Close to the wind : a story of escape and survival out of the ashes of Singapore, 1942

"In May 1940, a group of Auckland yachtsmen who were members of the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve left for the war. Leonard Hill, a young Māori sailor, and his friends arrived in Singapore under siege. Playing to their strengths as small boat sailors, they manned fast motor launches, raiding and rescuing Allies from behind enemy lines. On the night of 13 February 1942, the eve of the fall of Singapore, they took two Fairmiles, ML310 and ML311, to evacuate members of the Allied High Command and survivors of sinking vessels. Hunted down by the Japanese, most of the almost one hundred men perished. Some became POWs, and of those who attempted to escape, only three succeeded: Leonard Hill, Herbert 'Johnny' Bull and Andrew Brough. This is the story of how they evaded the Japanese and survived"--Publisher information. "In May 1940 a convoy left New Zealand carrying several thousand young men to war in Europe. Among them was a group of Auckland yachtsmen, many still teenagers, who were members of the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve. They included Leonard Hill, a young sailor of Māori descent whose pathway to self-discovery, along with that of his friends, proved anything but ordinary. Arriving into the firestorm of Singapore under siege in 1942, they played to their strengths as small boat sailors, manning motor launches, raiding and evacuating Allied military from behind enemy lines on two Fairmiles. Hunted by the Japanese after the surrender, most of the men on these vessels perished. Some became POWs. Of those who attempted to escape, only three succeeded, including Leonard Hil and his Commanding Officer. This is the story of how they evaded the Japanese and survived"--Back cover

In May 1940, a group of Auckland yachtsmen who were members of the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve left for the war. Leonard Hill, a young Maori sailor, and his friends arrived in Singapore under siege. Playing to their strengths as small boat sailors, they manned fast motor launches, raiding and rescuing Allies from behind enemy lines. On the night of 13 February 1942, the eve of the fall of Singapore, they took two Fairmiles, ML310 and ML311, to evacuate members of the Allied High Command and survivors of sinking vessels. Hunted down by the Japanese, most of the almost one hundred men perished. Some became POWs, and of those who attempted to escape, only three succeeded: Leonard Hill, Herbert 'Johnny' Bull and Andrew Brough. This is the story of how they evaded the Japanese and survived.

A Place Desired by Many 1, Somewhere Else 13, Heat 35, Blows against Empire 77, Rising Storm 107, We Will Give You Swords 125, Bangka 155, Marooned 175, Hope 195, Desperate Voyage 209, Java 233, Tjilatjap 257, Verspijk 273, Return to Eden 287, Epilogue 297, Afterword 305, Appendix 1: Crew and Passengers - ML310 309, Appendix 2: Photographs, Acknowledgements 319, Index 325 In 1940, a group of Auckland yachtsmen and Royal Navy volunteers left for the war. Leonard Hill, a young Maori sailor, and his friends arrived in Singapore under siege. They manned fast motor launches, raiding and rescuing Allies from behind enemy lies. This is the story of how they evaded the Japanese and survived. Close to the Wind: A Story of Escape and Survival out of the Ashes of Singapore 1942