- Hardcover: 432 pages
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd; First Edition edition (5 Sep 2005)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0743263502
- ISBN-13: 978-0743263504
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 16.4 x 4.2 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
524,182 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #25 in Books > History > World History > World War II 1939-1945 > Countries > Japan
- #31 in Books > History > World History > World War II 1939-1945 > Countries > Asian
- #72 in Books > Biography > Political > Countries & Regions > Japan
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Product Description
Product Description
Alec Guinness won a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of the dogmatic but brittle commanding officer in David Lean's film "The Bridge on the River Kwai". While a brilliant performance, it owed more to fiction than fact, as the man who actually commanded the POWs ordered to build the infamous bridges -- there were in fact two: one wooden, one concrete -- was cut from very different cloth. Lieutenant Colonel Philip Toosey was the senior officer among the 2,000-odd Allied servicemen incarcerated in Tamarkan prison camp, and as such had to comply with the Japanese orders to help construct their Thailand-Burma railway. With malnutrition, disease and brutality their constant companions, it was a near-impossible task for soldiers who had already endured terrible privations -- and one which they knew would be in the service of their enemy. But under Toosey's careful direction, a subtle balancing act between compliance and subversion, the Allied inmates not only survived but regained some sense of self-respect. Re-creating the story of this remarkable leader with tremendous skill and narrative flair, and drawing on many original interviews with Second World War POWs from the Asian theatre, THE COLONEL OF TAMARKAN is a riveting blend of biography and history.
From the Inside Flap
‘I have never ceased to object to the way in which the cinematic legend has overtaken and obscured the facts of what really happened on the Burma–Siam railway . . .’ – thus wrote former prisoner of war John Sharp about the David Lean epic Bridge on the River Kwai. Sharp and many of his former comrades particularly objected to the character of Colonel Nicholson, as played by Alec Guinness, seeing it as a slur on the integrity of the real colonel behind the bridge, Philip Toosey – the subject of this outstanding biography.
At the outbreak of the Second World War Toosey had a career with Barings Bank, a young family and a commission with the Territorial Army. It was at Dunkirk that his charisma and fortitude were first noted, and in 1941 he was given command of an artillery regiment. Sent to fight in the Far East he and his men soon found themselves embroiled in the battle for Singapore, and were taken prisoner after the island’s fall in February 1942.
The Japanese, scornful of the Allied forces for surrendering, determined to make full use of the new workforce at their disposal. Toosey was sent to Thailand to command the ‘bridge camp’ at Tamarkan, where he was ordered to supervise the construction of two railway bridges over the river Khwae Mae Khlong. Starvation rations and harsh working conditions up-jungle meant that dysentery and cholera struck, and Tamarkan became a hospital camp. A quarter of the 60,000 prisoners working on the Thailand–Burma railway would perish, and it gained the nickname ‘Death Railway’. Toosey, as camp commander, was determined to instil hygiene and discipline, giving his men back their self-respect and making himself a buffer for the cruel excesses of the guards.
It would be another three and a half years before he returned home. Even after the war he found he was unable to stop looking after the men to whom he had become an inspiration, and his services to the Far Eastern POWs continued until his death in 1975.
Written by Toosey’s granddaughter, The Colonel of Tamarkan draws on both private archives and many original interviews with Second World War POWs from the Asian theatre to create a riveting blend of biography and history. It is a remarkable portrait of a forgotten British hero.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Julie Summers has written an exceptional biography about her grandfather Philip Toosey. It is well-researched, brilliantly written and has social insights that go far beyond most military biographies. She also puts in quirky details that add colour and interest.
Though spanning her grandfather's whole life, it is his experiences as a PoW that make it so compelling. We see how he treated his men and tried to protect them, how he was able to command them so well because he was not a career soldier and therefore could think outside the box. He had a great sense of humour, but was firmly based in reality, understanding the needs of his men after the war, for example, when he asked for a load of condoms to be delivered.
What I particularly like about the biography is that Ms Summers uses her privileged position as his grand-daughter to show, rather than hide, the family side of Colonel Toosey - warts and all. We see, for example, the marital difficulties he had with his wife post-war. Summers found when researching that theirs was not an isolated incident. How refreshing to highlight such points when the social cost is often hidden under a stiff upper lip.
As the World War II slips further into the past, I hope that this book gets a wide readership. Ms Summers' fresh, simple style makes real a world that today, sadly, seems almost fictional. It also rescues her grandfather from the perception that he was somehow like Colonel Nicholson in The Bridge on the River Kwai. He was a much bigger hero than that.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I have been a massive fan of the film since I was very young. I heard "stories" from my grandad who served in Burma and have read numerous accounts of differing Military History.
My title says it all for this book as I just couldn't put it down.
Toosey was definitely a heroic military leader in all sense of the phrase. Buy the book and read the history. Everyone should know what really happened instead of just watching the Hollywood glamour!
My title says it all for this book as I just couldn't put it down.
Toosey was definitely a heroic military leader in all sense of the phrase. Buy the book and read the history. Everyone should know what really happened instead of just watching the Hollywood glamour!
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
I finished this wonderful book this morning on the train and cannot praise it enough. Although not the best written biography I have ever read the subject of it compels you to read more and to want to know more about this moral, courageous and compassionate man.
I first came across the name Philip Toosey in the book "Surviving the Sword Prisoners of the Japanese 1942-1945" by Brian MacArthur (another fabulous book and highly recommended) and was determined to find out more about this remarkable man. I'm pleased I did.
The book is written by his grand-daughter. The only time she relates the story through her eyes is in the very last pages of the book, although there are one or two anecdotes that she mentions regarding her sister Stephanie, again towards the end of the book. And, although I have mentioned it is not the best written biography I have ever read it is one that drew me in from the beginning and kept me thoroughly engaged from beginning to end, and the reason - the character of Philip Toosey.
I will not go over every detail in the biography as Julie Summers has done a reasonable job of this, but I will say that after reading about his struggles with the Japanese and his continued fight, even after the war, to look after men who had been PoWs I found my self greatly endeared to this man. His compassion and understanding of the human condition are limitless. His courage in standing up to his captors to protect his men is incredible. The plain truth of the matter is that many men would have died in captivity if it had not been for the actions of Toosey and so many others like him.
I would urge everyone to read this book, and to realise what a fantastic human being Philip Toosey was. The term "hero" is always so readily used these days that it is wonderful to read about a man who truly was one. Please read it you won't be disappointed. God bless the Colonel of Tamarkan.
I first came across the name Philip Toosey in the book "Surviving the Sword Prisoners of the Japanese 1942-1945" by Brian MacArthur (another fabulous book and highly recommended) and was determined to find out more about this remarkable man. I'm pleased I did.
The book is written by his grand-daughter. The only time she relates the story through her eyes is in the very last pages of the book, although there are one or two anecdotes that she mentions regarding her sister Stephanie, again towards the end of the book. And, although I have mentioned it is not the best written biography I have ever read it is one that drew me in from the beginning and kept me thoroughly engaged from beginning to end, and the reason - the character of Philip Toosey.
I will not go over every detail in the biography as Julie Summers has done a reasonable job of this, but I will say that after reading about his struggles with the Japanese and his continued fight, even after the war, to look after men who had been PoWs I found my self greatly endeared to this man. His compassion and understanding of the human condition are limitless. His courage in standing up to his captors to protect his men is incredible. The plain truth of the matter is that many men would have died in captivity if it had not been for the actions of Toosey and so many others like him.
I would urge everyone to read this book, and to realise what a fantastic human being Philip Toosey was. The term "hero" is always so readily used these days that it is wonderful to read about a man who truly was one. Please read it you won't be disappointed. God bless the Colonel of Tamarkan.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Myth versus historical truth: Bridges on the River Kwai
It's extraordinary how much damage to historical truth can be done by misleading films and fact-based fictional publications, (let alone inaccurate so called academic historical... Read more
Published on 3 Jan 2010 by Mr. C. J. W. Addy
Tribute to an extraordinary Man
This is the story of a very remarkable man. It continually made me reflect and think deeply. I plead some special interest, so that I am not emotionally detached, in that my... Read more
Published on 15 Nov 2009 by P. E. Ward
Evocative and engaging listening
I've read the original book and really enjoyed listening to this audio abridgement.
The abridgement works really well and the voice of Anton Lesser is superb in bringing the... Read more
The abridgement works really well and the voice of Anton Lesser is superb in bringing the... Read more
Published on 5 Sep 2009 by C. Steele
Inspiring
Just one of many stories of heroism, bravery & comradeship that have come out of the second world war but what an inspiring man Toosey should be to all of us. Read more
Published on 23 Sep 2008 by S. Bigg
A bit disappointing
I have mixed feelings about this book. While the author has done a great deal of research and clearly put her heart and soul into it, the work suffers from poor editing and, if it... Read more
Published on 14 Dec 2006 by GD
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