The memoirs of Sir Ian Scott are an important contribution to our understanding of Britain's history from before the Second World War until the late 1960s. Setting down his recollections of a long and distinguished career spent mainly in the Indian Civil Service but also as a Foreign office official and finally as a British ambassador, Sir Ian paints an entertaining and illuminating picture of many different places. Among the great events which the book covers are the growth of Indian nationalism and the partition of the subcontinent in 1947, as well as the post-war crisis in the Congo and Lebanon. Powerful public figures are vividly described, including Mountbatten Wavell, Nehru, Jinnah, de Gaulle, Bevan, George Brown and Barbara Castle.
This fascinating and well written book covers the crucial middle decades of the twentieth century when Britain's global standing came increasingly under threat. From the comparative security of the 1930s, Sir Ian Scott's memoirs take us through the grave perils of the Second World War and into a post-war world where not only the British Empire faced dismemberment and collapse but where the bitter struggle known as the Cold War was deciding whether Communism or Western democracy would prevail. In the process, the reader is transported to may strange and even exotic locations: from Trinidad to the north-west frontier of India; from delhi to Beirut; from the Sudan to Norway.
Written with a wry humour, and including material not before made public, the book enables today's readers to appreciate both the day to day routine of imperial administration as well as giving them an important insight into the unfolding of great historical events. From his apprenticeship as a junior member of the Indian Civil Service to his final high position as a British ambassador, Ian Scott demonstrates a shrewed judgement and a keen eye for the ridiculous. Working closely with such significant historical players as India's last two viceroys, Wavell and Mountbatten, he makes us vividly aware of the foibles as well as the noble qualities of each man. Scott's interpretation of the machinations that surrounded Indian independence and the post-partition communal massacres add a good deal to our understanding. The same can be said of his subsequent diplomatic career.
Apart from the authentic account of many imporatant passages of recent history, the memoirs provide us with a wealth of fascinating and unexpected detail. The daily routine of a young British official ruling a part of India half the size of Wales is a reminder of the self-confidence and an essential fairness of an administration that, for all it's shortcomings, steadily pursued the goal of good and impartial government. The stories of Sir Ian's time in Africa and the Middle East are equally revealing and instructive. This is very much a book for the general reader as well as for the historical and diplomatic specialist.
