Survival in Singapore: The triumph and tragedy of Australia's greatest commando operation

by Tom Trumble

On a pitch-black night in September 1943, a daring Australian commando unit launches a covert raid on Singapore Harbour, sinking and damaging numerous Japanese ships. Operation Jaywick – an epic mission that passed into Australia’s national legend – sets in motion a brutal crackdown by Japan’s dreaded military police, the Kempei Tai.

Tasked with finding the culprits of the attack, Major Sumida Haruzo intensifies his hunt for the saboteurs, weaving a deadly web that ensnares dozens of British internees in Changi Jail and countless Chinese Singaporeans. Among those swept up in the aftermath are Elizabeth Choy, a courageous schoolteacher who risks her life to smuggle aid into Changi Prison, and Robert Heatlie Scott, a senior diplomat and propagandist who miraculously survived the sinking of a ship and two days drifting on a dinghy in the open sea only to be recaptured by the Japanese.

Incarcerated in hellish conditions where the lines between fact and fiction blur, and where victims are forced to turn on each other to survive, Elizabeth and Robert must confront starvation, disease and brutal torture. The fate of countless innocent lives hinges on their will to resist unimaginable agonies, maintain their tenuous grasp on reality and hold to the truth even if it costs them their lives.

628 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 29, 2025

About the author

Tom Trumble is an author, journalist and ghostwriter. He has studied music, history and journalism. All of Tom's books are published by Penguin.

Reviews

[Darcy Delany · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read many WWII history books and for me, this is the best I have come across. Tom Tremble skilfully weaves numerous stories together to show the horror endured by internees in Singapore. He effortlessly blends historical facts with the human experience, making for an engaging book that leaves you with a deep respect for Elizabeth Choy, Robert Scott and many others featured in the book. This would be an excellent history text for students, as it truly brings alive the personal cost borne by those in Singapore during WWII.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story of a covert Military operation called Jaywick which took place in Singapore during WW11 . I knew nothing about this particular story and the fact that Australian military personal were responsible for this operation against the Japanese. It is story of bravery and resilience . The description of the torture endured by many innocent prisoners was hard to read because of the graphic details but it is a story that needed to be told.

[Ann Koenig · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Singapore during WW2 is an informative history of how it survived - so much torture and imprisonment met with resilience.