Nagasaki

John Willis

Apr 2023 · Monoray · Narrated by James Lailey

About this audiobook

At 11.02 am on an August morning in 1945 America dropped the world's most powerful atomic bomb on the Japanese port city of Nagasaki. The city was flattened, and more than 70,000 Japanese citizens were killed. Among the horrific scenes were also hundreds of Allied British, Australian, American and Dutch prisoners of war, working as forced labourers in the shipyards and factories of Nagasaki. This book tells their remarkable untold stories - from the bloody battles of the Malayan jungle, to the 'hell ships' transporting them to Japan, and finally the devastating impact of the world's second atomic bomb.

Drawing on unpublished and rarely seen notes, interviews and memoirs, this unique book weaves together a vivid picture of defeat, endurance and survival against astonishing odds.



Cover: Public domain. Above centre: Dr Aidan McCarthy, used with permission

About the author

John Willis is one of Britain's best known television executives. He is a former Director of Programmes at Channel 4 and Director of Factual and Learning at the BBC. He was Vice-president of National Programs at WGBH Boston and in 2012 he was elected as Chair of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA). He is currently Chair of Mentorn Media, producers of Question Time for BBC and he also chairs the Board of Governors at the Royal Central School for Speech and Drama. Willis is the author of Churchill's Few, Nagasaki and Secret Letters. He divides his time between London and Norfolk.