Review: No Mercy from the Japanese
Pen & Sword Books is part of The Barnsley Chronicle newspaper group. The Barnsley Chronicle is one of the UK’s oldest provincial newspapers and one of the few weeklies still in private ownership. It was launched in 1858 and is due to celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2008.
Over recent years the company has continued to grow and has added new imprints to its core area of military history. Pen & Sword now specialise in all areas of military history, naval and maritime history, aviation, local history, family history, collectables and antiques, nostalgia and true crime.
With over 200 books published every year, Pen & Sword has established itself as a specialist book publisher.
Recap
By the laws of statistics John Wyatt should not be here today to tell his story. He firmly believes that someone somewhere was looking after him during those four years. Examine the odds stacked against him and his readers will understand why he hold this view. During the conflict in Malaya and Singapore his regiment lost two thirds of its men. More than three hundred patients and staff in the Alexandra Military Hospital were slaughtered by the Japanese – he was one of the few survivors still alive today. Twenty six percent of British soldiers slaving on the Burma Railway died. More than fifty men out of around six hundred died aboard the Asaka Maru and the Hakasan Maru. Many more did not manage to survive the harshest Japanese winter of 1944/45, the coldest in Japan since record began. John’s experiences make for the most compelling and graphic reading. The courage, endurance and resilience of men like him never ceases to amaze.
The Good
This is an excellent way to be introduced to the story of the Burma Railway and Hellships – things that are often overlooked today.
The Bad
Despite this being a rather entertaining read, Mr. Wyatt’s very British manner downplays some of the horrible conditions that he found himself in. Another turnoff was that he frequently resorted to believing God was responsible for his surviving difficult times.
The Ugly
None
Product Summary
Name: No Mercy from the Japanese: A Survivors Account of the Burma Railway and the Hellships 1942-1945
Author: John Wyatt with Cecil Lowry
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books
Category: Book
Cost: £19.99
SKU: N/A
ISBN: 9781844158539
Rating
