Tom Trumble

The author's grandfather was a meteorologist during WWII. His team were responsible for providing the RAAF pilots with what weather they can expect when they fly their sorties. Bryan Rofe, however, was more than a Met man, as they were commonly referred to, he loved flying and managed to develop a relationship with the military boys rather than standing apart from them. He was stationed in Timor just as the Japanese were starting their military expansion into the Pacific. He was part of the team that was left behind to close down their airfield operations on Timor when the Japanese struck, and just as they were to be evacuated, they were forced to escape into the jungles.

Felled by malaria, starving and trying to keep one step ahead of a large Japanese patrol ordered to hunt them down, these Australians had survival as their priority. Their courage is truly inspirational. With help from an Indonesian fisherman and an American submarine captain, their escape from the Japanese read more like a thrilling movie.… (more)