Malayan Spymaster: Memoirs of a Rubber Planter, Bandit Fighter and Spy Paperback – 16 Jan. 2012

The unusual entertaining and involving life history of Mr Boris Hembry a young Englishman his book starts with his schooldays and then to the beginning of a colonial career in the Malayan plantations working as a plantation overseer supervisor of a number of plantations among the vast rubber planting estates in Malaya during the nineteen twenties and thirties. His exposed position in Malaya inevitably leads onto him having a series of risk filled adventures while he was on the run from the Japanese after he had volunteered to go behind the Japanese lines as a stay behind team. The cataclysmic long premeditated and intricately well planned ...unstoppable chain of events lost us the Battle of Singapore before it had really started. Most of these stay behind teams found themselves without the necessary external support they desperately needed when Singapore surrendered. This event reduced these teams to being no more than exhausted fugitives constantly harried and hunted by the Malayan police and the Japanese Army.Then the book describes his jungle experiences and his escape from Malaya and progresses to Boris Hembry's career as a spymaster till the second world war ended. Then he describes his role in the postwar conflict between the British and the chinese maoist freedom fighters/terrorists in Malaya and his subsequent retirement .

An excellent and very interesting read. One can tell it has been edited down and I got a little lost with different people sometimes, but really very interesting insight into the lives, the period and the events people had to get through, surviving where others did not and thriving in a very different life. I looked forward every night to getting home and reading it.

First of all, don't let the title, which sounds like a cheesy spy novel, put you off.I can safely say this is one of the most enthralling books I have ever read.From start to finish it is packed with fascinating, funny, (and shocking) stories. I lived in Malaysia and am very interesting in the history and culture of the country. I am also British, and am interested in the what the Brits got up to in Malaysia way back when. I also like a great tale with an inspirational person at the centre of it.Therefore, the story of Boris Hembry's life ticked all the boxes for me. Inspiring and fascinating. Would highly recommend!!!

Really enjoyed this book & although i have read quite a lot about Singapore/Malaya during the 1930s & 40s i learnt a lot of new facts. The book is very well written & absorbing& full of interest right the way through. What a very brave & courageous principled man Boris Hembry was, i felt i really liked & admired both the man & his family. Liked the way it continued in the years after the war & enjoyed the book all the more because he's not afraid to tell it how it was. If you like a book that you can really lose yourself in then can thoroughly recommend this as a great read & page turner - a must read!Why hasn't a film been made,could see Daniel Craig as Boris...

I found this book fascinating and really enjoyed reading it. Not only was it historically interesting but the author's personality shone through and I wished I could have met him. His views were often iconoclastic and I admired his forthright and sensible analysis of events - although I was surprised how much alcohol was regularly embibed in that era and location. I was pleased to find out about the post war situation in Malaysia because I know military people who were there then and my cousin was killed there.

This tale has it all - exotic locations, intrigue, war, rebellion and a very down-to-earth man at the centre of it all. It makes for a good history of early 20th century Malaya and brings to reader effortlessly to that time and place. The only thing I didn't like about the book is that is told from an avid admirer of the British Empire's point of view. But then again, he was a man of his times.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The author describes his life and times in Malaya with great aplomb, humility and humour. His love and respect for his adopted country and its people clearly runs deep and it is fortunate that his family persuaded him to put pen to paper to capture his part in what were some tumultuous times.

Enjoyed reading this book about the life of Boris Hembry. He has an interesting and eventful life and lived through some dramatic times in the far east during the 1940's and 1950's.This book was supposed to be written for his family to reflect on his amazing life, however, I found that his constant bragging about his abilities and views to be annoying and at times unrealistic.Standing back and reviewing its contents you find a story about a man born into privilege who despite having the best private education, failed academically, and who by the old school network was found a position he didnt deserve in the far eastDespite his constant views of self importance his story was one of managing a chinese and malay workforce who did all the work while he and his wife partyed at the local clubs and spent weekends away at friends villas. All this at times when people at home were struggling to survive on a daily basis.By his own admission he was heavily overpaid compared to people at home and had the satisfaction of the company sending his son to a top private school as a full time boader. In the later part of the book he starts to criticsize the uk government for their lack of support for the malayan crisis particularly being venomous regarding socialist members of government. I find this hard to accept considering the life of luxury that this country allowed him to experienceThe final analysis is that despite his self posturing his poor management along with the rest of these colonials resulted in the complete loss of all these resources to the far east

I really enjoyed this book. It read well and held my interest the entire time. I would recommend this book. If you were planning to work on a palm/rubber plantation in asia especially the security aspect, this would be a good primer.

An unsung hero. What an interesting man and not recognised as usual by the top brass As I say an unsung hero.recommended reading

An interesting and honest reflection of Malaya in the past, the varied life of a planter and intrigues in conflict situations.

great read

Well written. Good narrative.