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A 'Thank You' note from Alistair Urquhart, The Forgotten Highlander
Posted by Darren Turpin in Abacus, Blog, Guest Posts
Alistair Urquhart sends his grateful thanks for so many comments and contributions to Little, Brown's Blog, since the publication of his book The Forgotten Highlander.
Alistair has asked us to pass on the following message:
'Reading those gave me great comfort, that all of you felt the book, should be read by not only adults, but school and University pupils and the younger generation. This was my hope, as I worked on the manuscript, with my friend Kurt Bayer, as there are many things to learn, whilst reading the book.
'Such as: there is not such a word as "CAN'T", one never gives up, as there is always a light at the end of the tunnel, as I have proved, and always use the attributes you have to the fullest.
'I feel very humble at times, but am so glad the book has been such a success worldwide, and that all FEPOWs will now have their rightly place in the history of World War II, in the Far East, and in society.'
The mass-market paperback edition of The Forgotten Highlander will be published by Abacus in April 2011. But if you can't wait that long to read Alistair's incredible story, the original, large-paperback edition, published by Little,Brown, should still be available from all good bookstores and online retailers.
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I have just finished reading Alistair's book. Words cannot describe how I feel and what unbelievable horrors poor Alistair had to endure. How can any human being get through all that and even worse how can any humans inflict so much pain and distress on so many others. I just want to give him the biggest hug and tell him what an incredible person he is.It was a deeply touching book and certainly puts things into perpective. Massive respect for Alistair
I have just finished reading Alistair's unbelievably moving account of the terrible time he had in the Far East. How anyone can endure what he did and how can anyone be so incredibly cruel defies all beliefs! I so hope the rest of his life was not riddled with pain and am so glad he was able to tell his story so that the rest of us who think life is tough can now think otherwise. The biggest hug and massive respect for Alistair
My great-uncle became a Black Watch POW in Singapore.He would never speak of his times there but refused to buy anything made in Japan.He took the stories to his grave.This book tells me something of why.I am making my children read it.I suspect the author does not wish to be seen as a hero , but he clearly is.
I don't know how to reconcile Modern Japan with this period ; let us hope they have learned.
my grandfather was in your regiment and also survived the horrors he passed away in 1968
he could never talk about it . i would like to e-mail alistair if possable .
Dear Alistair, thank you so much for sharing your incredible story. Mere word cannot convey the feelings and admiration to you and the men and women that gave so much. We will forever be in debt and grateful for all you did.
I hope this message reaches you and reaches you well.
Keep on dancing! :)
Yours Sincerely,
Tom Jepson
I am lucky enough to know Alistair personally (he is my uncle)and reading his astounding book reduced me to tears many times. He is a dear and wonderful man who has risen above the horrors he had to endure by somehow managing to fight through the trauma and find his way back to normality, becoming a husband and father. Reading the comments above has reduced me to tears yet again. You have my love and admiration Uncle Alistair.
Come hear Alistair speak on Saturday, 21st May at the first-ever Boswell Book Festival at Auchinleck House in Ayrshire, http://www.boswellbookfestival.co.uk. Tickets: 01563554900. Hear his incredible tale in the stunning setting of Southwest Scotland.
I can't wait to read this book. Thank you Mr Urqhart for sharing your experiences.
I doubt that I am alone in being reduced to tears while reading this remarkable story of survival. The dignity shown by this man is a humbling experience. I visited the River Kwai museum and although it was an eye-opening trip it did not convey the conditions, the barbarity and the horror in the same way as the words of one who survived.
I listened to Mr Urqhart speak at the Boswell Book festival and it has had a profound effect on my outlook on life. All my petty gripes now seem nonsense. I would like to thank Mr Urghart for a great hour today , I think he could still have been answering questions well into the night, he had a standing ovation at the end of his talk and rightly so. I would like to say thankyou to Mr Urghart and all the other people who fought in wars so that my family and myself can have a free happy life , please note that these words do not convey the depth of gratitude that I feel after listening to his experiences . Thankyou
Ref comment 6 above by Susan Clarke. Susan, might it be possible for you to spare me a minute or two to talk about your uncle and his book. His story is incredible and is so important as it provides an account of the horrors that so many of the few who returned were unable to put into words. It's given me an idea that I'd like to speak with you about if I may…..Regards, James Cant
Hi Alistair
as a Scotsman you will know were all jock Tampsons bairns but you are one of his best, My great uncle was murdered on the railway when his head was put on the tracks for being to ill to work. I'm so glad that you lived, had a family and still enjoy your dancing. You make me even more proud to be a Scotsman.
My husband has always been interessted in stories about the war. We actually went to the River Kwai and visited the graves of many men who worked on the Railway. I bought this book for my husband just recently and he simply couldn't put it down – it is possibly the shortest time it has ever taken us to read the same book. We were both extremely moved by the account of Mr Urqhart's war experience and having visited the railway we could visualise where he was. We wanted to let my Urquhart know how much we admired his strength and determination not to let these most cruel of men destroy him. Please pass on our good wishes. We are now passing the book to our sons as we feel it is very important that as many people as possible read this book. Kind regards Rae 7 Martin McNairney
I was interested in these stories as my father went through exactly the same things as Alastair,he was also fortunate to survive the camps,and the torpedoing.But was never the same man afterwards.He died of a heart attack in 1999.Janice Perry.
I was in Queen Mary's Hospital Roehampton during 1950 and was in the tropical diseases ward, my bedside copanion was a ex Japanese prisioner with the sir name of Farr (he was always called Tommy after the well known boxer of those times). He also worked on the railway and was also on board a Japanese ship bound for Japan when it was sunk by the Americans. he was picked up from a life raft by a Japanese submarine and taken to Japan where he worked in a steel works until the Japanese surrender. In the hospital ward were several other survivers of the Japanese camps, one of whom died whilst I was in the hospital.
My Grandfather was an engineer (plumber) in the army when Singapore was overun. He too went through this trauma however he committed suicide in the 1950's. My Mum, his daughter, has never spoken about it to me, and I feel I would like to remember him in some way. We are also from Dundee and I in fact lived on Seafield Road in Broughty Ferry when younger. Is there any way you can email Alistair? I look forward to tonight's programme.
i cannot put into words how amazing alistair urqhart is. absolutely blown away by his experiences & his outlook on them. take my hat off to him. god bless his soul
I'm humbled at hearing Alistairs story.
My uncle, John Pyle Mckay, (later known as Frank Howard),and also a scotsman from the highlands of Scotland,was a Japanese prisoner of war working on the infamous bridge and railway.
He was a tall man of 16 stone when he went away and returned weighing 5stone 4lbs. and bent double.
He spoke very little of his terror there, except my aunt, his wife, said that the Japanese soldiers would kill anyone that became too weak to work.
She said that they would also collect all the incoming mail from loved ones intended for prisoners of war, pile them up in front of the prisoners and burn them in front of their eyes, making them watch.
This broke their spirit and many gave up hope and just died.
As a fellow Highlander, I wondered if Alisdair had come across my uncle?
I know it's a long shot, but you never know…
Thankyou Alistair.
God Bless you for telling your story.
Love, Maddyxxx
I have just finished reading this book and was deeply moved by what i read. I can not believe what these men had to go through and even more astonishing is the fact that Alistair lived to tell the tale and is still alive despite all his body has been put through and exposed to all those years ago. I felt compelled to write to Alistair but the address i put on the envelope (taken from the forward in his book) was very vaque….I hope it reaches him. A true hero in my eyes.
Ref Comment 11 (James Cant). Happy to talk with you. Do you have a contact number/email? Regards Sue
My dad, Sidney George Hurren, was a Japanese prisoner of war in his early 20s, he belonged to the Royal Norfolks, he also, was reluctant to talk about his experiences.
As a little girl I was confused, when as a family we were given free tickets to go see a film about POWs so the conversation revolved about my dad being a prisoner and I remember thinking 'my dad isn't a bad man, how can he have been in prison? Over the years I started to understand and when Tenko came on the television it gave me the questions to ask him. He would only answer a few then change the subject.
When my Grandparents died my dad found that they had the original telegrams that were sent to them. He passed them to me ( at that stage I had two little boys of my own) I read them, It basicaly told them that their son was 'missing belived captured', the next one was 18 months later saying that he was in a POW camp then there was a further one about another year later. I felt so upset for the first time I thought of my Grandma and Grandad and what they all went through I thought about my own 2 boys and from then on I wanted to understand more.
My dads health deteriated from about 50ish doctors couldn't find out what was up. One night I watched a program I think it was Horizon but am not sure,It was showing some ex POWs in Liverpool Tropical Diseases Hospital had been found to have worms in their stomachs. I talked to my dad who then watched the program which was repeated at the weekend. He was then convinced and he eventually went to Birmingham tropical deseses unit. He did have the worms, he had carried them for 40 years. He was treated over a period of about 2 months , he was quite ill but recovered.
He lived to be 80 then died from lung cancer.
I am so grateful to have seen the program on the TV then read the book. It has explained so much that I didn't understand. So thank you Alistair for helping me to understand what my dad, yourself and all the POWs went through. I would recomend your book to everyone to read.
What a read, total respect and admiration for Alistair. I can't remember the last time a book followed me around all day! I would put it down only to go back 5 minutes later to carry on his amazing trails and tribulations with the Japanese military. What resolve and inner strength he and his fellow prisoners showed.God bless you.
Dear Alistair,
Thank you for putting your experiences on to paper. I wish you happiness and as someone who loves dancing I understand how this would bring you back to yourself.
with love
Catherine
It normally takes me a few months to read a book but I read this book in three days it was incredible. My father took me to the bridge over the River Kwai many years ago but the true horrors of what happened there cannot be imagined unless reading the words of someone who was there. I feel horrified to read what people had to endure and died enduring but I am glad that Alistair told the world what actually happened. My words seem inadaquate but the resolve of the man is amazing, it shows what the human spirit is capable of surviving. Please pass on my thoughts to Alistair.
Having read the book 'Forgotten Highlander' I would just like to say to Alistair "Respect & thank you".
God bless
Don Ferrier
dear moderator – any chance you could pass this comment on to the author and let me know if he would ever do book signings?
I watched a documentary on the story last night on 'Yesterday'. Wow. What an inspiration. We learnt about the war at school but never quite could imagine how horrific it was for you all. You are all true heros and you will never be forgotten. I am going to buy the book and really wish there was an opportunity to meet. Thank you so much for telling the story and allowing us a small insight into what happened all those years ago. Many stories are left untold but at least your tale will enable our generations to appreciate just how heroic, brave and inspiring your generation really were. It is awful to think of the many other hardships and horrors the first and second world wars brought to millions of people. I am fastinated by your bravery and am so glad the you found some peace through music. I am also really happy to hear that you were able to build a happy life. You definately deserved more than a heros welcome, you and your fellow PoW are true inspirations. Thank you once again for sharing your story and please be assured your story will inspire many many many generations of people. Thank you x
I picked up and finished the Forgotten Highlander when I was 15 and it is without a doubt one of the best books I have ever read. Alistair's vivid descriptions of the savage brutality he and thousands of others endured really got to me. I can honestly say it disturbed me. I have always been interested in the war of the Pacific, especially those who fought in it. I am also interested in the countless atrocities the Japanese committed against both civilians and prisoners of war like Alistair. I feel that the crimes Japan committed against tens of millions of civilians and POW's have been forgotten. At school we learned about the horrors of the Nazi war machine, but yet we are taught nothing of Nanjing, Unit 731, the Comfort Women or the allied prisoners captured by Japan who died in their tens of thousands. Alistair, even though you endured unimaginable brutality at the hands of the Japanese you are still able to live a great life without feeling bitter towards the Japanese people. You truly are an inspirational person.
I have just finished reading the Forgotten Highlander, having watched the Channel 5 documentary almost by accident. I'd normally never read a book on this topic, nor do I tend to buy autobiographies, but I felt that Alistair's story definitely had to be read after all that he had endured. I was so moved and horrified by his story. I had a relative who would occasionally suddently say "don't talk about the Japanese", and as a young girl, I didn't understand and frankly was a little scared of him. It turned out he was also a Japanese POW. I have been pretty ignorant about the war in the Far East until now, but this book, plus the recent BBC2 documentary about the fall of Singapore (in which Alistair featured) has helped start my education. I, like other readers on this site, immediately wanted to thank Alistair for sharing this awful but also inspirational story, and hope that he is still enjoying his dancing. I also wanted to let him know that I will encourage others to read this book so that his experiences are shared and not forgotten. I wish him well.
By chance, I had the privilege of hearing Alistair speak in 2010. I was moved by his story and his resilient character and felt honoured to shake his hand. I left with a signed copy of his book. Reading the account of his experience made a permanent impression on me. Two years later I still think of him and wish I had the chance to tell him how sorry I am that he and his fellow POWs were treated so horrifically and yet we failed to give those who returned the care they needed and deserved. I feel we have a huge debt to those who sacrificed all so that we may enjoy our liberty today. I wish Alistair all the best in his later years and hope he knows what a contribution he has made by making his voice heard. Thank you Alistair. Peace be with you.
I have always been fascinated by the first and second world wars having family members involved and lost in both. I had also seen the horrific pictures of skeletal men being finally rescued at the end of the war in Japan. However, the account by Mr Urquart of his suffering at the hands of the Japanese was both deeply disturbing and incredibly moving. I felt almost unable to read some sections of his story and could not imagine how he was able to carry on in the face of such barbarity and with feelings of such absolute despair. I teach in a secondary school and would love him to be able to visit us and tell his story to our students, but as this is probably not possible, I will ensure I use his book to ensure that they are aware of what went on so that they could have the lives they have today. One of the most depressing parts of the story was the dreadful way such heroes were treated on their return, so I hope comments such as mine and all the above will go some small way to show Mr Urquart just how proud and thankful people are about the tremendous sacrifice and bravery of himself and countless thousands of others.
I also searched for an e-mail address to contact Mr urguhart to express my gratitude in being able to read this remarkable story.
I've read many books regarding POWs, from Louis Zamperini to Solzhenitsyn's 'one day in the life of…' and 'the gulag archipelago.'
But none quite moved me as much as this for reasons unknown. Maybe it's because I am also Scottish, maybe it's because I felt it more honest. Whatever the reasons are, it really touched me being able to see the harrows of what went on, as well as the unbridled bravery, strength and courage.
This book, I believe contains 2 of the single most encouraging, inspiring lines of text I have read that I like to share with anyone whom I believe could use them.
'Life is worth living and no matter what it throws at you it is important to keep your eyes on the prize of the happiness that will come' and 'While it always seems darkest before dawn, perseverance pays off and the good times will return.'
Amazing story of survival and written in such an engaging way!
Thank you, Alistair, for educating me about the war in the Far East. I knew so little about it. Your courage and sense of survival are a true inspiration to all who will read your book. Thank you for revisiting the horrors so that the rest of us can learn what our people went through in those POW camps.
I have read a number of autobiographies of soldiers in WW2 and am struck by the common thread through all -they all tell of being ordered not to speak of what happened. How were these people ever supposed to cope with the horrors they went through?
Mr Urquhart, I salute you. I am so glad that you were able to build a life for yourself after your hell. God bless you.
What a truly inspiring and courageous book Mr Urquhart has written. As the daughter of a FEPOW, I am indebted to him and those brave men who survived 3 and half years of hell, who have written down their experiences (when on their return from the Far East they were all told not to say anything) because without these first hand accounts, so much of the truth of what actually happened would be lost and it is so important not only to preserve what was a turning point, not just in the history of this country but in the history of that whole area of the Far East but it is important to remember the men who fought so bravely and lost their lives to defend Singapore and the thousands of men and women who endured the atrocities and savage cruelty of the Japanese in POW camps across the Far East in the 3 and half years following the Fall of Singapore. There are so many valuable lessons to be learned from the stories of the POWs about determination and courage and survival. Like many of the FEPOWs, my father said very little about his experiences between 1942 and 1945 and all I had were pre war photographs taken in Singapore and Malaya of colonial life in the 1930s and two letters he wrote to my mother – one written in March 1941 on HMS Dragonfly and the second in October 1945 written on the Queen Elizabeth bringing him home from New York after his release by the US Navy via Manila in the Philipines, San Francisco and across the States. My most treasured possession is a drawing of him done at Shirakawa POW Camp in Formosa in October 1944, which he gave me himself many years ago.
I have managed to trace some of what happened to him after his capture at Muntok (Sumatra) and it has been a fascinating although at times very emotional journey from a POW camp at Palembang, Sumatra, to his then being transhipped back to Singapore to Changi and then the terrible 3 week journey in July 1942 on the hellship, England Maru, to Takao, Formosa and 3 years as a "white coolie" farming at Shirakawa.
Reading books written by POWs like Mr Urquhart's "Forgotten Highlander" has been enormously helpful and certainly helped me understand my father much more and why he was the way he was. It has given me the incentive to write down my father's story – if for no other reason than for my grandson as an example to him and to show him what the POWs had to endure and how men like his great grandfather and Mr Urquhart not only survived but rebuilt their lives at a time when there was no counselling for "post traumatic stress syndrome" and very little care and help for them when they returned. After the war, they just had to get on with it – my father, like Mr Urquhart, always said there was no such word as "Can't" ! My father also said to me that to survive being a POW of the Japanese you had to be physically very strong but much more important than that, you had to be mentally very strong. One of the last things he said to me a few days before he died in 1994, when he knew he was very ill, was that he considered that he had been very fortunate indeed because he had had 40 bonus years of a happy, healthy and successful life, unlike so many of his close friends and the people he knew in Singapore, who had been killed fighting the Japanese or had died in the prisoner of war camps, so many of whom were young, hard working and decent men like himself, who had gone out to the Far East to make a difference and to make something of their lives never anticipating that terrible war with the Japanese..
My father went out to Singapore to join the Borneo Company as a young man of 23 and before the war was with the Singapore Straits Naval Voluntary Reserve Force. When Singapore fell, he was one of 3,000 military and technical men ordered to leave the island on that fateful Friday 13th, two days before Lt Gen Percival surrendered, and of the 44 ships which left to continue the war against the Japanese elsewhere, only 2 managed to get through to safety. Thousands perished either drowned in the waters between Singapore and Sumatra or died on deserted tropical islands. The ship my father was on was torpedoed and sunk by the Japanese Navy in the Banka Straits and although he was rescued by HMS Tapah, HMS Tapah was intercepted the following day by a Japanese warship who ordered them to Muntok on Banka Island where they were all taken prisoner……
Reading Mr Urquhart's book brought tears to my eyes remembering my father and realising what he had been through. I would love to be able to say to my father "I'm sorry for what you went through, I wish i'd known and I wish you had told me" but thank you, Mr Urquhart for telling us your story…..
My Grandad, Wilfred Tupper (Pop), was a Japanese POW and worked on the railway/bridge. He, too, never spoke about it to anyone. He was a cobler by trade and made shoes for the other prisoners from anything he could get his hands on; I still have the blade he used although it's rusty now and the makeshift handle has deteriorated. Alastair mentions going to see a cobler for something to put on his feet; of course when I read this I immediately wondered if he'd called on my Pop.
I extend my heartfelt thanks to Alastair for punching through the vail of silence – the book covered some unanswered questions I had and gave me a better understanding of my Pop and what he went through. God Bless !!!
October 2012.
I have just seen your documentary on Australian TV and want to thank you for coming forward to tell your story. I look forward to reading your book.
Your story brings alive my father's story. Perhaps your paths crossed at that time, perhaps not. He was in the RAAF and started work on the railway from the Burma side rather than the Thai side. He too was in a prison camp near Nagasaki. He was briefly in Changi. The little he would say after the war bears remarkable similarity to your story.
Did your paths cross? Perhaps not. Regardless, your story, is my father's story in spirit, and that of most of the POWs under the Japanese during WWII.
One difference. My father never mentioned being asked to keep quiet about his experiences. I wonder if that happened to the British and US soldiers only, not to Australian soldiers. He rarely talked about it, but occassionally would do so, especially near to his death in 2007. He would have kept quiet if it had been requested of him.
Thank you so very much.
While Reading Mr. Urquhart's book, I had the most startling sensation of living through the eyes of my grandfather, John Sim Stewart (from Aberdeen) who was also a POW under the Japanese. The story told was eerily familiar to the ones told to me (in snippits, of course) as a child when, after much pressing, Grandpa would share some details with me. My Father and I then got together and went through my grandfather's papers (he passed in 2000) and discovered and old, worn piece of paper in a folder with some notes on it as well as Alistair Urquhart's name. I am writing to not only thank Mr. Urquhart for helping me realize why my Grandfather was so reluctant to speak about his experiences, but to inquire if Mr. Urquhart knew him in some way.
Thank you
Justin
Throughout the book I found myself wondering how I might have coped had I been in Alistair's shoes, but in all honesty I could not contemplate the answer. Alistair is one incredible person and I am so glad that such a good man has triumphed over evil. I feel humbled by his experiences, angry about the treatment he received, and will keep a copy of his book for ever.
Mr Urquhart,
I really want to offer my most sincere thanks for putting your story down on paper: it cannot have been easy. I have rarely been so hooked on a book.
Of all the books I have read on this tragic time, yours has given me the best insight into the conditions and experiences that my own grandfather (Jack Spalding) probably shared. Sadly I never knew my grandfather as he died in 1956 before I was born. However he travelled back from Thailand after the war with my father (a child in India) and GS Gimson another FEPOW. Stanley Gimson became a 'surrogate' grandfather to me and by brothers. From Stanley, sadly no longer with us, I did learn a bit more about the FEPOW experiences and apparently how my grandfather's engineering skills were used in prison camp. Stanley told us Jack designed/made the dentist chair and other items – perhaps the items you refer to in Changi on page 204 – and that Stanley sketched. A few years ago I was fortunate to be able to go on a family holiday to Thailand and was able to spend some time in the museum in Kanchanaburi and at Hellfire Pass: it was incredibly moving. I recall the broken drill bit in the wall of the pass and can imagine the punishment the Japs gave to the poor POW who broke it.
As I am now resident in Aberdeen, not so far from your home in Broughty Ferry, I would love the opportunity to attend any lecture that Mr Urquart is giving in Scotland. Is there a mailing list for such things? Or, if he does happen to recall Jack Spalding, anecdotes would be fantastic to hear.
So again thank you for sharing your experiences in such an eloquent and moving book, I will order more copies for my brothers. Your survival against all the odds is truly inspirational.
Best wishes
Richard Spalding
I seen a tv prog about alistair last year and thought what a brave soul to have gone through so much.I have only read a few books in my life but spotted the forgotten highlands in a wee shop last week.I recognized the name alistair urquhart. I read this over 2 days and could not put it down it moved me to tears. alistair and fellow p.o.w.s are true heroes .
Dear alastair
I would like to wish you every happiness for your future as you
Truely deserve it. Thankyou sincerely for everything that you did for us.
You are an amazing person. Xxxxxxx god bless
Dear Alistair,
Never have I read a book that has caused me to reach out to the author, however I have felt so emotional and privileged in reading your incredible story and astonishing courage and human spirit and I find myself writing this note. Your story and enduring willpower serves as an inspiration and in the chaotic and frantic world we live less we forget the virtues of honesty, integrity and simply never giving up. You are an amazing and special man. Stay happy and healthy always.
With Kind Regards,
Cetin Munir
P.S. Thank you sharing your story and the underlying message we should all take from this.
Dear Mr Urquhart,
I have just finished reading your unbelievable book. My father was a captain in the Royal Artillery (TA) in Singapore when it fell. He was at Changi and worked on the railway. He never spoke about his experiences to his close family but did share some of his experiences with his local Vicar and some of my friends. So much of what you said struck a chord with what little he told me. He never forgave the Japanese and always was disappointed when anyone in the family bought anything made in Japan. He very often had rice even though he always spoke of the "rice washings" he was fed whilst a POW. He always lamented the total lack of welcome when he arrived back at Southampton after the end the war. He was unrecognisable to many of his friends and family as he was suffering badly from rickets and beriberi and the odd attack of malaria when he returned. Reading your book, which must have been so difficult and harrowing to write, made so much sense when I remember my father and how he reacted in certain circumstances. He always spoke of those that had a "good" war as opposed to those forgotten Japanese POWs.
I find it utterly despicable how the British Government tried to brush the atrocities under the carpet. They should hang their heads in shame. My father died at the age of 89 in 1997 before any compensation was paid to ex POWs which was not even paid for by the Japanese Government.
This should be required reading for all schoolchildren. The behaviour of the Japanese Imperial Army should never be forgotton. Also the total lack of strategy on behalf of the British who thought that Singapore was impregnable. My father always maintained that the Generals never contemplated that the Japanese would come from the Malay Peninsula and as the southern coast of Singapore was well guarded they took there eye off the ball.
Could someone point me in the direction of how I could find out more about my father's time as a POW. Finally, amazingly enough my father's first and only Grandson was born on the 15th February 2001, 59 years to the day after he was captured by the Japanese. Sadly he never met him.
David de Winton