<DIV>In 1961 a group of men arrived in Cambridge to join the Overseas Services Course before going on to work in the Provincial Administration of the Northern Rhodesia Government. Two of the twenty two were African graduates from Northern Rhodesia, twelve were graduates newly recruited in the UK and eight were non-graduates who had previously worked in Northern Rhodesia. After the course, each was posted to a different district in the territory, mostly in rural areas. The group remained in contact over the years.<br/><br/>This book features contributions by fifteen of the original course members and three wives. They cover the last years of colonial rule in Northern Rhodesia and the early years of the new nation of Zambia after it gained its independence in 1964. They shed light on the life of British overseas civil servants and their families during those years; and contain first-hand accounts of important historic events. <br/><br/>Set against the backdrop of the Cold War and decolonisation, these varied stories offer an insight into a world on the brink of change, offering perspectives on the final years of Northern Rhodesia and the path to independence in Zambia, seen through the eyes of a young group of colonial officials and their wives.<br/></p></div>