The Forgotten Highlander

This book by Alistair Urquhart came up once on Joe Rogan in the episodes we index. That mention was a genuine on-air recommendation, not just a passing reference. The people who brought it up: Chris Williamson. Every occurrence below links to the episode page and to the exact second it was said on YouTube.

An extraordinary and moving tale by an ex-POW and last surviving member of the Gordon Highlanders regiment that was captured by the Japanese in Singapore. Urquhart was taken prisoner and sent to work on the Death Railway and the notorious bridge over the River Kwai. He survived starvation, cholera and the brutality of the Japanese Imperial Army, only to be packed in the rusting hold of a 'hellship' bound for Japan. Torpedoed by an American submarine, he drifted for days, close to death.