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Bastard behind the lines : the extraordinary story of Jock McLaren's escape from Sandakan and his guerrilla war against the Japanese / by Tom Gilling.

Bastard behind the lines : the extraordinary story of Jock McLaren's escape from Sandakan and his guerrilla war against the Japanese / by Tom Gilling.
Bastard behind the lines :
'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.

Item Information
Shelf Location Collection Volume Ref. Branch Status Due Date
940.5472/GIL
Adult Non-Fiction   Port Macquarie . On Loan . 5 Apr 2024
940.5472/GIL
Adult Non-Fiction   Port Macquarie . Available .  
940.5472/GIL
Adult Non-Fiction   Laurieton . Available .  
. Catalogue Record 656352 ItemInfo Beginning of record . Catalogue Record 656352 ItemInfo Top of page .
Catalogue Information
Field name Details
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:
Catalogue Information 656352 Beginning of record . Catalogue Information 656352 Top of page .