In his foreword to this inspiring story of courage and resourceftihiess
behind Japanese lines in Burma during World War II, Viscount Slim
remarks that this book is long overdue. The events it describes with
authentic detail were in danger of being forgotten, as they gradually slip
beyond first-hand memory. However, with Burma once more making
headline news, it is appropriate to be reminded of this epic struggle
between two empires and its enduring impact. Philip Davies employs
his detailed knowledge of this fascinating country to retell the
interwoven story of two inspirational heroes with a freshness borne of
painstaking research. Rather than a mere historical account of their
adventures, the author's descriptive powers provide an insight to the
driving forces that sustain both men through unimaginable hardship.
The prologue recalls events of summer 1985 when villagers from Hugh
Seagrim's home in Norfolk and his loyal Karens gathered to
commemorate the unveiling of a village sign depicting Hugh and his
brother Derek - the only members of the same family to have won
Britain's two highest awards for gallantry, the George Cross and the
Victoria Cross. Present was the other subject of this story, one of the
most intrepid escapees of World War II, Roy or Ras Pagani. Davies
proceeds vividly to describe the shattering Japanese attack on Rangoon
and how this event precipitates the six feet four inches tall Seagrim into
becoming a charismatic and spiritually motivated guerrilla leader. One
of five sons of a village rector, he inherits his father's mischievous renowned for coolness under pressure. He travels widely during his
early service with the Indian Army, developing powers of endurance
and a solitary nature that will serve him well. Commanding Karens in
the 1st/20th Burma Rifles, he develops an affinity with these deeply
moralist and loyal people who had been natural converts to the
Christian faith with its parallels to their previous belief in messianic
deliverance. Volunteering to lead irregular forces remaining behind
Japanese lines, Seagrim in many ways becomes the Karens' messiah
and ultimately sacrifices his own life to save them from further torment
at the hands of the Japanese. Ras Pagani enters Seagrim's beleaguered
jungle world when the latter most needs determined companionship.
They launch the Karens into offensive operations that eventually
provoke the Japanese to mount sustained operations to capture Seagrim,
after Pagani has set out alone to continue his escape from Burma. A
remarkably resourceful soldier, Pagani, aged four, is seized by his
father and raised in a French convent. Returning to England in his midteens,
he works in hotels including London's Park Lane. Joining the
East Surreys on a whim and almost refused entry at a height of five foot
three, he marries his beloved Pip in 1939 before departing for France
with the BEF a week later. Escaping from Dunkirk alone and seeking
further action, he is posted to Singapore. After his troop ship sinks and
he is immediately thrown into fierce fighting, Pagani refuses to obey
the order to surrender to the victorious Japanese and takes his chances
in commandeering a sampan. His island-hopping journey is an epic in
itself, but he is ultimately destined for captivity. Being put to work on
the infamous Death Railway, Pagani becomes the only European to
escape. Unable to conceal his conspicuous appearance, he narrowly
avoids recapture before joining Seagrim in the Karen hills. Both men
end up as PoWs, with each enduring capture in their own exemplary
ways. While Seagrim is executed alongside his faithful Karens, Pagani
miraculously survives to be rescued by the liberating 14th Army.
Lost Warriors is illustrated with maps and photographs that assist the
reader in imagining these increasingly distant events, while chapters are
headed with inspirational poetry. Overall the book does credit to two
very different heroes, both providing exemplary role models in
demonstrating remarkable courage and perseverance in the face of
overwhelming odds. While Seagrim is imbued with the spirit of service
and self-sacrifice driven by the highest principles of Christianity,
Pagani finds his faith in a remarkable instinct for survival and selfdiscipline
to keep his word to return to his wife; in their different ways
they are both driven by a love of others that transcended morale sapping
deprivation and brutality.
Philip Davies tells this story of human endeavour in a thrilling and
inspirational narrative, which will appeal to those who seek to
understand human nature as much as those interested in one of the
bitterest military campaigns of modern history that is now a little less
forgotten thanks to this admirable book.
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