The Lost Years: Life as a Far Eastern POW

The Lost Years tells the story of Roger Rothwell, captured by the Japanese on Christmas Day 1941 during the fall of Hong Kong, along with 900 of his fellow soldiers. He was one of only 150 who walked through the camp gates to freedom in 1945.

The book describes his four long years of captivity in Shamsuipo and Argyle Street prison camps in beautifully written and sometimes harrowing detail. Experiences are told from notes made in a secretly kept diary of Roger’s incarceration, the discovery of which would have meant his inevitable death at the hands of his captors.

Roger recounts his enlisting in the British Army as a newly qualified teacher at the outbreak of World War Two in 1939, his time training for combat, his long and arduous journey to Hong Kong via Africa, his capture and eventual release, and finally, the journey home.

The Lost Years is a book which will fascinate those interested in World War Two, the bombing of London during the Blitz, and the experiences of Prisoners of War. The book is written with the attention to detail only a soldier could produce. It is a story of determination and a man who owed his life to the loyalty of his fellow prisoners and his love for the childhood sweetheart at home, who waited. It is written with humility and humour and is a fascinating account of one man’s eagerness to serve his country, his experience of war, and his ultimate survival.