non-fictionThis book is about the life and times of Doug McLaggan starting with the vanished era of the 1920s and 1930s, which led up to the Second World War in which so many youngsters eagerly enlisted. McLaggan among them, saw action only briefly before becoming a POW after the fall of Singapore. It shows the young private soldier's viewpoint of the POW experience; of the mateship, humour and above all the courage and determination and willpower to live under circumstances ranking among the the most appalling of the 20th century. Even during the most trying periods, McLaggan risked his own security by keeping a meticulous diary. From these diaries emerges an extraordinary account of one man's will to survive when men unfit to work on the railway were so cruelly treated by the Japanese engineers in charge of its construction. The story of the POWs under the Japanese has been told before, but McLaggan's account, simply and honestly told, combined with his often forthright views makes this a fascinating and moving story of an ordinary man faced with an extraordinary test of body and mind. (Back cover)doug mclaggan, world war 1939-1945, prisoners of war