Gerald W. Kingsland (8 March 1930 – 20 March 2000) was a journalist, adventurer, and writer, born and raised in

Whitchurch, Buckinghamshire Whitchurch is a village and civil parish in the unitary authority area of Buckinghamshire, England. The village is on the A413 road about north of Aylesbury and south of Winslow. The 2011 Census recorded a parish population of 932. Topony ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. After a stint in the British Army where he fought in combat during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

in 1951, he became a successful journalist and publisher in England, then a wine grower in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...

. In 1980 he set out to become a modern

Robinson Crusoe ''Robinson Crusoe'' () is a novel by Daniel Defoe, first published on 25 April 1719. The first edition credited the work's protagonist Robinson Crusoe as its author, leading many readers to believe he was a real person and the book a tra ...

seeking a remote tropical island where he could be self-sufficient together with a female companion. He advertised in '' Time Out'' magazine in 1980 for a woman to share life with him on a deserted island. When Kingsland was 49, he met 24-year-old Lucy Irvine. They went to Tuin Island, in the

Torres Strait The Torres Strait (), also known as Zenadh Kes, is a strait between Australia and the Melanesian island of New Guinea. It is wide at its narrowest extent. To the south is Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost extremity of the Australian mai ...

between

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

and

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...

, uninhabited and lacking a dependable water supply, where they nearly perished, but were saved by Badu Islanders. Kingsland and Irvine wrote separate accounts of their adventure. His book, ''The Islander'' was published in 1984. Irvine's ''

Castaway A castaway is a person who is cast adrift or ashore. While the situation usually happens after a shipwreck, some people voluntarily stay behind on a deserted island, either to evade captors or the world in general. A person may also be left a ...

'' was published in 1983. The story was also depicted in the film ''

''. Kingsland was portrayed by

Oliver Reed Robert Oliver Reed (13 February 1938 – 2 May 1999) was an English actor known for his well-to-do, macho image and "hellraiser" lifestyle. After making his first significant screen appearances in Hammer Horror films in the early 1960s, his ...

. The role of Lucy Irvine was played by

Amanda Donohoe Amanda Donohoe (born 29 June 1962) is an English actress. She first came to attention as a 16-year-old living with pop singer Adam Ant, appearing in the music videos for the Adam and the Ants singles "Antmusic" (1980) and "Stand and Deliver" ( ...

. Whilst living in

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands (Manono Island, Manono an ...

, Kingsland was diagnosed with bowel cancer, returning to the UK in 2000. He died from a heart attack aged 70 in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. He had five sons and two daughters (including writer Rosemary Kingsland) from five marriages.

Publications include

*"From the Whores of Montezuma". Publisher: London : Gerald Kingsland Pub. 1972 (Korean War memories) * * ''The voyager : the further adventures of the man who wanted to be Robinson Crusoe'' - Publisher: Sevenoaks, Kent : New English Library, 1987. * ''In quest of glory : Korean War memoirs'' - Publisher: Sevenoaks London : New English Library, 1989. * ''Comfort for a Castaway'' - Publisher: London : Gerald Kingsland Pub., 2000. * ''Robinson Crusoe heute : Leben auf einsamer Insel''.

External links

Obituary
1930 births 2000 deaths People from Aylesbury Vale British male journalists Castaways {{England-bio-stub

Publications include

See also

External links