Product Description
In 1934, Tom Finn was an intelligent, handsome young Irishman working as a poorly paid labourer in his home town of Mitchelstown, County Cork. He was looking for decent employment and better prospects to support his family, so he decided to leave Ireland and travel to Cardiff to voluntarily enlist with the Manchester Regiment of the British Army.
Based at Ladysmith Barracks in Ashton-under-Lyne, Manchester Tom completed his army training and then joined the 1st battalion in campaigns in Egypt, Palestine and Singapore. He played an important role in communications as a signaller and was known to be a good hockey player and welterweight boxer.
By 1942, the 1st battalion was stationed in Singapore, and after almost eight years away from home, Tom was one of many soldiers looking forward to taking some well-deserved leave. All thoughts of going back to “Blighty” disappeared when the Japanese Imperial Army launched a surprise, vicious and brutal attack on Singapore, taking several thousand soldiers as prisoner on February 15th 1942.
The Fall of Singapore is well documented in several military history books, films and websites including the reasons why General Percival chose to surrender. Read on to find out how Tom faced the terrifying prospect of being a Japanese prisoner of war, not knowing from day one how long he would remain in captivity, or even if he would survive to tell the tale.
310 pages, Paperback, 168mm x 240mm.
84 black and white/colour illustrations, SIGNED with a brief inscription by the author to title page.
Published August 2011.