Elephant Company

The Inspiring Story of an Unlikely Hero and the Animals Who Helped Him Save Lives in World War II

By: Vicki Constantine Croke

Narrated by: Simon Prebble

J. H. "Billy" Williams always had an affinity for animals. So, when he responded to a job offer with the East India Company to work with logging elephants his family wasn't surprised, though they were worried. He had already come back from World War I in one piece; would he be so lucky with India? Not only did he find his calling with the elephants in India, Billy and his elephants became war heroes.

At the onset of World War II, Williams formed Elephant Company and was instrumental in defeating the Japanese in Burma and saving refugees, including on his own "Hannibal Trek". Billy Williams became a media sensation during the war, telling reporters that the elephants did more for him than he was ever able to do for them, but his story has since been forgotten. Part biography, part war story, and part wildlife adventure, Croke delivers an utterly charming narrative and an important, little-known piece of the legacy of World War II. Vicki Constantine Croke has been covering pets and wildlife for more than two decades. She has anchored NECN-TV's The Secret Life of Animals and wrote the Boston Globe's "Animal Beat" column for 13 years.

©2014 Vicki Constantine Croke (P)2014 Recorded Books

Well worth your time

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Sometimes the daily deal books are better than most of the full priced ones. Great story in Burma of one man's lifelong career of guiding packs of wild elephants for the teak trade, and then ultimately for fighting (or evading) the Japanese invasion. Really wonderful listen, I wish there were more like this, I am tired of the latest formulaic airport books. You know which ones they are, macho man meets some variation of foreign fighting force and wins the girl too. Or, lawyer XYZ wins a court case that seemed lost for the first half of the book, also gets girl. Ho hum.

Excellent read!

Burma, nonfiction, biography, action-adventure, historical-research, historical-places-events, historical-figures, audiobook
A very moving and yet educational biography of one man, one elephant, and a kind of life obliterated by war and the passage of time referred to as progress. Learn about Burma and her elephants in the time from The Great War to the end of World War 2 as the elephant wallah enters the scene as a new recruit in the teak trade, learns how to care for them and love them, and lastly must return to a place that is no longer home. You won't want to miss a word of this well crafted and well researched biography studded with excerpts from his own journal.
Simon Pebble is perfect as narrator.

Beautifully written, wonderfully read <br />

Loved every minute of this inspiring story. I primarily read fiction but this true story reads and satisfies like the best novels.

LOVED THIS BOOK!!

Amazing book!! Loved learning about the elephants. Cried a few times and was amazed to learn about the efforts of elephants in the war. Would recommend highly to anyone.

Amazing and Captivating,

This is an awesome legacy of devotion to animals and humanity. Elephant Bill makes one think of these magnificent animals as one would a favorite dog. A love story of finding his wife and having a family in this setting. He came to know over 400 elephants personally over 40 years.
He was self taught in many ways and somehow made it seem natural to live among these magnificent creatures in the wild jungles. His devotion to his family, elephants and comrades is inspiring.
You will want to keep listening.

Exotic Lands & Animals with Empirialist Views

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I enjoyed learning about this unique time period in history but could not help but be struck that as nice as the main character seems, he is part of the Empirialist system that took advantage of the resources of other regions. The elephants were sometimes treated well and often not but the history and characters were fun to listen to.

Book content was good, narration was muffled

Perhaps a bit too much detail made this true life adventure story a bit ponderous, but for those who love elephants and history it is a fascinating look at life in another world from ours. The audio sound seemed a little muffled to me, it needed better sound quality. The narrator was good, though very straight forward, but the quality of the recording sounded like it was recorded on an old fashioned tape player instead of today's higher-quality devices.

Thank you.

A most amazing story. Beautifully written and performed. I knew I dreaded for the story to be over, but I loved every moment of the journey.
Again, thank you to all. Especially Bill and his magnificent elephants.

Best non-fiction I’ve read in a while…

For those of us who love both audiobooks and history/ memoirs, audio is not always a great format. But it works perfectly with this book.

This book was a 10 out of 10. Beautiful location, tumultuous politics and war, majestical elephants, the teak industry, bigger than life personalities. Read this book today even if you have no interest in elephants or World War II. It’s just a great glimpse into another time and place.

Elephant Bill

This man was an example of compassion, kindness, fairness, integrity, patience and understanding of not only the elephants under his care in Burma but in his interactions and oversight of the people with whom he worked. Everyone who manages people should read this book!