The war hero who removed his own appendix in the jungle Weâre sorry, this service is currently unavailable. Please try again later. Dismiss By Simon Caterson Save Normal text size Allen & Unwin, $29.99 In Australian English usage, the word bastard has a positive meaning as a term of endearment as well as approbation. If ever there was a soldier with the reputation of being a bastard in a good way it was Scottish-born Queenslander Robert Kerr âJockâ McLaren, who in World War II took a leading role in the guerrilla war against Japanese forces after escaping more than once from notorious POW camps such as Changi and Sandakan.