In the 1950s, Ian Butler abandoned a short-lived career in the chemical industry to serve as a colonial officer in the Gilbert and Ellice Islands, against the advice of his father who told him the British Empire was "going down the drain." This memoir is a collection of evocative and wittily told stories that provide an insider's view of the life of a colonial administrator in one of Her Majesty's most far flung colonies, and recall a period in British history that will soon fade from living memory. "a marvellously vivid depiction of the islands, their people, their setting and aspects of life of the expatriate officer" - David le Breton, Secretary, OSPA "Let us hope that there are other memoirs of Empire out there as good, and yet to be discovered" - Michael Walsh, Honorary UK Consul for Kiribati (1996-present)