Operation Ark: A tale of survival, betrayal, and resilience
By Pen Farthing (8th July, 2024)
“A taste for truth at any cost is a passion which spares nothing” - Albert Camus
One thing is made crystal clear from the first few pages of Operation Ark: Pen Farthing was unfairly and unjustly portrayed by the UK media. This book is his opportunity to tell his side of the story - the truth. Through harrowing detail only a first-hand account can offer, readers are invited to feel the pressure and chaos of how the events of Operation Ark unfolded; 171 animals and 67 humans were saved, but the stifling consequences trickle on today.
Synopsis
We are immediately introduced to our narrator, Pen Farthing, and given a glimpse into who he is, and how he functions as a person. Farthing’s narration is concise, and the prose flows as if you are hearing the story over a pint at the pub with him. It is from this natural form of narration that the account of events is raw. The story is told with the calmness and vivid detail only an ex-Royal Marine Commando can offer in a time of such stress.
We are plunged into action beginning in May 2021, just prior to the Taliban’s takeover. The moment the US withdraws, after twenty years, ripples of chaos are sent through the country. The melting pot of which becomes Kabul airport, where desperation comes to a head. Despite his wife leaving for Norway, Farthing remains in the war-torn city to help his staff of Nowzad and the animals they care for.
We read on helplessly as Farthing faces hurdle after hurdle, attempting to charter a flight to grant his Nowzad colleagues, their families, and the animals safe passage out of Afghanistan. It seemed a simple plan: with more than £200,000 raised by supporters, they could charter a plane, have people in the cabin, animals in the hold, and take any other people they could with them. The plane would not have taken seats away from other civilians, it was additional. Even after Farthing waits his turn and is painstakingly turned away, he persists. The British government was missing in action, offering little support.
Trial by media
Indeed, Pen Farthing became the British government’s scapegoat, shielding them from the public embarrassment of their disorganised handling of Operation Pitting. Politics played out in the media for the world to see, further confusing the situation for British nationals in Afghanistan.
Farthing was betrayed, and he does not shy away from the mental consequences of the smear campaign that has trickled on to today. “Pets over people” is an reductive slogan, originating from former Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, that became the defining feature of the campaign.
As is becoming clearer with every cultural moment, the press prints catchy lies. They fling out ill-researched stories that stick to their subject of choice like glue. Language can be used frame a situation by reducing it to catchy, easily-repeatable slogans and phrases. This is just one method of polarising an argument. These printed words then get sink their way into the social media echo chamber, growing arms and legs. With any social movement, enter comment sections on Instagram or Twitter to see how short, snappy phrases are regurgitated, becoming focal talking points.
A lasting legacy
Farthing does not shy away from the reality of the mental toll this public shaming put on him. Near the end of the book, we are taken to August 2022, a year after the evacuation of Afghanistan. Farthing has lost friends, Nowzad supporters, and his beloved wife. The ordeal was life changing, the price was high, but there is still hope. With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, there is more to do. Farthing set out to Ukraine in April 2022, to see what he could do to help.
This is a brilliant and deeply engrossing book. It is both an enlightening and heartbreaking account of the truth. From how Farthing composes himself in highly stressful situations, to his emotional resilience and willingness to persist, it is clear that we need more Pen Farthings in the world.
Operation Ark is out 8th July
Thank you to Claret Press for this copy
See the work Nowzad does here: https://www.nowzad.com/