks every so often which seem like they are trying to be humorous when they're not and would be inappropriate if they were. There is not nearly enough analysis. Normally an interesting subject and poor author scores a three star from me but the author's style grated so I'm only giving two.