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Escape From The Rising Sun; The Incredible Voyage Of The Sederhana Djohanis
February, 1942.
Singapore has fallen.
The British Army, retreating in disorder before the terrible onslaught of the Japanese shock troops, has been told to surrender.
It is one of the greatest defeats the British Army has ever suffered.
One man was convinced he could escape - and reclaim some honour from the disaster.
Geoffrey Rowley-Conwy seized a junk and sailed for Padang.
There he joined up with a group of fellow officers for a desperate bid to escape the Japanese.
Their plan? To take a dilapidated sailing boat across the Indian Ocean to Ceylon.
But to reach safety they would have to cross 1,500 miles of open sea swept by the fury of the monsoon and patrolled by Japanese fighter planes on the lookout for British survivors.
'Escape From The Rising Sun' is an incredible survival story of dedicated soldiers battling disease, depression, and the elements in the search for British-occupied land. With snippets from personal diaries and documents, it is a revealing recollection of the extraordinary feats of a group of very remarkable men.
Singapore has fallen.
The British Army, retreating in disorder before the terrible onslaught of the Japanese shock troops, has been told to surrender.
It is one of the greatest defeats the British Army has ever suffered.
One man was convinced he could escape - and reclaim some honour from the disaster.
Geoffrey Rowley-Conwy seized a junk and sailed for Padang.
There he joined up with a group of fellow officers for a desperate bid to escape the Japanese.
Their plan? To take a dilapidated sailing boat across the Indian Ocean to Ceylon.
But to reach safety they would have to cross 1,500 miles of open sea swept by the fury of the monsoon and patrolled by Japanese fighter planes on the lookout for British survivors.
'Escape From The Rising Sun' is an incredible survival story of dedicated soldiers battling disease, depression, and the elements in the search for British-occupied land. With snippets from personal diaries and documents, it is a revealing recollection of the extraordinary feats of a group of very remarkable men.
- GenresNonfictionWorld War II
Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1973
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
October 13, 2015
Gripping WW2 escape story.
The story of the fall of Singapore is quite well known, however the stories of escape and evasion are rarer. Escape from the Rising Sun describes an amazing feat of sailing 1500 miles across the Bay of Bengal with supplies running out and in a battered, fragile sailing boat. Not only did the escapees have to deal with the elements but they were strafed by an enemy fighter and almost inadvertently sailed through a Japanese fleet.
This is not a story about battles, but a story of the human spirit against adversity and is a story worth preserving.
It was last published in the 1970s and I’m again glad that Endeavour Press reprinted it in this digital edition.
The story of the fall of Singapore is quite well known, however the stories of escape and evasion are rarer. Escape from the Rising Sun describes an amazing feat of sailing 1500 miles across the Bay of Bengal with supplies running out and in a battered, fragile sailing boat. Not only did the escapees have to deal with the elements but they were strafed by an enemy fighter and almost inadvertently sailed through a Japanese fleet.
This is not a story about battles, but a story of the human spirit against adversity and is a story worth preserving.
It was last published in the 1970s and I’m again glad that Endeavour Press reprinted it in this digital edition.
August 2, 2017
What an exciting book about a harrowing escape from Singapore after it fell to the Japanese in 1972. I was led to this book by reading "They Left Us Everything" by Plum Johnson. Her father was one of the survivors of this escape.
April 25, 2013
Inspiring story. Would love to read other similar books.
July 3, 2017
An incredible voyage of a brave group of people who managed to escape the wrath of the marauding Japanese and fought the natural forces to reach to safety. Their grit and determination and the "never say die" spirit came handy.
January 23, 2024
Truly inspiring story that proves how determined men can achieve the impossible ! My only complaint would be that the book reads like a novel and it made the "non fiction" aspect less evident... I also struggled a bit with the navigation terms but that's on me !
July 27, 2019
Must read
Brilliant wartime escape story, loved all the characters, just wish there was a picture or drawing of the sail boat.
Brilliant wartime escape story, loved all the characters, just wish there was a picture or drawing of the sail boat.
July 31, 2019
Astonishing
A fantastic true story. Well written and executed this book is a pleasure to read. It was interesting learning about this part of the war.
A fantastic true story. Well written and executed this book is a pleasure to read. It was interesting learning about this part of the war.
September 22, 2015
A good story of the fall of Singapore, the allied effort to help escapees via the Dutch East Indies and an escape to Ceylon.
March 4, 2016
A fascinating true life adventure story, which somehow makes light of what must have been a voyage of pain, anxiety and fear. A very easy book to read.
December 2, 2020
He who dares
A good telling of an escape from Singapore and the men who made it. Well described and always interesting. Worth the read....
A good telling of an escape from Singapore and the men who made it. Well described and always interesting. Worth the read....
May 30, 2022
Reading on kindle eReader, in my Amazon Library.
October 7, 2022
wartime drama
Hard to believe all those men endured the pain - mental, physical and emotional - and just go home at the end of the war!
Hard to believe all those men endured the pain - mental, physical and emotional - and just go home at the end of the war!
October 29, 2013
Solid WW2 adventure story. Particularly recommended if you are interested in the Pacific theater.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews