Clent Books (Est.1977)
SUMMERS, Julie THE COLONEL OF TAMARKAN. Philip Toosey and the Bridge on the River Kwai , London: Simon and Schuster, 2005.First Edition. Hard Cover. Fine/Very Good. 0743263502 Book in fine condition. Pictorial endpapers. Dustjacket in very good condition, only fault is a watermark at the top and bottom edges of back cover and spine (see picture). xxii, 410pp, including Bibliography, Index. Appendices: One - Major Groups Employed on Railway Construction. Two - Toosey's War. With frontispiece, 51 black-and-white photographs, plus more b/w photographs and drawings (two of them by Ronald Searle) in the text, and 4 maps. The author is Toosey's granddaughter. In February 1942 Philip Toosey in command of an artillery regiment was sent to fight in the Far East and in the battle for Singapore they were taken prisoners by the Japanese. He was sent to Thailand to command the 'bridge camp' at Tamarkan, where he was ordered to supervise the construction of two railway bridges over the river Khwae Mae Khlong. Tamarkan became a hospital camp as the harsh working conditions and starvation meant dysentery and cholera were rife. A quarter of the 60,000 prisoners would perish while working on the Thailand-Burma railway nicknamed 'Death Railway.' Toosey, as camp commander, insisted on a high standard of hygiene and discipline, giving his men their self-respect and making himself a buffer for the cruel excesses of the guards. It would be three and a half years before he returned home. Even after the war he found he was unable to stop looking after the men to whom he had become an inspiration. The film 'Bridge over the River Kwai' was based on this experience. (9½"h x 6¼"w) (24cms x 16cms) approx. (Book ref. 6911) £14.50 The payment methods accepted by the seller, Clent Books (Est.1977) , are shown in the right-hand column. |
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