In February 1942, Japanese forces invaded the then-British Colony of Singapore. My grandfather, Oswald W. Gilmour was there at the time, working as Deputy Municipal Engineer. As little military support was forthcoming from the British forces, Oswald and many others took their chances, fleeing westwards before the island was completely seized.
The journey was not an easy one though it was certainly an adventure. At various moments, those fleeing were shot at from the sky, bombed on boats that sank as a result, shipwrecked on barren islands, forced to trek through mosquito-infested jungle, and were often captured or killed.
Singapore to Freedom (1943), the book that tells the story of this escape was first published from London in March 1943, and while it met with some success, it eventually fell out of publication—until now.
As of November 2020, I’ve made the book available again in paperback and Kindle versions. Beyond the real-life adventure story it narrates, crossing land and sea to end in Ceylon (Sri Lanka), it also contains many valuable insights for anyone interested in how WWII played out in South-East Asia, as well as that phase of British colonial history.
The book is available for purchase from Amazon in most regions. Here are the links to the US and UK versions:
USA: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08N1LGJL6
UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08N1LGJL6