Somerset De Chair (1911-1995) was Intelligence Officer with "Kingcol," a Flying Column of fewer than 1,500 men under the command of Brig.-Gen. John Joseph Kingstone. This tiny force was sent from Palestine to Baghdad to deal with the effects of the "Golden Square" coup among pro-Nazi Iraqi military officers. Despite the air support extended to the Iraqis by the German and Italian air forces, the operation was a complete success for the British column, Baghdad falling on May 30, 1941. The author's poignant poem appears on a front leaf.
