Author: Crusz, Noel
Number Of Pages: 208
Release Date: 06-12-2000
Details: A significant World War Two mutiny took place on the night of 8 May 1942 in a lonely atoll in the Indian Ocean in a setting of intrigue, rebellion and the blood and tears of war. Japanese naval forces were at the peak of their southward thrust. While the battle of the Coral Sea raged, gunners of the Ceylon Garrison Artillery on the Cocos (Keeling) Islands off Australia's north-west coast attempted to arrest their British commanding officer and compel him to surrender to the Japanese. One soldier was killed and another wounded, but the mutiny failed and seven men were condemned to death. Ultimately three soldiers were hung, becoming the only Commonwealth troops to be executed for mutiny in World War Two. Through extensive research over many years, Noel Crusz has uncovered a story which the military had sought to keep secret. Certainly it is a story of the gravest of military crimes, but it is also a story of poor leadership, racism, and a seriously flawed court martial, against a background of changing attitudes to colonialism and the growing desire for self-government and independence throughout Asia.
EAN: 9781863683104
Languages: English
Binding: Paperback
Item Condition: UsedVeryGood