Siva loaned me his treasured copy of Singapore Samurai last week. If you manage to get hold of this book – it’s out of print – you must read it.

In a nutshell, the book is about an exceptional Australian soldier during World War II. His first hand account read like a fast-moving tv series. Penrod Dean, who passed away last year, wastes no time in plunging straight into the action. In part, it is his breezy writing style. Being thrust to the battlefront of retreating forces created a sense of urgency barely a chapter into the book. The pace relented only after the Japanese surrendered. Even then, his amazing story continued.

(Spoiler alert: This review is more of a book summary. I’m so amazed by Penrod V. Dean’s journey that I had to share it. But I think you’ll probably want to read his book even more after reading this!)

Dean was an officer with the 2/4th Machine Gun Battalion, Australian Imperial Force. He arrived in Singapore almost at the same time the Japanese began their attack on the island. Forced straight into action, he soon lost contact with his battalion, which had retreated without him.

While looking for his battalion, he stumbled upon the Malay Regiment and joined them in the defence of the Pasir Panjang/Buona Vista (he spelt it ‘Buena’) area. He found them to be good soldiers, which is lofty praise as he was highly critical of most other individuals and groups – fellow countrymen and allies included – throughout the story. Dean used the words “stupid” and “stupidity” quite often.

He was forced to break away from the Malay Regiment, making it into the city when the British surrendered. Soon, he found himself in Changi, as a POW. Most people would have heard stories about POWs in Changi and on the Death Railway in Burma. Lt Dean didn’t contribute to these stories. He felt it was each and every soldier’s duty to try to escape.

No one, save for another soldier, felt that way. So, he and John “Mac” McGregor made plans to escape, despite the threat of beheading for those who attempted to get away from Changi. Quite stupendously, they managed to steal away to Johor.

There, Dean and Mac had to stay alert for patrolling Japanese soldiers as well as Malays and Indians who were likely to turn them in. (The Malays and Indians were impressed with the way that the Japanese had defeated the colonial power.) They were lucky to chance upon Chinese families who provided them with food despite not having much for themselves. The duo eventually ended up in a secret camp with Communist guerillas.

These guerillas had somehow gotten their hands on various military equipment, both Japanese and British. Dean and Mac were useful as they could teach them how to use the Vickers machine guns. However, the Australians were secretly wary of outstaying their welcome. The Communist lifestyle didn’t suit their taste either. Escape was on the cards again.

Before they bargained their way out of the camp, Dean had a Forrest Gump-type moment, meeting the head of the future head of the Communist Party of Malaya, Chin Peng. Of course, he wasn’t aware of who Chin Peng was at the time.

Having left the camp, Dean and Mac promptly set about seeking to sabotage rubber factories and railway lines, thereby causing trouble for the Japanese war machine. The two soldiers stumbled upon suitable equipment with which they could wreck havoc while carrying out their plan to escape to Ceylon (Sri Lanka).

Unfortunately, Dean and Mac were finally caught. They were tortured in Kempeitai HQs in Johor, then in Singapore. It was gruesome, to say the least. Both men were court martialed and sentenced to two years of solitary confinement in Outram Road Gaol (pronounced “jail”).

At Outram, Dean was separated from Mac. Here, he depended on his own wits to survive. He learnt Japanese from the guards and was proficient to the point where he could serve as a translator. While incarcerated, he gets a bad infection, swollen to the size of a rugby ball, which an officer slices with his sword. As flies descend on Dean, he naturally attempts to shoo them away but he is advised by the guards to leave them be. The maggots which grew feasted on the rotting flesh, helping the wound to heal!

Most soldiers do not make it out of solitary confinement. Dean, who has been defying the odds, continues to do so. He winds up back at Changi, where he discovers that no one else has tried to escape. In Changi, he put his language skills to use, becoming the intermediary between the Japanese masters and the soldiers who were forced to labour.

Quite as suddenly as Dean was thrust into battle, the war ended. He takes a detour with the Indian Army to secure the surrender of certain Japanese troops in mainland Malaya before finally being transported to Australia. As he felt that he needed time to readjust, he requested to continue serving in the Army.

Dean was put in charge of Italian POWs in Perth. The difference between his experience and the Italians’ was night and day. Each POW was housed with a local host. Most of the time, the POWs and the hosts were quite happy, with the Italian soldiers being well taken care of, while the housewives learnt Italian cooking!

He goes back to his wife, who had given birth while he was interred at Outram, after resigning his commission. However, the story doesn’t end there. He was re-enlisted shortly after, as only one of 10 Australian witnesses, to give evidence at the War Crime Trials in Japan.

As the trials were a long and draggy (and shambolic, in Dean’s opinion) affair, he had the opportunity to explore Japan. He didn’t expect that the trials would be so long that he would miss the birth of another child. Dean obtained permission to leave, handed in a sworn affidavit and made his way back to Australia.

Staying true to his serendipitous and windy path, even his journey back to Australia was a mini-adventure in itself.

Finally, finally he was back home.

Penrod Dean’s story is a testament to the human spirit. He displayed singular courage under fire and grace under pressure. He was a true survivor.