Under an English Heaven (1972)

by Donald E. Westlake

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In early 1969, word reached London that the little Caribbean island of Anguilla had become a hotbed of rebellion and a haven for gangsters. Such flagrant disregard for the rule of law in one of Britain's last remaining overseas outposts could not be allowed to stand. Her Majesty's government acted decisively, despatching a force of three hundred paratroopers and commandos backed by warships, helicopters and fifty of the Metropolitan Police's finest. But their mission soon descended into farce. On arrival, the troops were welcomed by several bemused islanders, many reporters from around the world, and a handful of entirely indifferent goats. But absolutely no resistance whatsoever. Where, asked Downing Street, are the gangsters? What had happened to the violent insurgency? Could it all have been a terrible misunderstanding? UNDER AN ENGLISH HEAVEN is the extraordinary and hilarious true story of what Time magazine described as 'Britain's Bay of Piglets'.… (more)

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What a slog this book was!! Hilarious, describing the British Invasion of Anguilla, which wanted to be ruled by Britain! A completely true and unbelievable farce! Excellent if you read chapter 1 and then skip to chapter 24 to the end. Boring as heck if you read the middle. The events occurred & the book was written in the late 1960s, and even though I was born in 1968, I was not remotely interested in the minuscule details related in these middle chapters, no matter how artfully stated. The book is worth reading for the story of the invasion—just, honestly, skip to chapter 24. Parts are so funny I’ll still be quoting them here. Enjoy. (

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KarenMonsen | Sep 29, 2023 |

A non-fiction account of the 1969 British invasion of Anguilla written by a British novelist in 1972.

soualibra | Dec 18, 2020 |

Donald E. Westlake was better known as a crime writer, both humorous (the Dortmunder series) and serious (the Parker series) but here delivers the true story of the supposed revolt of Anguilla against the St Kitts and Nevis government (of which Anguilla was a part of) as high farce.

Obviously "Under an English heaven" is dated but still worth a read as it shows the "invasion" of Anguilla by British Royal Marines, where the Marines found the locals singing "God Save the Queen" and had no intention of rebelling against the British. (

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MiaCulpa | May 27, 2014 |

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Original publication date

1972

People/Characters

Important places

Anguilla, Leeward Islands

St. Kitts, Leeward Islands

Important events

Related movies

Epigraph

Dedication

To anybody anywhere who has ever believed anything that any Government ever said about anything...

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Disambiguation notice

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Wikipedia in English (3)

Bibliography of Anguilla

Republic of Anguilla

Ronald Webster

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In early 1969, word reached London that the little Caribbean island of Anguilla had become a hotbed of rebellion and a haven for gangsters. Such flagrant disregard for the rule of law in one of Britain's last remaining overseas outposts could not be allowed to stand. Her Majesty's government acted decisively, despatching a force of three hundred paratroopers and commandos backed by warships, helicopters and fifty of the Metropolitan Police's finest. But their mission soon descended into farce. On arrival, the troops were welcomed by several bemused islanders, many reporters from around the world, and a handful of entirely indifferent goats. But absolutely no resistance whatsoever. Where, asked Downing Street, are the gangsters? What had happened to the violent insurgency? Could it all have been a terrible misunderstanding? UNDER AN ENGLISH HEAVEN is the extraordinary and hilarious true story of what Time magazine described as 'Britain's Bay of Piglets'.

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