Day They Ate The Zoo

Lecturing at an American University, James Ellery wasasked by a sceptical freshman if military training had prepared him for leadingcomplex United Nations Missions. He replied that it had – except for witchcraftwhich he discovered was prevalent in West Africa! That training started at Mons Officer Cadet Schoolfollowed by a commission into The Life Guards.This was good preparation for his first deployment inSharjah. Thereafter, tours in Northern Ireland during their ‘Troubles’ – andback to the desert for secondment to the new Sultan of Oman’s army. Command andstaff appointments followed in the former Yugoslavia, West Germany, TheDemocratic Republic of Congo (for which he was appointed a CBE), and Sierra Leone.The jewel in the crown for all Guardsmen is leadership ofhis regiment. Ellery had the privilege to command The Life Guards in theAirborne Brigade and then, on change of role, to BAOR. In 2003, he applied for a Foreign Office posting in Iraq.After a senior appointment in the Coalition Provisional Authority, he took onthe fast-moving Directorate of Infrastructure Security which eventually brokethe back of the insurgents attempts to frustrate the export of oil and thedelivery of electricity. This was followed by a further posting to the UnitedNations Mission in Sudan in 2005. James Ellery lives in London.

‘Witty,perceptive and with strong echoes of Evelyn Waugh’s ‘Black Mischief’, this bookengrosses the reader from the first page. With his characteristic English highirony and self-deprecation, the author almost succeeds in hiding the fact thathe was playing for incredibly high stakes in these African missions, where infact hundreds of thousands, even millions, of lives were at stake. Everypractitioner in that key penumbra between diplomacy and soldiering would dowell to read this well-written, penetrating and thought-provoking book.’ AndrewRoberts, historian & author: ‘Churchill: Walking with Destiny’‘Gutsy, trenchant and consistently entertaining,Ellery has a distinctive and uniquely British voice, not to mention thesharpest of pens. He thrives in chaos and conflict, revelling in places mostwould fear to tread.’ Justin Marozzi – journalist, historian & travelwriter

• Foreword Preface Dedication and Acknowledgements Abbreviations and Acronyms 1. An Introduction to the Heart of Darkness Democratic Republic of Congo2. The Heart of Darkness August 1999 – January 20003. The Heart of Darkness to the White Man’s Grave February 2000 – November 20014. An Introduction to the White Man’s Grave Sierra Leone5. The White Man’s Grave December 2001 – July 2003Despatches 1–16 Six Months After ‘Di war don-don’ Despatches 17–50 6. Arrest of those indicted by the Special Court for Sierra Leone7. EpilogueLessons (to be) Learned Index