Coming November 2025
Once a Piffer, Always a Piffer by BRIGADIER ARTHUR EDWARD CUMMING VC OBE MC Compiled by N A I Burchell & Marion Burchell
 
A remarkable firsthand account of military life and valor from one of Britain's most decorated soldiers.
Brigadier Arthur Edward Cumming's extraordinary memoir chronicles his distinguished career with the Punjab Frontier Force, the legendary "Piffers", from the peaceful cantonment life of colonial India to the darkest days of World War II. Through authentic typewritten accounts, Cumming shares intimate glimpses of military service on the Northwest Frontier, the gathering storm clouds of 1939, and the dramatic transition from peacetime routine to wartime urgency.
From polo matches and shikar in remote hill stations to resistance operations and dangerous intelligence missions, this book reveals the personal experiences behind the military honors. Cumming's vivid storytelling captures both the camaraderie of regimental life and the gravity of global conflict, as events in Europe and the Far East gradually penetrated even the most distant outposts of the British Empire.
Decorated with the Victoria Cross, Order of the British Empire, and Military Cross, Brigadier Cumming's testimony stands as both a tribute to the Punjab Frontier Force and an invaluable historical record of a vanishing world. His motto rings true throughout: "Once a Piffer, Always a Piffer."
A compelling blend of military history, personal memoir, and wartime adventure that brings to life the experiences of those who served with distinction in humanity's defining moment.