The French SOE agent who later wrote The Planet of the Apes and The Bridge on the River Kwai

PsyWar.Org · Aug 4, 2014

A good article on BBC News about the life of Pierre Boulle, best known as the author of The Planet of the Apes but also wrote The Bridge on the River Kwai.

And even less well known was that he served in Force 136 in the Second World War.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-28610124

In Singapore in 1941 he signed up to the Free French, and was seconded to what became known as Force 136. This was the British SOE operation in South East Asia.

At a place called The Convent, he was put through a training course in which "serious gentlemen taught us the art of blowing up a bridge, attaching explosives to the side of a ship, derailing a train, as well as that of despatching to the next world - as silently as possible - a night-time guard".
After various missions in Burma and China, Boulle - now with the English covername Peter John Rule - was told to make his way by river to Hanoi, in Vichy-controlled Indochina.
With help from villagers he built a raft from bamboo and floated downstream. At a place called Laichau he was spotted and brought to the local French commander. Deciding on the spur of the moment to come clean, he told the commander he was from the Free French with instructions to make contact with sympathetic Vichy officials.
Unfortunately the commander was not one of them. Boulle was sentenced to forced labour for life. He spent the next two years in jail in Hanoi before escaping near the end of the war.
"The experience was seminal for Boulle," says Loriot. "When he came to Indochina he thought he was on the good side. But then a Frenchman arrested him and said, "No you are not."
"It drove home a point about the relativity of good and evil, which is the theme of all his works. What is good is good only in a certain context. Not necessarily universally."
Click to expand...

bamboo43 · Aug 4, 2014

Thanks Lee,

Two films I would probably always watch if I stumbled upon them whilst flicking about on the remote.

Bernard85 · Apr 8, 2015

good day psywar.org 04 august 2014.07:24am.re:the french soe agent who later wrote the planet of the apes and the bridge on the river kwai.a great agent,and a brilliant author.as post #2 says would always watch the films,great post regards bernard85

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The French SOE agent who later wrote The Planet of the Apes and The Bridge on the River Kwai

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The French SOE agent who later wrote The Planet of the Apes and The Bridge on the River Kwai

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bamboo43 Very Senior Member

Bernard85 WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

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