From Dingle to Delhi, the autobiography of local hero Jack Lindo, written when he was 82, has been given a makeover in a new, extended edition of the local history classic.

‘From Dingle to Delhi’ by Jack Lindo was self-published by his own Handel Publishing in 2003. Born in 1919 in a small Court on Grafton Street – the site of the old Herculaneum Pottery factory – Jack’s story took him from the urban jungles of inner-city Liverpool to the real jungles of Burma, where he fought as a ‘Chindit’ in a ‘forgotten war’.

Like having a front-row seat to a People’s History of the 20th Century, it told the moving story of one man’s life, set against the dramatic backdrop of grinding poverty and World War 2, where he was witness to history. The book was hailed as that rarest of things: authentic working-class autobiography.

Now, two decades later, it’s back again. This new, extended edition features colour covers and photographs, extra chapters previously unpublished, and the script of the stage adaptation ‘Jack Lindo’s Dream’ by Tom McLennan.

Editor Tommy Calderbank – Jack’s Great Nephew – explains: “Jack was amazing, my Mam’s favourite uncle, and for me his words are like flashes of brilliant light. Only member of our family to write an autobiography, which for us is a big deal. After he died in 2008, my blessed Auntie Maria gave me additional chapters he’d written since the book came out. These stories fleshed out what happened after he got back from the war. He was a Superintendent in the city’s washhouses and baths, and has some stories the people of Liverpool just had to hear. And he told of his epic journey BACK to Burma when he was 85. So I wanted to make a definitive version of the book, telling the full story, adding the script of the play by Tom McLennan, and with better production values; here it is, superbly designed and laid out by Slim Smith. I think Jack Lindo’s legacy is a profound one, and this book is the proof. I hope he’d approve.”

‘From Dingle to Delhi (And Back Again)’ is OUT NOW (limited edition of 500), from Tuppence, Diamonds and a Pram. Available from The Florrie, News From Nowhere and online at:
https://www.liverpoolbooksonline.co.uk