Writing a book for the first time is a tough but satisfying experience. It could not have been done without the help of other people and memories of the extraordinary people who have sustained me at different times in my life.
I have written this book because there have been events in my life that should be documented. These are sometimes sad, sometimes funny and often inspiring.
I wish to dedicate this book to my children, George, Tom and Bill, who have constantly given me joy. I especially would like to thank my husband Bob for his research work over many years.
Separately, I thank Barry Tucker who was the book's copy editor, Gianni Frinzi the book's graphic designer and picture editor, Georgie Perry for her cartography and photographs, Sister Marie Mansbridge for her photograph of her uncle, Michelle Bradbury for her recent family photograph, and my proofreaders, George Bradbury, Rosemary Lynch, Diane Burns and the late Brother Gregory Robinson FMS.
In compiling the book I was also helped by the Reverend Abbot David Tomlins of the Cistercian (Trappist) Tarrawarra Abbey at Yarra Glen, Victoria, members of Father Patrick Scanlan's Australian family in Warrnambool, Victoria, and Sydney, New South Wales, and the Diocese of San Bernardino, California.
I thank survivors of the Japanese camp for their comradeship, their help, comments and recollections.
I hope readers will enjoy the book.
Finally, a note for readers.
Names of Chinese places in this book's text follow the names which were in common use by English speakers at the time of the events recorded. Where they first appear in the book they are followed by their present name, e.g. Peking (now known as Beijing). On the map of China the contemporary place name is given followed by the former name in brackets to assist users readers referring to modern atlases. The source for the Chinese place names used in the map and the text is Philip's World Atlas ninth edition, published Great Britain 1999. Names of other places, e.g. Pearl Harbor, also follow their official local spelling of the time.
Spellings in quoted documents follow that of the documents. Other spellings follow that of The Oxford Dictionary for Writers and Editors, published by Oxford University Press in the United States in 1989 in the first instance and then The Macquarie Dictionary, published by Macquarie Library Pty. Ltd. in Australia in 1981
