{"product_id":"bastard-behind-the-lines-tom-gilling-9781760875879","title":"Bastard Behind the Lines","description":"\u003cp\u003e'The way I look at it is this...When you're behind the line and get yourself into trouble, you've got to get your bloody self out irrespective of anybody else. That's why I like it.'\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eScottish-born but a Queenslander to the bone, Jock McLaren was a true Australian hero. As a prisoner he escaped twice, first from Changi and later from the infamous Sandakan POW camp in Borneo. After paddling a dugout canoe across open sea, he fought for two years with American-led Filipino guerrillas, his exploits so audacious the Japanese put a price on his head. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAt the helm of his 26-foot whaleboat, the Bastard, McLaren sailed brazenly into enemy-held harbours, wreaking havoc with his mortar and machine guns before heading back out to sea. In early 1945 he joined Australia's secretive Z Special Unit, parachuting into Borneo to carry out reconnaissance and organise anti-Japanese resistance ahead of Allied landings. He cheated death on numerous occasions and saved his own life by removing his appendix without anaesthetic, using 'two large dessert spoons' and a razor blade.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDrawing on Allied and Japanese wartime documents, Bastard Behind the Lines brings the story of a courageous digger vividly to life and throws light on a rarely explored aspect of Australia's Pacific war.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'The horror and heroism of the Pacific war are evoked by Tom Gilling in a way that is vivid and compelling as well as multi-faceted.' - The Age\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Gilling has produced an engrossing book, vividly bringing to light disturbing facets of Australia's Pacific War . . . a sobering reminder of a horrific era that should never be forgotten. An extraordinary true tale.' -Newcastle Herald\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e'Not for the faint-hearted . . . This cloak and dagger real-life story will have you on the edge of your seat.' -The Chronicle\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Tom Gilling","offers":[{"title":"Good","offer_id":46435143057651,"sku":"8880002685786","price":12.5,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0634\/4284\/5939\/files\/9781760875879.jpg?v=1732129570","url":"https:\/\/www.harryhartog.com.au\/products\/bastard-behind-the-lines-tom-gilling-9781760875879","provider":"Harry Hartog Bookseller","version":"1.0","type":"link"}