Prisoners of the Sumatra Railway - (War, Culture and Society) by Lizzie Oliver (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Prisoners of the Sumatra Railway is the first book to detail the experiences of British former prisoners of war (POWs) who were forced to construct a railway across Sumatra during the Japanese occupation. It is also the first study to be undertaken of the life-writing of POWs held captive by the Japanese during the Second World War, and the transgenerational responses in Britain to this period of captivity.

This book brings to light previously unpublished materials, including:

- Exceptionally rare and detailed diaries, notebooks and letters from the railway

- Memoirs from Sumatra, including detailed recollections and post-war statements written by key personnel on the railway, such as Medical Officers and interpreters

- Remarkable original artwork created by POWs on Sumatra

- Contemporaneous photographs taken inside the camps

Employing theories of life-writing, memory and war representation, including transgenerational transmission, Lizzie Oliver focuses particularly on what these documents can tell us about how former POWs tried to share, preserve and make sense of their experiences. It is a wholly original study that is of great value to Second World War scholars and anyone interested in 20th-century Southeast Asian history or war and memory.

Review Quotes

"Prisoners of the Sumatra Railway offers a much-needed study on the experiences and memories of the British prisoners of war (POWs) on the nearly forgotten Sumatra Railway ... Oliver's book provides focused research on a particular group of British men and fills a gap in the literature on Far East captivity by the Japanese during World War II. Her work is also welcomed and supported by the community of the descendants of British Far East POWs." - H-War

"Prisoners of the Sumatra Railway amplifies the voices of POWs from a forgotten corner of the Pacific War and traces their stories of misery and survival through the latter half of the twentieth century. By her meticulous research and deft analysis of how POWs shared, preserved, and made sense of their experiences, Lizzie Oliver has made a most valuable contribution to the literature of Far Eastern captivity during the Second World War." --Michigan War Studies Review

"Memoirs from Sumatra, including meticulous recollections from former POWs, post-war statements, diaries, notebooks, and letters, as well as explorations of life-writing from POWs held captive at the railway, transgenerational responses in Britain, notes, a bibliography, and an index distinguish this exceptional contribution to public and college library world history and military history collections. Highly recommended." --Midwest Book Review

"Based on original sources, like memoirs and diaries, this book superbly explores the lived experience of British POW's on the forgotten Sumatra Railway during World War II and their struggles in remembering and transmitting their experiences after their liberation. Written in highly accessible prose, it will prove to be indispensable reading for anyone interested in the Pacific War, the experiences of Far Eastern POW's (FAPOW's), and the cultural importance of memory." --Arnout H.C. van der Meer, Assistant Professor of History, Colby College, USA

About the Author