Tony Cowling was just seventeen and working on his father's rubber plantation in Malaya when the Japanese invaded. Convinced that the Japanese advances were a temporary setback that the forces of the Empire would soon set right, he joined the RAF in Singapore. However, soon after he had to escape from Singapore just before the fall and was eventually captured in Java. The next three and a half years as prisoner of war proved to be a remarkable test of body and spirit.
Cowling was one of the very few of his comrades to survive a succession of slave labour camps through Indonesia including Semarang, Jaar Markt, Haruku, Ambon and Muna.
Little has been written on the POW experience in Indonesia and Cowling's work helps to fill the gap with a vividly written book which demonstrates a remarkable memory for detail. It is a book that deals with the most monstrous human cruelty, but above all, is a testament to the resilience of the spirit and comradeship under the most trying conditions.
