Operation Kingfisher
It is now twenty-eight years since the publication of Sandakan: A Conspiracy of Silence, my first book on the prisoners of war at Sandakan. It was followed in 2010 by Blood Brothers: Sabah and Australia 1942–1945, to recognise the courage, compassion and quiet heroism of the local people who risked their lives to help others during those dark years.
This final volume, Operation Kingfisher: Unravelling Sandakan’s Darkest Secret, brings the story full circle, completing a trilogy devoted to one of the most haunting chapters of the Pacific War, by revealing the shocking details of a botched rescue mission that was secretly resurrected, only to tragically fail again, due to incompetence and human frailty.
Over more than three decades I had the privilege of speaking with the men and women whose lives were touched by these events — Australian soldiers, local people in Sabah, and others who carried the memories of Sandakan long after the war had ended.
With the death in September 2024 of former ABC broadcaster Tim Bowden, who interviewed many of the Australians who played key roles in the Sandakan story, I became the last surviving person who had also spoken directly with them.
When I am gone, that final living link to those voices will disappear. The conversations, the memories, and the small but vital details gathered over thirty years will pass into history.
But the story itself will not fade. Their voices endure in the pages of these books — witnesses across time — reminding us of suffering, courage and humanity in the face of unimaginable hardship. As long as their story is read, the men of Sandakan, and the people who stood beside them, will not be forgotten.
Lynette Silver is a military historian, the author of a number of books on Australian history, including The Battle of Vinegar Hill, Fabulous Furphies, The Heroes of Rimau,Krait - the Fishing Boat that went to War, Sandakan - A Conspiracy of Silence, The Bridge at Parit Sulong, Blood Brothers, Deadly Secrets- The Singapore Raids 1942-45, a novel In The Mouth of the Tiger, Billy- My life as a teenage POW, At War with my Father: Fred Howe – Prisoner of war, Angels of Mercy: far west & far east and Sister Bullwinkel: the untold, uncensored story.
In 2003 Lynette received a Defence Forces Commendation and Medal from Special Operations Command Australia, for her work during the 60th Anniversary of Operation Jaywick, the first civilian ever to receive this prestigious award. In January 2004 she was awarded an OAM in the Australia Day Honours for her services to veterans and their families for her work on Sandakan. The Sabah Government recognised her research work and her contribution to Sabah’s war history with a Minister’s Special Award, an honour rarely conferred on a foreigner, which was presented to her in November 2009 by Datuk Masidi Manjun, Minister for Tourism, Culture and the Environment. In the Australia Day Honours 2019, in recognition of her on-going historical research since 2003, her efforts to keep alive the memory of thousands of POWs and her philanthropic projects to make life better for the people of Sabah, the Australian government upgraded Lynette’s OAM to a Member of the Order of Australia or AM, which takes precedence over both the Order of the British Empire (OBE) and Member of the British Empire (MBE), under the previous Imperial system. The years of honorary work by her husband Neil, who takes care of all administrative and logistical matters connected with the various projects initiated by the Silvers, was also recognised with the receipt of a Medal of the Order of Australia or OAM, which takes precedence over the British Empire Medal or BEM, under the Imperial honours system.
- ISBN-13
- 9781863515030
- Publisher
- Sally Milner Publishing Pty Ltd
- Imprint
- Sally Milner Publishing Pty Ltd
- Publication date
- 1 October 2026
- Format
- Paperback
- Pages
- 500
- Dimensions
- 255 x 180 mm
- Language
- English