The Forgotten Highlander

My Incredible Story of Survival During the War in the Far East

By: Alistair Urquhart

Narrated by: David Rintoul

Length: 3 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

Alistair Urquhart was a soldier in the Gordon Highlanders captured by the Japanese in Singapore. He not only survived working on the notorious Bridge on the River Kwai , but he was subsequently taken on one of the Japanese ‘hellships’ which was torpedoed. Nearly everyone else on board died and Urquhart spent 5 days alone on a raft in the South China Sea before being rescued by a whaling ship. He was taken to Japan and then forced to work in a mine near Nagasaki. Two months later a nuclear bomb dropped just ten miles away . . .

This is the extraordinary story of a young men, conscripted at nineteen and whose father was a Somme Veteran, survived not just one, but three close encounters with death - encounters which killed nearly all his comrades.

©2010 Alistair Urquhart (P)2010 Hachette Digital

Gripping

If ever you need a reminder of how good you have it and how terribly others have sufferred... read this book. How one man can fight to stay alive through so much hardship is beyond comprehension. An amazing story.

Must Read!

Life’s adversity is relative to the individual but hearing a story like this will definitely put it in perspective. Wow! A shame that his story went unheard for so long.

An Incredible Journey of Survival during WWII

This amazing book by Mr. Alistair Uquhart is superbly narrated by Mr. David Rintoul. It is a very touching story of the courage and tragedies encountered by a young Scottish soldier during WWII in the Far East. My father also happened to listen to this audible book.
He is a veteran of the Korean War and was very touched by Mr. Urquhart's story of courage, loss and survival. How a young man is altered by the extreme cruelties of war in a different culture is gripping.
This story also chronicles the process of healing encountered by the author when he goes back home after the war to his family in Scotland. It is very touching to listen to how his family welcomed him home as well as how his love of dancing as a child helped his inner wounds to heal. Very highly recommended indeed.

Amazing Story

Amazing story detailing the horrors of war and the resiliency of the human spirit.

Hardcore

Amazing story. Too bad his country did not honor him the way they should have. No doubt that God heard his prayers. Thankful for his willingness to be vulnerable and share his story.

Very important history read

It's compact but dense with a very heart wrenching story. Very much recommend to pick up

Excellent listen 

Great personal acount of what it’s like as a prisoner of war with the Japanese in WW II

Great Book

A great story and very interesting read! A part of World War Two that is seldom talked about.

A humbling and inspiring read.

It's impossible to listen to this book and not be incredibly moved. Alistair's suffering, determination, persistence to survive no matter what he endured, inevitably leads you to look at your own life and realise whatever problems you face, you can get through it. He did.
Excellently written, and equally well narrated, this book has stayed in my thoughts ever since I finished it. The huge pointless loss of life described in the pages haunts me, and yet I am so glad to have listened to it, there are many lessons to be taken on board, and it has given me a new perspective on parts of my life. I can think of no better accolade for an audio book than that.

wow

if you want a story to really affect you and make you reflect, read this.