From Singapore to Nagasaki – An Australian POW’s Incredible Story
Don Graham just wanted to serve. But war had little regard for intention.
Serving with the ill-fated Australian 8th Division, he faced the disastrous campaign in Malaya, the retreat to Singapore, and the brutal reality of surrender after the greatest military catastrophe in British Empire history.
Captured by the Japanese, he was sent first to the notorious Changi prison camp and then to the infamous Selarang Barracks, where disease, starvation and fear ruled.
Marched out of Changi to an uncertain fate, Don and hundreds of others were taken on a hell ship to Japan and forced into slave labour at the Kawasaki shipyards in Kobe, and later the deadly Yoshikuma coal mine near Nagasaki. Each day was a gamble of exhaustion, punishment or death – until he witnessed the strange, mushroom-shaped cloud that would signal the war’s end.
Japan had surrendered, yet peril remained. The Japanese commandant ordered Don and the prisoners to dig trenches – their own mass graves. Could they survive when freedom seemed within reach?
Against the Rising Sun is the true story of an Australian soldier’s endurance under the Japanese. Amid unimaginable horror, Don became a lifeline to his fellow POWs, using humour, song and sheer will to keep hope alive – a testament to courage found not in victory, but in survival.
‘When the war took everything, he gave his mates a reason to carry on.’
‘This is more than a war story – it’s a testament to human spirit and brotherhood behind the wire. Jeff Steel’s gripping narrative brings Don Graham’s courage and wit vividly to life.’
Nan Van Dissel – Blue Wolf Reviews –
Readers will find this eye-opening detailed account of Don Graham’s ordeal in World War Two, both inspiring and confronting. Inspiring; despite imaginable horror, the human spirit survived. Confronting; the details of the atrocities perpetrated by the Japanese on their captives is beyond comprehension.
Definitely a must-read book not only for those with an interest in the war in the Pacific but also for those who want to obtain a greater understanding of Australia’s participation in this war; the excellent ‘Select Bibliography’ will help readers to further their understanding of this period in Australia’s history.
Michael Arnold – Monash Memorial Defence Library –
I found Against the Rising Sun an excellent read. I am usually reluctant to read historical works that have been fictionalised. However, in this case, I was taken by the care of the author to inform the reader that what they are reading about Don’s day-to-day experiences are indicative, a best guess albeit based on a solid foundation of historical knowledge of life at the time. Also there has been considerable guidance from relatives, who are intimately aware of the subject’s life-story. The book has broad appeal, well beyond those particularly interested in military history. It is a compelling read for anyone interested humankind’s ability to survive in the most difficult conditions, while retaining their very humanity as Don Graham did.
Michael Arnold – RUSI Victoria –
I found Against the Rising Sun an excellent read. I am usually reluctant to read historical works that have been fictionalised. However, in this case, I was taken by the care of the author to inform the reader that what they are reading about Don’s day-to-day experiences are indicative, a best guess albeit based on a solid foundation of historical knowledge of life at the time. Also there has been considerable guidance from relatives, who are intimately aware of the subject’s life-story. The book has broad appeal, well beyond those particularly interested in military history. It is a compelling read for anyone interested humankind’s ability to survive in the most difficult conditions, while retaining their very humanity as Don Graham did.
Neil Murphy –
I found the book Against the Rising Sun enthralling reading. The story of Don Graham and his experiences during the fall of Singapore, Changi and then shipped to Japan as a POW is so detailed in the horrors of war.
My uncle Tom went through the same ordeals as Don. He is in the Fukuoka Camp picture of 1945 back row five from the left.
Tom Murphy’s war diary mirrors that of Don Graham in so many ways. I now have a greater understanding of the trauma our Soldiers/my uncle suffered at the hands of the Japanese.
Thank you to the Graham Family and Author Jeff Steel.