Book Description

At age 21, William (Bill) Mackenzie Lowcock enlisted in the AIF and found himself in Singapore. A few months later, just shy of his 22nd birthday, he found himself a Prisoner of War. What followed for Bill was three years of forced POW labour on the infamous Thai-Burma Railway (the Death Railway). This is his story. --//-- from the Back Cover --//-- Sixteen-year-old William (Bill) Mackenzie Lowcock enlisted in the militia and, at the breakout of World War II, served on guard duty on various key infrastructures in Sydney and its surrounds. Keen to serve Australia, at age twenty-one, Bill joined the AIF and soon found himself in Singapore, serving as a Private in the 2/19 Infantry Battalion, Administrative HQ. Known to his comrades as “Lofty” thanks to his 6’2” height, Bill’s experiences in Singapore and Malaysia tell—in a matter-of-fact way—the realities of day-to-day military life. This all changed when in 1941, Japan entered the war. Just a few months later in 1942, just shy of Bill’s twenty-second birthday, he found himself a Prisoner of War when Singapore surrendered to the Japanese. What followed for Bill was three years of forced POW labour on the infamous Thai-Burma Railway. Known as the Death Railway, of the 13,000 Australians forced to work there, almost 3,000 perished. Despite many close calls, Bill emerged as one of the lucky ones. Bill’s story charts his experiences throughout this period, retold in Bill’s characteristically understated, humble tones, a candid story of survival—but told with humour and free of pessimism or woe despite obviously horrendous conditions. This book is dedicated to the memory of Private Bill Lowcock, and to all those who have served.