Dead Leaves: Two Years in the Rhodesian War

An account of a young man’s conscription into one of Africa’s most bitter and complex conflicts. Set during the late 1970s, as Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) spiraled toward the end of white minority rule, Wylie—a bookish, introspective university student—was drafted into the Rhodesian army and forced into a war he neither believed in nor supported.

Unlike traditional military memoirs, Dead Leaves is not a tale of heroism or glory. Instead, Wylie offers an unflinching examination of fear, alienation, moral confusion, and emotional detachment amidst the chaos of bush warfare. His vivid descriptions capture both the physical harshness of the African landscape and the psychological toll of being caught between competing nationalisms and ideologies.

Wylie’s literary style sets this memoir apart: poetic, reflective, and richly descriptive, his writing explores not only the brutality of war, but also the internal conflict of a young man trying to preserve his humanity. He interrogates his own complicity, privilege, and vulnerability with honesty and grace, making Dead Leaves as much a work of introspection and conscience as it is a historical document.

This is a powerful and unsettling book that challenges romanticised narratives of the Rhodesian war, offering instead a raw, intelligent, and emotionally resonant reflection on what it means to survive—and remember—a war you never wanted to fight.