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by Pamela Wells (Author), Am Lynette Silver (Consultant), Katherine Seppings (Editor)
The Story of Rod Wells is a remarkable tale of determination, endurance and survival in WW2.
If the mettle of a man is measured by his courage in adversity, then Rod Wells proved that he was made of indestructible fibre. From an early age in the Goulburn Valley, Victoria, Rod's enquiring mind and passion for wireless technology led him to pursue an outstanding career.
Enlisting in WW2, he served in Malaya and Singapore as an officer with 8 Division Signals. When Singapore fell to the Japanese in February 1942, he became a prisoner of war and was sent to Sandakan in British North Borneo where he joined a local underground movement.
Using his ingenuity and skill he built a wireless radio and also a transmitter virtually from scratch. In July 1943, when the underground was betrayed, Rod was arrested by the Kempeitai and subjected to brutal torture before being tried and sent to the notorious Outram Road Gaol in Singapore where he was incarcerated for 13 months, some of it in solitary confinement.
Rod Wells returned to civilian and academic life to become a world expert in electronics and neuclonics. His remarkable life was defined by his determination, his will to live, his self-discipline and unfailing optimism. Rod's story is one of extraordinary inspiration and exceptional achievements, highlighting his ability to overcome extreme hardship by never giving up.
As one of the few first-hand accounts of POW life in Borneo's Sandakan Camp and the equally infamous Outram Road Gaol in Singapore, this book will be a valuable addition to the nation's military heritage.
