Were light and fleeting,
Of lovers meeting
Or luck, or fame.
Mine were of trouble...
Mine Were of Trouble is an autobiographical tale by Peter Kemp of his experiences fighting as a soldier in the Spanish Civil War.
After completing a law degree at Cambridge and finding himself not yet ready to settle down into his chosen career as a barrister, Kemp decides to travel to Spain to join Generalissimo Francisco Franco in the fight against communism. Motivated more by a sense of adventure than any ideological leaning, he still firmly decides to join the Nationalists after hearing of the atrocities perpetrated by the Reds. While this makes it a great deal more difficult to actually get to Spain, considering the Non-intervention pact (which seems to only apply to the Nationalist side) he manages to forge journalist documents to make his way through France and into the country.
Once there, despite not knowing a word of Spanish, he joins the traditionalist Requeté militia, working his way through the ranks until he becomes an officer. Discouraged by the lack of action, he transfers to the legendary Spanish Foreign Legion, where his heroic actions distinguish him to the point of being one of the few foreigners to earn a private audience with the Generalissimo himself.
After the war's end, Kemp eventually becomes an agent for the British Special Operations, fighting for his country in numerous commando raids in Europe and the Pacific... but these are beyond the scope of the book, appearing in his subsequent memoirs, No Colours or Crest, and Alms For Oblivion.
Originally published in 1957, Mine Were of Trouble was out of print for over 60 years until Mystery Grove Publishing Co
began publishing the work in both physical and ebook format. You can buy a copy here (and don't forget to leave a review!)
Mine Were of Trouble contains examples of:
- The Determinator: At the tail end of the war, Peter takes a grenade blast straight to the face, absolutely shattering his jaw. Instead of being led away on a stretcher, he walks the four hundred yards to HQ, where he overhears the doctors saying he only has hours to live. Refusing to accept this, he sits up in bed to catch their attention, and they agree to send him to the hospital in the first ambulance. With the help of skilled surgeons, and multiple operations without anesthetic he eventually makes a full recovery.
- Dirty Communists: The Republicans' actions before and during the war are not sugar-coated in any way. They regularly commit atrocities against soldiers and civilians alike, to the point that when it comes time to organize prisoner exchanges they have few, if any, Nationalists to trade.
- Don't Celebrate Just Yet: The Nationalist victory in Santander is proclaimed a little prematurely, and as a result a Nationalist pilot and his friend fly into town, bringing plenty of booze to celebrate. After landing the plane and finding themselves surrounded by blue-clad soldiers, they greet them with "Viva Franco!" and "Arriba Espana!" Unfortunately for them, these men turn out to be Republicans and they're promptly arrested.
- First-Name Basis: The Spaniards have trouble pronouncing Kemp's last name because of the double consonants, so they simply use his Christian name, Peter, despite him being an officer.
- Foregone Conclusion: Naturally, Peter Kemp survives and the Nationalists are victorious. Francisco Franco reigns for the next forty years.
- Literary Allusion Title: The book's title is a line from I To My Perils, by A. E. Housman.
- Propaganda Machine: One of the most effective weapons in the Reds' arsenal. Their control of the Press and their welcoming of foreign journalists generates plenty of international sympathy. They also have recruitment drives worldwide, creating volunteer units called International Brigades. Meanwhile, the Nationalists consider all journalists spies and make no effort to recruit outside of their borders. Not that this discourages Kemp in any way.
- Rape, Pillage, and Burn: The Red Army's MO. One town that Kemp ends up staying in tells him about how their priest was murdered by the Reds by being nailed to a cross. He was actually lucky; other towns report their priests being burned alive.
- Shoot the Dog: Kemp interrogates a deserter from the Republican side, an Irish civilian sailor who got left behind by his crew and ended up being pressed into an International Brigade. While Kemp believes his story, he's unable to convince his Colonel, who orders that the man be shot. Kemp at least makes sure the man dies a quick, painless death.
