In 1941, Sgt Albert Victor Ient sought adventure and travel in the Services. Stationed in Hong Kong, he faced a different reality when his position was overrun. A generation later, his son Vic Ient set out to discover exactly what his father went through as a POW on the island of Innoshima.

This is the story of how World War II affected everyday people. Beneath the politics, military tactics and diplomacy, there were the ordinary, hard-suffering servicemen.

The author uncovers details of not only Sgt Ient’s capture and imprisonment, but also of the experiences of seven others who lived to share their personal accounts. Ient explores armed conflict, ghastly prison transport and 3 years of suffering, through personal testimony, maps, photographs and telegrams, all in the context of the Far East theatre. With great strength, and even humour, these eight men’s accounts reveal what POW life was really like.

Including a foreword from WWII historian Dr Tony Banham, These Valiant Men is both personal and factual – a must read for anyone with an interest in World War II. 

“A worthy and necessary addition to the library of works on the Second World War in the Far East.” – Reader Review