Reminiscences of an Australian Prisoner of War of the Japanese.
Les Atkinson was only 17 years when he managed to persuade recruiting officers to accept him into the AIF. He trained as a signalman and arrived in Singapore three weeks before it fell to the Japanese. He became a POW and after nine months was sent to work on the notorious Burma-Thailand railway.
At one stage he had cholera and was brought into the "death house" near the Kwai with bets on whether he'd last more than four hours. When Les and another soldier are forced to stay behind at the death camp they must fend for themselves. The Japanese camped on the other side of the Kwai are terrified of cholera and refuse to feed or guard them. Les' final fight for survival begins here.
But this is not a bleak story. Les recounts his experiences with with humour, energy and brashness of the very young man he was. At times the book reads like an exciting adventure story - riding his motorbike through the danger and chaos of Singapore, and conducting secret raids to steal food and equipment while still a POW.
'My Side Of The Kwai' is a testament to the endurance, courage and inventiveness of the soldiers who worked under the most appalling conditions and who maintained a sense of humour and dignity under the most trying conditions imaginable.
