The Irrawaddy Flotilla Company, known in colonial Burma as the ‘Fabulous Flotilla’, was the largest privately-owned fleet of ships in the world. It was an entirely Scottish enterprise with nearly all its investors, management and ship’s officers drawn from Scotland.  Over 1,200 ships were ordered mainly from Clyde yards and each year carried the majority of the population of Burma on its river network without loss of life. The paddle steamers were amongst the largest in the world, innovative in design and technology, and very beautiful.

The flotilla began as a naval task force in the 1820s, was commandeered in five wars, and was to end its life with the British evacuation of Burma in 1942, the greatest evacuation in British military history.

Fascinating personalities emerge from Strachan’s descriptions of Irrawaddy commanders and the flotilla’s key players. The ships evolved over a hundred years into riverine versions of ocean liners with plush cabins, restaurants, shops and even post offices on board. The largest class of ships carried 5,000 passengers including royalty, celebrities of the day and famous writers like Somerset Maugham along with early tourists and big game hunters.

In the second part of the book, the author who himself has spent much of his life running ships on the rivers of Burma, takes us on a journey 1,000 miles upriver to explore the different regions of the country often highlighting Scottish connections. The river is the thread through which Burma’s often tragic history, yet rich and glorious Buddhist culture, flows and only on a river journey can the country be understood.

Renamed Myanmar in 1997, Burma is Scotland’s ‘lost colony’ and the Scottish connection is little remembered today due to Burma’s half a century of post-war isolation.  In its 1920s heyday Burma had the highest concentration of Scots anywhere in the world, outside of Scotland, with the exception of Canada. Scots were everywhere in Burma, running everything, and even their Burmese servants spoke in ‘broad’ Scots.

With the ‘opening up’ of Burma in the early 21st century the Irrawaddy watershed, where about 50 million people live in a primitive rural economy, is under threat. Deforestation on a vast scale has resulted in the silting up of once navigable channels. China, with its ‘belt and road’ system that is a euphemism to a recolonisation of the country, plans to build one of the world’s largest dams in the river’s headwaters that would devastate the country’s agriculture and fisheries.

The Fabulous Flotilla provides a revealing record of this remarkable era in Burma’s history and past Scottish endeavour – a jewel of a story that may soon be lost. 

This will be of huge appeal to so many people on various levels: anyone with an interest in shipping, the colonial era, life and times in SE Asia so many years ago, or those simply seeking a window into a very different world.

‘…a beautifully produced, engagingly written and nicely illustrated book.The fact that it has been written by someone with deep first hand knowledge of Burma, its rivers and the challenges of operating ships along them adds hugely to its credibility: and to its lasting value as a tribute to the achievements of the Irrawaddy Flotilla Company and all those who were involved in the company, either in Burma or back in Scotland’. Undiscovered Scotland

'A fascinating book which marks an era in Burma’s history and past Scottish endeavour.' Our Man On The Ground Travel And Lifestyle

'Strachan, who hails from a family of Scottish shipbuilders, revived the Irrawaddy Flotilla in 1995, restoring an original Clyde-built steamer. This history of the ships and the characters of the flotilla is a fascinating glimpse into Scotland’s colonial past and the many Scottish connections that remain in present day Myanmar.' Scottish Field

‘Strachan treats the reader to a historical upriver journey, bringing the ground-breaking paddle steamers that made new travel routes possible and the ‘'creative minds and innovative spirits’’ of their inventors to life. …Evocative photos, paintings, and maps also offer a welcome visual accompaniment that enriches rather than distracts from the story. …successfully revives interest in Scotland’s remarkable but forgotten exploits in Southeast Asia.’  The Wittance

'The reader can sense Strachan’s personal dedication to his subject. The Fabulous Flotilla covers Burmese Raj history, period riverine operations and past and present Burmese art, architecture and geographic wonders of this ancient land.  I thoroughly recommend it.' Australian Naval Institute

'There is much in this volume to enjoy, especially for old Burma and Paddy Henderson hand, including the many period photos of Old Rangoon, other well-known spots and the ships themselves.' Dog Watch

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