Sumatra's Fittest

David Spero was a Corporal in the RAF. Captured by the Japanese in 1942, Spero (which means 'I hope' in Italian), proved to be a personification of his name during WWII. In an interview conducted by a friend in 1971, Spero stated that he was the most positive POW in the camp. In 2014, many years after their father had died, two of Spero's sons decided to get the notes from the 1971 interviews edited and published. The memoir starts with Spero leaving Gourock, Scotland in December 1941;...
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David Spero was a Corporal in the RAF. Captured by the Japanese in 1942, Spero (which means 'I hope' in Italian), proved to be a personification of his name during WWII. In an interview conducted by a friend in 1971, Spero stated that he was the most positive POW in the camp. In 2014, many years after their father had died, two of Spero's sons decided to get the notes from the 1971 interviews edited and published. The memoir starts with Spero leaving Gourock, Scotland in December 1941; and takes him via Durban and Singapore. Later, en route to Australia, his ship is hit and lists into the port of Java, the island where Spero becomes a POW shortly afterwards. Two years later, Spero is taken to Sumatra to work on the Pakanbaroe railroad. Spero gives a very insightful and sanguine account of his time in the Far East, depicting the terrible suffering experienced by the FEPOWs. However, his account also illustrates how man can overcome adversity with the power of his mind, strength of body and a little luck. Unlike many other FEPOW accounts, David Spero's memoir also continues post war, explaining how he had to adapt to life afterwards. Apart from learning about World War II history in the Far East, the memoir has lessons for us all, in how to approach life today and tomorrow. The Spero family has pledged to donate their proceeds from the sale of this book to FEPOW charities.