“He carried no weapon in the end — only stories, and truth.”
- Scotland Far East Prisoner of War Trust
- Apr 2
- 1 min read
Sir Laurens van der Post was more than a soldier. He was a dreamer, a writer, and a seeker of meaning — even in the darkest corners of war. Captured in 1942, he became a Far East Prisoner of War under Japanese captivity for over three years, enduring slave labour, brutal beatings, and near-starvation on the Burma Railway.
But van der Post didn’t let that experience disappear into silence. He emerged not with bitterness, but with a deep sense of compassion, and a need to tell the world what happened — not just the horror, but the humanity that somehow survived within it.
In his memoir The Seed and the Sower, he wrote with raw honesty about captivity, culture, and the fragile thread of understanding between enemies. It became the powerful foundation for the film Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, reminding audiences of the emotional and spiritual toll that war takes — and the dignity that even prisoners tried to hold onto.
He spent the rest of his life speaking up for those who could not — the fellow POWs who never came home, and those who did, but could never speak of it. His was a voice of healing, reconciliation, and remembrance.
Today, as we approach VJ Day 80, we remember Sir Laurens and all FEPOWs who endured what should never be forgotten.
Because the stories matter. Because they mattered.
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