On Paths of Ash Book

"On Paths of Ash" is an extraordinary Australian World War Two story. Robert and Jack Holman were working-class brothers who enlisted to fight for their country and found themselves in three of the most horrific experiences of the war. Caught up in the fall of Singapore, they were interned at Changi prisoner-of-war camp, from where they became prison laborers on the infamous Burma Railway. From there they went as slaves to the coal mines of Japan, close enough to Nagasaki to see the mushroom cloud when the atomic bomb was dropped. Both brothers survived because of brotherly mateship - when one was down the other came to his aid. And both brothers lived to tell the tale, but it was Bob Holman who had the foresight to write about his story before he died. In doing so, he proved himself to be an accomplished and colorful writer, with an eye for mesmerizing detail. This is Bob Holman's memoir, creating the picture of a sensitive boy who grew up to go to war and live through some of the most terrible experiences it had to offer. His memoir has been expertly edited by Peter Thomson, who provides an invaluable historical context for Bob's story.Read More