In January 1942,the peace and tranquility enjoyed by British North Borneo (Sabah) for sixty years was shattered by the invasion of Japanese forces. Vastly outnumbered,and compelled to lay down their arms without a shot being fired, the people of Sabah may have lost the battle, but they did not give up the fight. On the west coast, freedom fighters formed the Kinabalu Guerrillas, taking many enemy lives before their rebellion was put down in a series of bloody reprisals. On the east coast, determined to help overthrow the occupying forces, Sandakan’s civilian population established an underground movement,taking enormous risks to assist European internees and hundreds of Australian prisoners of war, transported from Singapore to build an airstrip.The story of these courageous and resilient people, which has been ignored for well over sixty years,has now been documented in great detail. These unsung heroes,who risked and sacrificed their lives to extend the hand of friendship to total strangers in their hour of need, laid the foundations for a lasting and very special friendship between the people of Sabah and Australia. Blood brothers is not only a moving and absorbing tale. It is a wonderful tribute to those who demonstrated courage of the highest and rarest order, inspired not by the prospect of victory, but by the reality of defeat and oppression.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 355-372) and index.