Six Bells Off Java

Download or read book Six Bells Off Java written by William H. McDougall and published by . This book was released on 1948 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "In 1939 the United Press sent McDougall to Shanghai, China, as a war correspondent. Always hoping to get the latest story, he delayed too long when the Japanese invaded China and was taken prisoner. Chinese friends helped him escape to Java where he continued to file stories until it, too, fell. He escaped on an ill-fated Dutch ship that was sunk in the Indian Ocean. Only three lifeboats had been launched for the 240 passengers and crew, and McDougall found himself in the water with only a life jacket. A strong swimmer, he reached one of the overloaded lifeboats but was refused admittance. For hours he drifted. In his desperation he turned to the Catholic faith of his youth and learned for the first time, he later reported, what prayer really is. As he drifted and prayed, he resolved to "do something for Jesus." Eventually one of the other lifeboats rescued him. Prison camp awaited him when the boat reached Sumatra, but he survived what then appeared as a lesser ordeal and returned home after the war. He wrote two books detailing his wartime experiences: Six Bells Off Java (1948) and By Eastern Windows (1949)."--From biographical sketch of William Henry McDougall on Utah government website History To Go.