Author(s): David B Hill

Novel | Aotearoa Fiction | Historical | Maori

In May 1940, a group of Auckland yachtsmen who were members of the Royal Navy Volunteer Reserve left for the war. Leonard Hill, a young Maori sailor, and his friends arrived in Singapore under siege. Playing to their strengths as small boat sailors, they manned fast motor launches, raiding and rescuing Allies from behind enemy lines. On the night of 13 February 1942, the eve of the fall of Singapore, they took two Fairmiles, ML310 and ML311, to evacuate members of the Allied High Command and survivors of sinking vessels. Hunted down by the Japanese, most of the almost one hundred men perished. Some became POWs, and of those who attempted to escape, only three succeeded: Leonard Hill, Herbert 'Johnny' Bull and Andrew Brough. This is the story of how they evaded the Japanese and survived.

Author Biography: David B. Hill (Ngapuhi/Te Tahawai) is a writer and tour guide. From an early age, David's passions have been history and travel, and he has spent much of his time on both. Embarking on a career as a guide as a young adult, he has travelled extensively internationally. He now focuses on leading tours closer to home and telling tourists stories of Aotearoa New Zealand.

These events have been described as a great escape by people involved with the New Zealand naval service, but they are little known outside it. There were more Fairmiles built in World War Two than any other fighting ship, yet very little is known about their service. The voyage of ML310 has been described as one of the greatest stories involving a Fairmile during the war. As well as being a war story of daring and escape, it is also an internal journey as Leonard Hill discovers and increasingly understands his Maori identity. The research for the book included use of official reports, photographs, letters, oral history and video recordings, and it brings to light some information that was not readily available before. Written in a creative non-fiction style, the story has pace and the people reach out from the page.