- Title:
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Bastard Behind the Lines: The extraordinary story of Jock McLaren's escape from Sandakan and his guerrilla war against the Japanese (MP3)
- Written by:
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Tom Gilling
- Read by:
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David Tredinnick
- Format:
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Unabridged MP3 CD Audio Book
- Number of CDs:
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1
- Duration:
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8 hours 54 minutes
- MP3 size:
-
386 MB
- Published:
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May 01 2021
- Available Date:
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May 01 2021
- Age Category:
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Adult
- ISBN:
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9781867538486
- Genres:
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Non-fiction; Australian; History; World War II
- Publisher:
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ABC Audio
Qty
Format
Price
Bolinda price
Australian author
Bastard Behind the Lines brings the story of a courageous digger vividly to life and throws light on a rarely explored aspect of Australia's Pacific war.
Scottish-born but a Queenslander to the bone, Jock McLaren was a true Australian hero. As a prisoner he escaped twice, first from Changi and later from the infamous Sandakan POW camp in Borneo. After paddling a dugout canoe across open sea, he fought for two years with American-led Filipino guerrillas, his exploits so audacious the Japanese put a price on his head.
At the helm of his 26-foot whaleboat, the Bastard, McLaren sailed brazenly into enemy-held harbours, wreaking havoc with his mortar and machine guns before heading back out to sea. In early 1945 he joined Australia’s secretive Z Special Unit, parachuting into Borneo to carry out reconnaissance and organise anti-Japanese resistance ahead of Allied landings. He cheated death on numerous occasions and saved his own life by removing his appendix without anaesthetic, using ‘two large dessert spoons’ and a razor blade.
Drawing on Allied and Japanese wartime documents, Bastard Behind the Lines brings the story of a courageous digger vividly to life and throws light on a rarely explored aspect of Australia’s Pacific war.