Denise Wynne, daughter of Lisbon Maru survivor Dennis Morley, shows the book she received. [Photo/zhoushan.cn]

The launch event of the book The Rescue Never to Forget — A Collection of Oral History Materials of the Lisbon Maru Rescue Incident took place in Zhoushan, Zhejiang province, on the evening of May 20. 

Representatives of 18 descendants of British POWs and the rescuing fishermen participated.

The Lisbon Maru Rescue tells the heartfelt story of British prisoners of war and Chinese fishermen during World War II (1939-45).

In 1942, the Japanese military commandeered the Lisbon Maru to carry British prisoners of war, and the ship was mistakenly torpedoed by a United States submarine near the waters of Zhoushan. Local fishermen risked their lives to save 384 soldiers from the sinking Lisbon Maru.

In order to compile, organize, and preserve the authentic oral historical materials for future research, Zhoushan social sciences Association and Zhejiang International Maritime College led the integration of expert resources to advance the compilation and collection of the book. Lasting for two and a half years, the compilation of the book has finally been completed.