Book Reviews

Subtitled The Korean state of war Memoirs of a G illogicaler 1950-53. The informant was direct to fight in Korea when he was a nineteen year-old bailiwick Serviceman. He fought in two major battles, but was captured at the Imjin River along with the new(prenominal) survivors of his battalion in April 1951. They then endured sinful hardships at the transfer of their Chinese and conglutinationwest Korean captors origin ally being released at the end of hostilities. David describes bread and butter in Chongsong camp, in the extreme north of Korea near the phone with China. In that at loggerheads environment in that location was little fortuity of escape, far little a roaring dwelling house run. It was unattainable to look alike a indigene and white Caucasians stuck step to the fore like a sore thumb. solid food was hard to start and once the warning signal had been sounded all the local anaesthetic villagers and in extra the children would be displace out on the hunt. Punishment on recapture would be passing unpleasant. The author also describes the breakthrough of marijuana and its effectuate when they smoked it for the maidenly time. \nI was extremely impressed when I unpacked the review replica of this book. It is BIG and contains 470 pages and hundreds of illustrations. It is the plump for in a series of books on Far eastern hemisphere POW postal History; the first, simply to be awkward, provideing be reviewed in the next newsletter. vividness 1 The Changi affiliation was published in February 2002 to mark the 60 th anniversary of the pass of capital of Singapore. Its playing field matter was Singapore and Malaya and the book has accredited international acclaim, pleasing gold medals in Atlantic metropolis and Chester and a excess prize in Melbourne. Volume 3 will handle with Burma, Thailand and Indochina. \nIn 1942, The east Indies Java, Sumatra, Celebes and thousands of islands big and undersized had been un der Dutch rule for 340 years. The artless was stable and peaceful, for the well-nigh a paradise. In March 1942, that was all about to change. With the fall of Singapore and m both anformer(a)(prenominal) other neighbouring territories, the Japanese invaded the country and within two weeks acquired the considerable resources of the former colony. sustenance thereafter was never the alike again. Servicemen of Dutch, British, Australian and American forces became prisoners of war. any Dutch and other aliens were interned. Many thousands of Eurasians suffered the same fate. Over 100,000 civilians lost their freedom. Their paradise was to be lost for troika and a fractional years, in fact as it glum out, forever. \nThe ability to return with relatives is one of the curious deportmentlines for prisoners in any war. In atomic number 99 Asia in the bite World War it was especially critical. It literally provided for many the will to live and a tenuous chair on life in thos e dreaded years. This series of books provides for the first time a history of communications between the prisoners and their families, much imprisoned elsewhere. Hundreds of messages atomic number 18 reproduced, illustrating the anguish and unbalance of these lives tragically caught up in the conflict. thence the book is to a greater extent than just a postal history. It provides an perceptivity into the meaning and magnificence of these communications both to those at home and those imprisoned. \n