The Wild Angry Shot or Two

In The Survival Factor, Charles Rowland Bromley ‘Rowley’ Richards, a former Captain and Royal Australian Army Medical Corps officer, sought the answer to an important question: why did some men survive their ordeal as captives of the Japanese in World War II and others did not? Captain Richards was himself a member of ‘A Force’ on the ‘Burma Railway’. He was later transferred to Japan. As a medical officer for Anderson and Williams Force, he was charged with keeping men alive through the various means available to him.

The book is co-authored with Marcia McEwan. It takes what might be termed a case-study approach and is written in the third person. As a result, there is some distance between Richards the co-author and Richards the regimental medical officer. This lends a great deal to the sense of objectivity that comes across in the book.

When Colonel Anderson and Captain Richards find themselves at odds in The Survival Factor, there is a fine sense of balance between their positions. The former officer in the King’s African Rifles during World War I and big game hunter, Colonel Anderson, is portrayed as a wise commanding officer. His proclivities and quirks are balanced by his keen sense of what is required to deal with the Japanese. His qualities as a military tactician are approved.

In this book, Captain Richards recognises that his fight to save each and every man is complemented by Colonel Anderson’s fight to save the 'Force' which is each man’s ultimate means of survival. When there are heated differences of opinion and approach, there is still an understanding that the men share a common goal.

So, when Captain Richards virtually accuses the Colonel of wanton action that is akin to ‘murder’, the Colonel recognises the strain on the Captain and refrains from comment. In turn, the Captain acknowledges the gentlemanly demeanor of his commanding officer. Still, he cannot understand the Colonel’s logic at times. The Captain also appears to lack an appreciation for the military humor used by the Colonel to deal with what he views is Captain Richards' lack of finesse as a young doctor.

Yet, there is one incident that caused the Captain considerable distress. The Colonel upbraided the Captain for lacking the confidence of the men due to the medical officer's poor ‘bedside manner’ during sick parades. However, the Captain contested this assessment. He sought and received the support of a fellow medical officer and the Colonel backed down from his claims.

The Captain seems to have remained unsatisfied with this. Despite the favourable comments made by the Captain as to the military bearing and prowess of the Colonel, the strain between the two men never was resolved. There is another dimension to all of this. As a reader, I am not convinced that the Captain had understood fully an important truth: if the whole forest goes up in smoke, his concern for the individual trees will be moot.