On Paths of ASH

by Robert Holman, Peter Thomson (Editor)

On Paths of Ash is an extraordinary Australian World War II story. Robert and Jack Holman were working-class brothers who found themselves in three of the most horrific experiences of the war. They were interned in Changi prisoner-of-war camp, from where they became prison labourers on the infamous Burma Railway. From there they went as slaves to the coalmines of Japan, close enough to Nagasaki to see the mushroom cloud when the atomic bomb was dropped. This is Robert Holman's memoir, telling the story of a sensitive boy who grew up and went to war and lived through some of the most terrible experiences it had to offer.

312 pages, Paperback

First published March 23, 2011

Reviews

[Nerissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

An amazing and humble diary of a POW.

[Suzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this account dull and unemotional. There's no doubt what these prisoners experienced was horrific but unfortunately the style of the book was so clinical that I felt his story was too far removed to care about. It's hard enough to visualise a bygone era but without the addition of any thoughts, feelings or emotions, it was like reading a went to b then c. It read like a dull history book rather than a personal memoir of a tragic experience.

[Pam Ela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting to get the story of a private as a p.o.w of the Japanese. He doesnt go into much detail about the atrocities. I t is just a memoir without any drama