4 stars - This follows the Diaries of POW, Captain Jack Ennis, Singapore, 1942–1945 and goes in depth into his diary entries- so interesting and intriguing! highly recommend

NetGalley, Shannon Wadlan

Never forget the brutality of the Japanese
Red the full review here

Amazon Customer

One can only imagine the horrors endured by Prisoners of War in Singapore during WWII - Jackie Sutherland doesn't hold back in this truly remarkable and powerful tale of Jack and Elizabeth Ennis...

Books Monthly

I highly recommend this book. A book to read again and again, every time bringing forth something new.

Ronnie Taylor, FEPOW Family

"An amazing story of courage, love and life-long friendship."

CoFEPoW Quarterly, Issue 94 - July 2021

Read the review here

The Courier.co.uk

Collated by his eldest daughter, this is the transcribed diaries of Jack Ennis who was a doctor working for the Indian Medical Service (IMS) - a military medical service in British India - who was stationed in Singapore when the Japanese invaded in 1942. Jack had married Elizabeth Petrie just four days before both became prisoners of war - Elizabeth was at the notorious Changi gaol, whist Jack was at a number of bases nearby.

Jack Ennis kept a diary during his period of incarceration, written in tiny spidery writing initially in notebooks then on whatever paper he could find, writing in at least 3 directions to conserve the very scarce commodity!
As a medic, Jack was quite lucky in that he was able to move fairly freely within the camp. He was very diligent about monitoring his own health, recording his weight/blood pressure etc at regular intervals, and doing various test on patients, but as a pathologist he was also performing autopsies to determine why people died. His notes formed a significant contribution to future understanding of tropical diseases and the impact of diet/conditions on POWs

His diaries start with moaning about the food (rice again!) but quickly he becomes obsessed by lack of communication from Elizabeth, who is incarcerated very close by - however he didn't understand how scarce paper was at the Changi gaol, or how Elizabeth was handling her own situation. It is interesting that Jack records not only details of the patients & the medics he worked alongside, but also details of the wildlife from the snakes he popped in the bathtub to the bats that flew overhead.

Later in the book we get some of Elizabeth's views, though she never committed her experience to paper. Elizabeth played a significant part in the life of the Changi gaol, particularly for the children as she formed a Girl Guide company and was the inspiration for the Girl Guide quilt (now in the Imperial War Museum)

Overall this was an interesting and personal insight into one man's experience of being a POW in Singapore. Others have written about life in Changi, but a first hand account in such detail is unusual.

NetGalley, Lucy Faulds

A great read, thank you for sharing your Dad's diaries. It's a fascinating insight into life in the prison camp during the war. Well worth purchasing.

Heather McConnell