Amedeo : The True Story of an Italian’s War in Abyssinia

A love story set in Abyssinia, Eritrea and the Yemen.

This is the story of Amedeo Guillet - an Italian calvary officer who was sent out to Abyssinia as part of Mussolini's army to establish and command a troupe of 2000 Spahis - or Arabic calvary.

He met and fell in love with Khadija - a beautiful Ethiopian Muslim who became his constant companion during the early years of World War II. And she had stayed with him right to the end, when he had only a ragged band of followers who alone were fighting on against the British as guerilla fighters after the rest of the army had surrendered.

Together they held up the British lorries heaving up the mountain road to Asmara and blew up the important Ponte Aosta.

She had always been at his side, until the day a British captain had recognized Amedeo and opened fire with a machine-gun.

Amedeo goes on the run, disguised as an Arab. He scrapes a living selling water and hiding from the British before escaping across the Red Sea on a pirate ship.

The pirates discover he is a Christian and dump him in the desert.

He eventually makes it to the Yemen, only to be thrown in jail.

This is a stunning story, beautifully told by O'Kelly.