The Forgotten Highlander

The Forgotten Highlander: My Incredible Story of Survival During the War in the Far East is an autobiography of Alistair Urquhart describing his six and a half years spent as a Japanese prisoner of war during his service in the Gordon Highlanders infantry regiment during the Second World War.[1][2]

The Forgotten Highlander
AuthorAlistair Urquhart
GenreWar Non-Fiction
PublisherLittle, Brown & Company, Abacus
Publication date
February 25, 2010
Media typePaperback Ebook Audiobook
Pages320
AwardsShort-listed for Independent Booksellers Award 2011 (UK).
ISBN0-349-12257-1

The book was first published on 25 February 2010.[3] His story garnered national attention, with many publications writing about Urquhart and his story.[4][5]

He was 92 when he wrote the book in 2010, having been silent for more than 60 years, saying he didn't want people to forget humanity's inhumanities.[6]

The book was exclusively sold in The Gordon Highlanders Museum,[6] but soon grew in popularity for its honest account of his experience as a Japanese POW. The book went on to be a Sundays Times Best Seller in 2011. The proceeds from the book were donated to the Gordon Highlanders Museum.[7]

In 2011, the book was shortlisted for the Independent Booksellers Award (UK)[8]

Summary

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Alistair Urquhart was conscripted into the British Army at nineteen. His Father was a veteran of The Battle of the Somme.

Alistair Urquhart was a soldier in the Gordon Highlanders captured by the Japanese while stationed in Singapore. He survived the labour of the Bridge on the River Kwai , and was eventually taken on one of the Japanese ‘hellships’ which was torpedoed enroute to Japan. Almost everyone on board died and Alistair Urquhart spent 5 days alone on a raft in the South China Sea. He was eventually rescued by a whaling ship and was taken to Japan, and forced to work in a mine close to Nagasaki. Two months after his arrival a nuclear bomb was dropped just ten miles away by the United States.[9]

Reception

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In 2016, GQ magazine released an article in which Bear Grylls told of his favourite books, The Forgotten Highlander was included.[10]

References

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  1. ^ Royle, Trevor (2010-03-14). "The Forgotten Highlander by Alistair Urquhart". The Observer. ISSN 0029-7712. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  2. ^ Linklater, Andro (2010-04-10). "Triumph of the will". The Spectator. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  3. ^ "The man who refused to die". 2010-02-25. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  4. ^ aburchyski (2010-07-30). "A Survivor's Horrific Story of Life as a POW in the Pacific". HistoryNet. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  5. ^ Bayer, Kurt (2011-03-14). "War hero Alistair Urquhart, 91, finally wins veteran's medical pension thanks to Prince Charles". Daily Record. Retrieved 2024-08-27.
  6. ^ a b Drysdale, Neil (2021-08-06). "Remembering The Forgotten Highlander: Alistair Urquhart survived the death camps, a shipwreck and an atomic bomb". Press and Journal. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
  7. ^ Telegraph, The (October 24, 2016). "Man whose incredible story of surviving as Japanese prisoner of war became bestseller, dies at 97". The Telegraph. p. 1. Retrieved August 26, 2024.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  8. ^ "Independent Booksellers' Book Prize | Shortlist | Awards and Honors | LibraryThing". LibraryThing.com. Retrieved 2024-08-26.
  9. ^ Urquhart, Alistair (April 11, 2011). The Forgotten Highlander (1 ed.). Abacus. ISBN 978-0349122571.
  10. ^ Grylls, Bear (2016-06-21). "Bear Grylls picks his favourite books". British GQ. Retrieved 2024-08-27.