Spy on the Roof of the World - Hardcover

Wignall, Sydney

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1558215581 ISBN 13: 9781558215580

Publisher: Lyons Pr, 1996

Synopsis

In 1955 Sydney Wignall led the Welsh Himalayan expedition to climb Tibet s highest mountain, Gurla Mandhata. With a rare view of Chinese military operations in Tibet, he and two of his companions were more than mountaineers; they were spies. Not long into their journey they were captured and imprisoned, thus beginning an agonizing ordeal that would draw on their last reserves of psychic strength and physical courage. This is their story.Imprisoned by the People's Liberation Army of the Republic of China, subjected to freezing, rat-infested cells and to near-tortuous interrogation, only Wignall's incredible courage, humor, and ingenuity enabled them to survive. Eventually, international pressure forced the Chinese to release the three men. Hoping that they would not get back alive, the Chinese abandoned them at the foot of one of the highest passes in the Himalayas -- a pass never before climbed in winter -- starving, exhausted, and physically broken. Their journey back is one of mountaineering's great epics."Spy On the Roof of the World" is a riveting and unforgettable tale.

About this title

Review

"There is, through the narrative, plenty of humour and old world charm...Read it and be stirred. That doesn't happen too often." (Mail on Sunday)

"an amazing story of an epic adventure" (Yorkshire Post)

"

... all the ingredients of a gripping spy story: a spectacular setting;
... a hero who frustrates his captors; ... an intrepid final dash for
home

" (Geographical Magazine)

"

A compelling tale of human endurance, both physical and mental, against
the worst that either nature or mankind could throw at them

" (The Good Book Guide)

From the Back Cover

In 1955, Sydney Wignall organized the Welsh Himalayan expedition to climb Tibet's highest mountain, Gurla Mandhata. But Wignall and two of his companions were more than just mountaineers; before setting out, Wignall had been recruited by a covert faction within Indian intelligence to report on Chinese military operations in newly invaded Tibet.Wignall and his band of unlikely spies were soon captured and imprisoned by the Red Army, thus beginning an ordeal that would draw on their last reserves of physical and emotional strength. Subjected to rat-infested, subfreezing cells and months of torturous interrogation, Wignall and his colleagues refused to allow their spirits to be broken.Ultimately, international pressure convinced the Chinese to release the three spies. But instead of being flown safely home, they were ordered to return via the Seti Gorge in the middle of winter, a deadly Himalayan pass considered suicidal even in summer. Their bodies wracked with frostbite and dysentery, their final trek to freedom is an amazing testament to their will to survive. (6 X 9, 304 pages, b&w photos, maps)

About this edition

• Publisher: Lyons Pr
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 1558215581
• ISBN 13: 9781558215580
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 267