Title: How we Built the Gambia Army
Author: Trevor Stewart
Publisher: AuthorHouseUK
ISBN: 978-1-5049-9461-3
Pages:114
Genre: Memoir / History / Military
Reviewed by: John Murray
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A lifelong solider puts his determination, perseverance, and intelligence to work helping the smallest country on mainland Africa, The Gambia. With historical roots in the slave trade and situated by the Gambia River, this impoverished country presented an ideal trading post. One the British government was keen on building up and protecting. To that end, the government sent in Trevor Stewart and his colleagues to establish and maintain a self-sustaining army.
“How we Built the Gambia Army” chronicles Stewart’s assignment to and three-year participation in establishing an army populated and run by the local Gambia people. This short account details the British working closely with the locals, even actively journeying to far villages to find suitable recruits. Once established, Stewart then explains the wheeling and dealing he and his colleagues underwent to provide all the necessary equipment and training grounds. Along the way, readers are introduced to local celebrities like Uncle Abu and regional tourist traps the British inadvertently caused. The highlight of which finds Stewart personally spearheading a charity movement to help a young Gambian boy receive life-saving surgery, with the leftover funds channeled back into The Gambia. Other bright spots include rescuing a wayward wind surfer, the establishment of a rugby league, and healing from emergency surgery incredibly rapidly. Overall, Stewart’s mission was an overwhelming success and many of the army recruits went on to perform amazing acts.
Despite being a memoir, there are a few hiccups with the writing. The biggest of which is the lack of detail. This is an extremely short memoir, which is disappointing. Interesting events and colorful characters provide ample material for a few hundred pages, but are summarized in a few paragraphs. A minor quibble is the formatting used for articles and transcripts, which don’t stand out from the rest of the narrative, making it abrupt and difficult to follow. Those negatives aside, the writing is polished and intelligently crafted with humor and a passion for the topic at hand.
However, “How we Built the Gambia Army” is a fascinating read. Stewart writes well about his life and it shines through the pages. His hard work, along with his colleagues and the local recruits, is awe-inspiring. Stewart hints that this is but one of many possible memoirs. Thanks to his long and storied life, there is ample material for equally impressive memoirs to follow.
