McCormac recounts his escape along with 16 other British and U.S. soldiers from a Japanese POW camp. Only two survived the five-month, 2000-mile trip to safety. An amazing story. Library Journal The story is fascinating in the way that these hidden histories tend to be bringing history to a personal level. -- Expat magazine (Singapore), August 2005 The have been a number of books describing the atrocities of the Japanese during the Second World War. No doubt we need to be reminded of these horrors, but it often makes depressing reading. In contrast we have an exciting story of the only escape from Singapore. It is an amazing tale of hardship and endurance that reads like a thriller. It is hard to believe that it is a true story. -- The Asian Review of Books, 12 October 2005 [McCormac's] story of the two thousand mile trek is a well-written account of one of the most amazing escapes of World War Two. It not only records the event but also sheds a ray of hope amongst the generally depressing tales of Japanese atrocities. Well worth a read. -- The Standard (Hong Kong), 22 October 2005

Born in England, in 1915, McCormac fought in Singapore in WWII. After being catured, then successfully making a five-month great escape from a POW camp, he was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal.