{"product_id":"bastard-behind-the-lines-tom-gilling-9781760875879","title":"Bastard Behind the Lines: The Extraordinary Story of Jock McLaren's Escape from Sandakan and His Guerrilla War Against the Japanese","description":"\u003cbr\u003e'The way I look at it is this...When you're behind the line and get yourself into trouble, you've got to get your bloody self out irrespective of anybody else. That's why I like it.'\u003cbr\u003eScottish-born but a Queenslander to the bone, Jock McLaren was a true Australian hero. As a prisoner he escaped twice, first from Changi and later from the infamous Sandakan POW camp in Borneo. After paddling a dugout canoe across open sea, he fought for two years with American-led Filipino guerrillas, his exploits so audacious the Japanese put a price on his head. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eScottish-born but a Queenslander to the bone, Jock McLaren was a true Australian hero. As a prisoner he escaped twice, first from Changi and later from the infamous Sandakan POW camp in Borneo. After paddling a dugout canoe across open sea, he fought for two years with American-led Filipino guerrillas, his exploits so audacious the Japanese put a price on his head. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eAt the helm of his 26-foot whaleboat, the \u003ci\u003eBastard\u003c\/i\u003e, McLaren sailed brazenly into enemy-held harbours, wreaking havoc with his mortar and machine guns before heading back out to sea. In early 1945 he joined Australia's secretive Z Special Unit, parachuting into Borneo to carry out reconnaissance and organise anti-Japanese resistance ahead of Allied landings. He cheated death on numerous occasions and saved his own life by removing his appendix without anaesthetic, using 'two large dessert spoons' and a razor blade. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eDrawing on Allied and Japanese wartime documents, \u003ci\u003eBastard Behind the Lines\u003c\/i\u003e brings the story of a courageous digger vividly to life and throws light on a rarely explored aspect of Australia's Pacific war.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Tom Gilling\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1760875872\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781760875879\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Allen \u0026amp; Unwin\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 05\/01\/2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 256\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.74lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.24h x 6.17w x 0.79d","brand":"Tom Gilling","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":43993043894527,"sku":"9781760875879","price":22.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_6a2be085-7b1c-4933-8f9d-b8c7ebb47150.jpg?v=1683322213","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/bastard-behind-the-lines-tom-gilling-9781760875879","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}