Allan, James (Ashmolean Museum)

Under the Dragon Flag: the Adventures of a British Seaman During the Sino-Japanese War Allan, James (Ashmolean Museum)

High Adventure on the China Seas

For readers who enjoy tales of naval adventure in non-fiction or fiction this book will not disappoint. The British author managed to squander his substantial inheritance in 4 years and turned to life as a merchant seamen in the latter part of 19th century. Eventually he found himself aboard an American screw steamer, captained by a 'devil-may-care' gun-runner, bound for Imperial China with a hidden cargo of arms in a desperate attempt to break through the blockade of the Japanese navy as the Sino-Japanese War raged through the East. Predictably matters went wrong immediately and he and his comrades were running for their lives as a cruiser's shells crashed into their vessel. The epic sea conflict, the Battle of Yalu followed and in Port Arthur James Allen was accidentally left ashore as the Japanese forces took the city by storm and he had to run once again and fight for his life with bayonet and axe among the alleys and burning houses of the city to avoid the massacre of the population that followed. A thrilling race to safety brought more dangers on board a floating hulk and a Chinese junk before his eventual rescue. This is an astonishing true story-the very foundation for exactly the kind of fictional adventure that was so popular in the early twentieth century and formed the characters of many of the most well known heroes of that time. Available in soft cover and hard cover with dust jacket for collectors.