The tattered remnants

The Tattered Remnants is a heart-rending saga of the quest for survival among the 500 men who escaped from the fall of Singapore only to be captured by the Japanese in Sumatra.

For the self-styled British Sumatra Battalion it was the beginning of a nomadic journey of starvation, brutality and death.

First they were slave labourers on the Burma section of the notorious 'Railway of Death', then they were dispersed throughout Thailand, Malaya and Indochina, disease-ridden, skeletal and in rags - but still looking for ways to escape.

Eric Burgoyne was one of a very few who escaped twice after Singapore fell.

He chronicles the terrible experiences of the Battalion of which he was Sergeant Major with compassion and even humour, telling stories of incredible bravery and risk-taking to run a wireless and to beg, buy or steal enough food to survive.

Dubbed "the tattered remnants of a degenerate nation" by the Japanese Emperor, Burgoyne and his men fought to maintain a positive spirit in the face of appalling conditions.

This is an incredible tale - told in riveting detail.