Last Man Out: Surviving the Burma-Thailand Death Railway: A Memoir [Paperback]

H. Robert Charles (Author), James D. Hornfischer (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 2006

From June 1942 to October 1943, more than 100,000 Allied POWs who had been forced into slave labor by the Japanese died building the infamous Burma-Thailand Death Railway, an undertaking immortalized in the film "The Bridge on the River Kwai." One of the few who survived was American Marine H. Robert Charles, who describes the ordeal in vivid and harrowing detail in Last Man Out. The story mixes the unimaginable brutality of the camps with the inspiring courage of the men, including a Dutch Colonial Army doctor whose skill and knowledge of the medicinal value of wild jungle herbs saved the lives of hundreds of his fellow POWs, including the author.

Editorial Reviews

Book Description

An American POW who survived the building of the Burma-Thailand Death Railway that was immortalized in The Bridge on the River Kwai, H. Robert Charles describes the ordeal in vivid and harrowing detail. Recounting an experience of almost unimaginable barbarity, Charles also tells a tale of heroism, the story Henri Hekking, a Dutch Colonial Army doctor, whose knowledge of the medicinal value of wild jungle herbs, combined with his remarkable courage and skill, saved the lives of hundreds of his fellow POWs, including the author.

From the Back Cover

“A remarkable story, long overdue, of the treatment of POWs captured by Japan.”

—Arthur L. Maher, Rear Admiral, USN, Senior officer to survive sinking of the USS Houston, POW of the Japanese in World War II

 

“In World War II, to move materials and troops from Japan to Burma by avoiding the perilous sea route around the Malay Peninsula, the Japanese military built a railroad through the jungles of Thailand and Burma at great human cost to its prisoner laborers. Last Man Out is an effective addition to the history of this tragedy.”

—Library Journal

From June 1942 to October 1943, more than one hundred thousand Allied POWs who had been forced into slave labor by the Japanese died building the infamous Burma-Thailand Death Railway, an undertaking immortalized in the 1957 film Bridge on the River Kwai. One of the few who survived was American H. Robert Charles, who describes the ordeal in vivid and harrowing detail in Last Man Out: Surviving the Burma–Thailand Death Railway. The story mixes the unimaginable brutality of the camps with the inspiring courage of the men, including a Dutch Colonial Army doctor whose skill and knowledge of the medicinal value of wild jungle herbs saved the lives of hundreds of his fellow POWs, including the author.

 

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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Zenith Press; 1st edition (November 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076032820X
• ISBN-13: 978-0760328200
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,342,703 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this and be enriched and humbled., December 16, 2006

By 

Clayton L. Ramsey "US Asiatic Fleet history buff" (Dallas, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Last Man Out: Surviving the Burma-Thailand Death Railway: A Memoir (Paperback)

I have had the pleasure of knowing the author for going on 8 years now. His memoir of his time as a prisoner of the Japanese, building the Death Railroad, the real Bridge on the River Kwai, is riveting, and sadly the suffering of POWs is little known.

In the decades since returning from the War, the author has had a distinguished career requiring excellent writing and editing skills, and this book reflects that. It's an easy read, and when you've finished it, you will most likely re-evaluate the struggles and low points of your daily routine.

Lastly, the man who is the subject of the book, Dr. Henri Hekking of the Dutch Colonial Army, will instill in you a sense of awe in the medical skills he learned from native Javanese sources, and how these skills, scorned by English and American doctors, saved *so many* of the men under his care, the author included.

This book adds greatly to, and dovetails with, Hornfisher's latest, and compliments Winslow's "Galloping Ghost...".

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding story with a special interest for me!, March 4, 2009

By 

Jeff Smith (Hot Springs Village, Arkansas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Last Man Out: Surviving the Burma-Thailand Death Railway: A Memoir (Paperback)

I had the privilege of meeting the author on Feb. 28, 2009, the 67th anniversary of the Battle of Sunda Strait when the Houston was sunk. The Houston has a special interest for me because hearing its story sparked my lifelong interest in studying World War II.

The extra connection is that I had a distant cousin, Floyd Wesley Barron, who was in the Marine detachment with the author. After doing a lot of research, I contacted the author after finding out he only lived four hours from me. He actually remembered my cousin, who did not survive the battle. Hearing his account of the battle, plus reading his book about his experiences as a POW and praising the efforts of Dr. Hekking, has been an absolute thrill for me! I never would have dreamed that I would have hit pay dirt when I began this project, which came on the heels of working on a family history book with my uncle.

During our four-hour visit, the author was energized when talking about his adventure, and the copy of his book which he signed for me, is now my most treasured WWII book in my 300-book collection.

I find it truly amazing that Bob Charles has lived nearly 90 years, considering the brutal torture and starvation he endured for 43 months. He is truly one tough ole Marine, and I salute him for telling the story of the Houston survivors in a way that can only be told by someone who was there. Well done, my new found friend!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars comments as a reader, April 29, 2008

By 

a reader (ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Last Man Out: Surviving the Burma-Thailand Death Railway: A Memoir (Paperback)

This was a very uplifting writing about surviving the deplorable and dire circumstances during WWII in a Japanese prison camp. Dr Hekking was a very remarkable man practicing medicine under such conditions. After reading this book...I have a deeper respect for veterans and survivors.
In ending, the doctor and the Americans seemed to help each other psychologically to survive....