Record Number |
656352 |
ISBN |
9781760875879 |
1760875872 |
Author |
Gilling, Tom |
Title |
Bastard behind the lines : the extraordinary story of Jock McLaren's escape from Sandakan and his guerrilla war against the Japanese / by Tom Gilling. |
Publication details |
Sydney, N.S.W. : Allen & Unwin, 2021. |
Pagination etc. |
viii, 247 pages, 8 unnumbered pages of plates : illustrations, map, portraits ; 24 cm. |
Summary Note |
'The way I look at it is this...When you're behind the line and get yourself into trouble, you've got to get your bloody self out irrespective of anybody else. That's why I like it.' Scottish-born but a Queenslander to the bone, Jock McLaren was a true Australian hero. As a prisoner he escaped twice, first from Changi and later from the infamous Sandakan POW camp in Borneo. After paddling a dugout canoe across open sea, he fought for two years with American-led Filipino guerrillas, his exploits so audacious the Japanese put a price on his head. At the helm of his 26-foot whaleboat, the Bastard, McLaren sailed brazenly into enemy-held harbours, wreaking havoc with his mortar and machine guns before heading back out to sea. In early 1945 he joined Australia's secretive Z Special Unit, parachuting into Borneo to carry out reconnaissance and organise anti-Japanese resistance ahead of Allied landings. He cheated death on numerous occasions and saved his own life by removing his appendix without anaesthetic, using 'two large dessert spoons' and a razor blade. Drawing on Allied and Japanese wartime documents, Bastard Behind the Lines brings the story of a courageous digger vividly to life and throws light on a rarely explored aspect of Australia's Pacific war. |
Subject |
McLaren, Jock |
McLaren, Robert Kerr, -- 1902-1956 |
Sandakan (Concentration camp) |
Australia. -- Royal Australian Navy. -- Inter-Allied Services Dept. -- Z Special Unit |
World War, 1939-1945 -- Prisoners and prisons, Japanese |
Prisoners of war -- Malaysia -- Sandakan (Sabah) |
Biography and autobiography |
World War, 1939-1945 -- Pacific Ocean |
World War, 1939-1945 -- East Asia |
World War, 1939-1945 -- Underground movements |
World War, 1939-1945 -- Campaigns -- Pacific Ocean |
Prisoners of war -- Singapore -- Changi |
Prisoners of war -- Malaysia -- Sabah |
Prisoners of war -- Australia |
Australian |
Links to Related Works |
Subject References:
Authors:
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