"Ewan never discussed his army career (or lack of it) with anybody; he considered it a private matter"

Jim, I thought you said in another post that he made no secret of his deserting and was willing to discuss it with you and others. Perhaps as you were close to him he was more candid in his recollections?

I agree with you that some of the latter part of his autobiography was a little self-serving. His description of being criticised by a pair of students for singing to a 'middle class' crowd then asking everyone on the front row what they did for a living (they were all welders or riveters or something) could have been lifted from Alan Partridge's 'Bouncing Back'. All it needed was the chapter to end with "...needless to say, I had the last laugh"