Taken prisoner in Java, Terence Kelly’s captivity was full of incident. He was witness to barbaric cruelty and suffering particularly on the journey packed into a filthy cargo ship under atrocious and inhumane conditions.

Once in Japan, he was a slave in the Hitachi shipyards where he got to know other Japanese and learn their language. His book reveals more about the psyche of his captors than other similar works. His Hiroshima camp was unique and was possibly the best camp in which the Japanese held POWs. Many of the inmates were influential men, who knew the Far East and had held important posts. The interaction between POWs and captors was fascinating and his book offers a rare insight into the Japanese character, as unthinkable defeat and humiliation became a reality.

Kelly’s account of the A-Bomb attack and the chaos that followed it is fascinating and rare.