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This story was submitted by Bill Spry to the People's War team in Wales and is added to the site with his permission.

On one occasion in Burma I had to draw rations for my unit of about one hundred men from a much larger unit. I was given two young live goats as part of the ration, which usually comprised bags of flour, rice, dried vegetables and lots of tins of canned beef, etc.

I was rather horrified by this, they looked so pathetic. My first thought was somehow to keep them alive as sort of pets or mascots — not possible.

If I refused to take them or turned them loose in the jungle, they would simply be grabbed and killed by someone else. Whatever I did their fate was sealed.

I said to one of my African cooks “you savvy, kill em, cook em”? He said “yes massa” so I let him take them away.

I did not enjoy my evening meal very much that day.

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