The General Danced at Dawn
| Author | George MacDonald Fraser. |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom. |
| Language | English. |
| Series | McAuslan stories. |
| Genre | Historical short stories. |
| Publisher | Barrie & Jenkins. |
|
Publication date
|
1970. |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback). |
| Pages | 205. |
| Followed by | McAuslan in the Rough. |
The General Danced at Dawn is a collection of short stories by George MacDonald Fraser, narrated by Lieutenant Dand MacNeill, a young officer in a fictional Scottish battalion of the British Army, part of the 51st (Highland) Infantry Division. It is a generally fond depiction of army life in the period just after World War II. It was published first during 1970. The stories were based on Fraser's own time as an officer of the Gordon Highlanders in Libya at that time.
The book was followed by two other collections of the same series: McAuslan in the Rough and The Sheikh and the Dustbin.
In the epilogue to The Sheikh and the Dustbin, Fraser identified the unnamed battalion and its Colonel, and revealed that the characters and events in the stories were based on real soldiers and incidents.
Monsoon Selection Board: Corporal Dand MacNeill seeks to become an officer, and is examined by an officer selection board in India during the final part of World War II. Despite performing every task badly, often trying to answer cleverly and failing miserably, he is approved and commissioned due to his apparent dogged determination to complete the assault course. He perseveres in his futile attempts to cross a mud filled ditch, although the examining officers advise him to 'call it a day' and climb out. In reality he was unwilling to finish or turn back, as he had lost his trousers while floundering in the mud, and had resolved to stay in the water to avoid embarrassment.
Silence in the Ranks: Subaltern MacNeill joins an unidentified Highland regiment as a platoon commander, and finds it difficult to conform to the regiment's family atmosphere and to identify with the men he commands. Due to missing a mess meeting he is assigned as Duty Officer and must remain in barracks during Hogmanay (New Year's Eve), while the other officers celebrate by invitation in the Sergeants Mess. To his surprise, he is joined in his quarters by some soldiers of his platoon for drinks, song, and conversation. At the close of the evening, he learns that 'Darkie', of whom he has heard his men talk, is in fact his own affectionate nickname.
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