Free Download Michael Snape, "Forgotten Warrior: The Life and Times of Major-General Merton Beckwith-Smith 1890-1942. Foreword by Field Marshal Lord G"
English | ISBN: 0281086915 | 2023 | 320 pages | EPUB | 623 KB
Eighty years after his death in a Japanese prison camp, this compelling new biography charts the career of a distinguished but hitherto neglected hero of the British army.
Major-General Merton Beckwith-Smith DSO, MC commanded the British 18th Division during the catastrophic Fall of Singapore in February 1942. A highly respected and much decorated veteran of the First World War, he was captured along with tens of thousands of other soldiers – British, Indian, Australian, and Malay – who were then held prisoner on Singapore Island.
Amidst hunger, disease and widespread despair in Changi, over the next six months he rallied the spirits of his soldiers, created a make-shift university and theatre, and helped to inspire a remarkable renewal of collective church life. At the same time, he improved conditions for hospital patients and encouraged sports and other recreations.
Read more