In The Shadow of Death by Idris James Barwick

 

💥💥💥 Publication date 30-Dec-2021 💥💥💥

Description from Goodreads:

"Idris (Taff) James was a driver in the Royal Army Service Corps and one of the thousands of young British soldiers taken prisoner by the Japanese in early 1942. He was ordered to become a medic by his Company Commander, who must have been a very shrewd judge of character. His account of the conditions and suffering endured by his fellow prisoners and himself makes for the most extraordinary and disturbing reading. Taff suffered from dysentery, malaria, beri beri and cholera but, unlike so many, he survived. His description of the courage of his fellow captives and, regrettably, the failings of some in authority, give grounds for serious thought. If you only read one book by a POW of the Japanese, this is the one."

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"Remember all the fine young men who died in far off lands and all the veterans who must live with their memories."

Ever since I found out my grandfather-in-law was a prisoner of war at the hands of the Japanese, I have had an interest in the subject. He would never speak about his experiences, bar a couple of stories, and having read this, I can understand why.

It is dreadful to think my grandfather-in-law was in a very similar situation as he was there at the fall of Singapore.  The author describes a massacre in a hospital in Singapore in which my grandfather-in-law was a patient after being admitted with shrapnel injuries.  He could quite easily have been a victim of that massacre and if he had, it's scary to think that my husband of 30 years wouldn't be here.

One thing that both surprised me and horrified me in equal measure was the conduct of the prisoner of war officers. I can't understand how many lived with their conscience after watching their comrades starving to death whilst they ate their fill or how they could inflict further punishments when they were already enduring so much.  I wonder if any were reprimanded for their despicable behaviour?

If I have one little gripe is that I wanted to know what happened to some of the other people after the war; there are some but it would have rounded things up for me if some of the main prisoners and Japanese stories were updated.

This book is heart-breaking, horrific and hard to read at times.  It is a real story of survival against the odds and a story of keeping your humanity and compassion in what was clearly pure hell.  Many times his compassion and descriptions brought me to tears and saying to myself "how did anyone survive that?"  The addition of pictures also helped bring Idris's words to life.

I defy anyone not to be moved by this book and it is one that I would recommend to anyone who has any interest in this part of the War.

My thanks must go to Pen & Sword Books and NetGalley for my copy in return for an honest, unbiased and unedited review.

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Note from the Publisher:

"Idris Barwick survived the War and went on to enjoy a long life in his native Wales. He died in 2000. His daughter Elizabeth Garland has been instrumental in bringing this book to our notice."