Survival and Separation on the River Kwai : The Ordeal of a Japanese Prisoner of War and His Family.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Roberts, Ian.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Prisoners of war.

Prisoners of war--Great Britain.

World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, British.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (194 pages)

Edition:

1st ed.

Other Title:

Survival and Separation on the River Kwai

Place of Publication:

Havertown : Pen & Sword Books Limited, 2023.

Summary:

Eric Roberts was conscripted in 1939 into the 1/5 Sherwood Foresters. After service in France and evacuation from Brest in 1940, the Battalion were sent to the Far East arriving in Singapore three weeks before the surrender. Eric became a prisoner of the Japanese and was sent to the Burma-Thai Railway. His Commanding Officer was Lieutenant Colonel Lilly who was later to become the inspiration for Colonel Nicholson in the film Bridge on the River Kwai. Eric's fiancée, Eunice Lowe, learnt of his capture by chance from a friend. Amidst speculation that Eric had escaped, Eunice began a campaign to learn the truth but it was not until 26 May 1943 that she received confirmation that he was a POW. From 1942 to 1945, while suffering extreme hardship and abuse from his captors, Eric was permitted to send just three postcards. Despite Eunice writing every week, only a handful were received by him in late 1944. After liberation, Eric returned home and married Eunice in 1946. Fortunately, Eric wrote a graphic memoir of his captivity in the post-war years and Eunice's correspondence has been preserved. The two combined make for an unusual and moving record of a young couple's testing yet very different experiences.

Contents:

Cover

Book Title

Copyright

Dedication

Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1 September 1941: Mobilization (Again)

Chapter 2 Observations on the Territorial Army

Chapter 3 October 1941: Movement from the UK to the Middle East

Chapter 4 Arrival at Halifax, Nova Scotia

Chapter 5 December 1941: Cape Town, South Africa

Chapter 6 1942: Bombay, India and Ahmednagar

Chapter 7 January 1942: Singapore

Chapter 8 Home Front: February-May 1942

Chapter 9 February-May 1942: Changi, Singapore

Chapter 10 Home Front: August-October 1942

Chapter 11 May-October 1942: River Valley Road Camp, Singapore

Plates

Chapter 12 Home Front: November 1942-May 1943

Chapter 13 October 1942-May 1943: Wampo, Thailand

Chapter 14 May-August 1943: Tonchan Main Camp and Tonchan Spring Camp, Thailand

Chapter 15 Home Front: May 1943-March 1944

Chapter 16 August 1943-March 1944: Kinsayo and Kinsayo North, Thailand

Chapter 17 Home Front: March 1944-June 1945

Chapter 18 March 1944-June 1945: Tamuan, Thailand

Chapter 19 June-August 1945: Pratchai, Thailand

Chapter 20 August-November 1945

Chapter 21 November 1945-1946: Return and Readjustment

Chapter 22 Epilogue

Appendix Mrs Robinson's Account of PoW Life

Maps

Bibliography

Index

Back Cover.

Notes:

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

9781399049597

1399049593

9781399049573

1399049577

OCLC:

1399168392