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Music Maker of Auschwitz IV

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The inspirational true story of an Allied POW appointed Kapellmeister to the Nazis in Auschwitz.

When called up to fight in yet another World War, Drum Major Jackson promised his beloved wife Mabel that he would return to lead his band and play for her once more.
In May 1940, he was captured at Dunkirk and interned in several German forced labour camps throughout Poland. Two years later he was transferred to Auschwitz IV, part of the notorious concentration camp complex where it is not widely known held Allied POWs.

When his captors appointed Jackson their ‘Kapellmeister’ (man in charge of music), he seized the opportunity to provide entertainment for his fellow prisoners at rehearsals, and cover for escapees during concerts.
Finally liberated in May 1945, malnourished and gravely ill, Jackson carried his secret war diary—an incredible exposé on five years of life and death in Nazi concentration camps.
THE MUSIC MAKER OF AUSCHWITZ IV, based on Jackson’s diary, is written by his granddaughter. It is a thrilling testament to the resilience one man found in the darkest of times through his two greatest loves—music and the woman who waited for him.

324 pages, Paperback

Published March 3, 2021

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Jaci Byrne

18 books10 followers

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5 stars
39 (20%)
4 stars
72 (38%)
3 stars
62 (33%)
2 stars
11 (5%)
1 star
3 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
Profile Image for Mark  Porton.
639 reviews844 followers
July 31, 2023
The Music Maker of Auschwitz IV by Jaci Byrne is an interesting story taken from the diary notes of WWII Prisoner of War, Drum Major Henry Jackson (b1898-d1964). The book starts with recollections of the time immediately prior to Henry going to war – we learn about his wife Mabel, his children, and his life in Britain at the time.

Henry was caught by the Nazis on the Franco-Belgian border in mid-1940. Reading the details of a participant in the war in Europe, one realises just how brutal it was – the German’s attacks were ferocious and unrelenting. Henry was part of the medical-corps, and as such was often looking after injured allied soldiers in makeshift conditions, with meagre supplies. You can really feel a sense of hopelessness regarding his situation. When captured – they were kept captive in various labour camps, eventually he and his fellow POWs were marched to Poland to be detained in Auschwitz Camp IV, for POWs. The treatment he and the other POWs received on this march (death march) was appalling. Stragglers were either left to die, or shot.

Henry regularly added to his secret diary up until the end of the war in 1945. Naturally, we read about the atrocities committed by the Nazis, and the even-more brutal way they treated others, such as the Poles and Jews. He survived five years of not knowing if he was going to be alive at the end of the day – imagine the fatigue, mentally and physically?

Henry was a keen musician, and a good one at that. He was given the responsibility of creating and managing the ‘camp band’. They would put on shows periodically for the Germans as well as the POWs. It seemed to be the main thing that kept him going. That and the love for his family, particularly his wife (“the wife”), Mabel.

The final few chapters details Henry’s return home following the end of the war. This was no easy thing, as you could imagine. Sometimes it’s difficult to reintegrate back into family life after a hard day at work, imagine doing the same after 5 years as a POW?

For those interested in WWII history, you will find this a worthwhile read. The book was written by his granddaughter Jaci Byrne, taken from his notes he kept secret during his time in captivity.

4 Stars
Profile Image for Jeanette.
614 reviews67 followers
July 11, 2022
"The Music Maker of Auschwitz IV, based on Jackson’s diary, is written by his granddaughter. It is a thrilling testament to the resilience one man found in the darkest of times through his two greatest loves—music and the woman who waited for him."

The description of this book is adequate for any review to add to other than it sheds light on the deplorable conditions experienced by Drum Major Jackson who was captured in 1940 and interned in several German forced labour camps throughout Poland and two years later transferred to Auschwitz IV where Allied POWs were interned in this notorious concentration camp.

Jackson detailed his experiences, deprivations, starvation and brutality to him and his fellow prisoners. Having a musical background saved him at times from the harsh work duties that others laboured and died. He was able to create makeshift concerts with others, anyone capable of holding a tune on anything available.

Arriving home malnourished and extremely ill, physically and mentally he found himself at odds with the changed face of women who had to take up the responsibilities of men while they were away at war. Long gone are the gloved hands, pretty hats and compliant nature of women, developing strong and decisive attitudes. This is difficult for many returned service men who also suffered with night terrors and poor mental health. Jackson fits into all these scenarios and to make things worse he jumps to conclusions when hearing a baby’s cry in their house believing that his wife, the only thing that kept him going while a POW had been unfaithful and having a baby. It takes some time and the intervention of his mother in law to relay the truth of events, however, it takes much more time for him to accept the child as his own, their daughter of the baby refusing to be the mother.

The book is slow going in parts as with most diaries with repetitive scenarios.
6 reviews
March 12, 2022
A inspirational true story and a gripping read of true resilience and love a real eye opener I look forward to reading more books like this
Profile Image for Pharlap.
202 reviews
October 8, 2023
For me it was a strange book.
Firstly I found the title very confusing because of word Auschwitz in it.
Auschwitz- the name of notorious German concentration/extermination camp where millions of people have been cruelly murdered.
Although the full name in the title is Auschwitz IV, but reading other reviews I got impression that nobody bothered to find a difference, and there is, and a big one.
Auschwitz IV - look here - LINK
Author of the diary, Harry Jackson, was moved there in April 1942, that's his relation - ".. we march then to Blechhammer which is a sub-camp of a place called Auschwitz.."
It refers to Blechhammer, a chemical plant located over 65 km from Auschwitz. See here ==> LINK.
At that point I felt quite upset, I felt that using name of Auschwitz in relation to P.O.W. camp which happened to be in a place quite loosely related to dreadful concentration camp is not fair.
I looked for some information about the author of the book - Jaci Byrne - and found something shocking.
In 2018 Jaci Byrne published a book - The Music Maker. One POW provided hope for thousands. I looked into it, it is basically the same text as in The Music Maker of Auschwitz published in 2021.
There is however one significant difference - book without Auschwitz in the title got only 9 ratings, Adding Auschwitz in the title attracted 124 ratings.
I compared text of both books, the only difference I found is that in a copy published in 2021 name Auschwitz appears some dozen times more than in 2018.
No comments.
Now, the actual diary - I found it very honest and touching, but on the other hand the author of the diary had a very limited perspective so the diary is quite repetitive and becomes boring.
The final part of the diary covers time spent with family ater the end of the war and return to England. I found it quite different from the relation from POW camp and very touching, but then - Jaci Byrne, the author of the book, admitted that she added some warm accents to this part of the story ==> LINK.
I loved the final outcome, but it also undermined credibility of the book.
Profile Image for Jeff Dawson.
Author 23 books107 followers
July 13, 2021

First and foremost, this is a true story.

The main character, Harry Jackson is a bit of an anomaly. He did his time during the Great War and was called up when Hitler decided to wield his sword and spread National Socialism through Europe, North Africa, the Balkans and Eastern Europe. At 41, he was a bit ripe for combat so he was placed in the medical corp. Not a taxing job but still demanding. Being a professional musician it was a bit out of his ballywich, but he kept a stiff upper lip and embraced the assignment.

By a turn of bad fate and a wrong turn, which he told the driver about, he was captured at Dunkirk and spent the next five years in captivity. This isn’t the comedy you see on “Hogan’s Heroes” or “The Great Escape,” this is more reminiscent of “The Bridge on the River Kwai.” In regards to how POW’s were treated.

Through the years there have been many arguments of the treatment dealt out by the Wehrmacht versus the SS. In summary, both were horrendous.

Harry and his mates are forced to march 170 miles on foot with only meager rations being dolled out. If not for the locals, many more of the men would have died. For those that couldn’t continue with the march, they were shot and left to rot in the fields.

I will admit, at the 27% completion point, I as beginning to doze off. His diary entries became monotonous and repetitive. Seriously, what could be so captivating on the day-t0-day life of a POW and harsh treatment their captors kept inflicting on them? The author, Jaci, asked me stick with it. I am so glad I did!

While his time in captivity is beastly, it’s what happens when he is finally liberate and returns home to a world that has completely changed. Women are no longer second-class citizens and while Harry believed he had it rough, he was going to find out how his wife and children dealt with his absence. It was very enlightening when his wife, Mable, who he simply adored, informed him should could carry on with out him, if that was his choice.

I have no problem admitting that as the story began winding down, my eyes teared-up more than once!

This is an excellent addition to any World War Two library. Well done Jaci. A brilliant tribute to your late grand-father.

Five stars!
Profile Image for Georgina Hynd.
247 reviews
September 13, 2024
Another DNF... two in a row. That hurts!

I gave up on this once Harry came home after the war, it went from a highly questionable diary to a really bad piece of fiction in the blink of eye.

That's all I will say about that!
Profile Image for Tracy Smyth.
2,280 reviews4 followers
May 16, 2022
This was a great read - hard in places but it was worth it. It’s hard to imagine how these men survived the atrocities of war and how badly they were treated. Highly recommend it
Profile Image for Helen .
278 reviews3 followers
April 20, 2026
I borrowed this one from the library as it caught my attention.
This is a true story written by the granddaughter of Henry Barnes Jackson ( 1898- 1964) who served in WWII - 5th Battalion./ The Border Regiment, before ending up as a POW for five long brutal years.

Harry managed to keep a secret diary of those truly horrific times where he documents everything. He captures in words the cruel and oftentimes sadistic brutality of the German soldiers which seemed never ending. The conditions that the POWs were made to live in were awful, they were regularly moved from one place to another, some survived, others didn’t.



It was not an enjoyable read ( obviously) but a compelling one. I believe also an important and essential one, if only to understand that war is as evil as the psychopaths that push for war and those that dish out the orders. It’s a psychological game.

If ordered to do so, man can turn against another and carry out torture both physical and psychological (in the most evil way possible without a second thought) and take absolute pleasure in a human suffering. This is not what I want for humanity.
In Germany we know children were brainwashed into believing the Jews were dirty and diseases and inferior. Friends turned against their Jewish. The incessant use of propaganda via media and posters is a well known psychological tool used to create change for ideologies - to go against the grain is to become a target ! We can see how close we are in these times to what happened back then.

Anyhow ... back to the book.

In his diary Harry doesn’t mince his words . He thinks of his wife Mabel and his four daughters and promised his wife he would return and serenade her once again.

Harry ( nickname Drummie while off duty) is a musician and music makes him happy. We learn his instruments have to be left behind due to room, then he acquires others and as a POW he and other band members begins entertaining the other POWs but realise soon that they are also providing fun and entertainment for the Germans that are holding them captive.


There are parts where he leaves out the most horrid details and alludes to events which he says he cannot write about. Those are left to the imagination... obviously worse than the already evil mentioned in previous diary entries.

Despite these stomach churning entries the one thing that kept me reading was the sense of deep camaraderie between Harry and the other captives and the hope they carried in their hearts.
There were times when all hope he thought was lost but the resilience of this courageous man in the darkest of times is nothing short of extraordinary.



Harry was no spring chicken in this war, he was much older than others in his battalion. He was forty one years old when he left and forty seven when he returned.


He does return home but that’s another story which was was not quite the homecoming he was expecting after six years of absence. Repatriation was required and health check. Further brainwashing - they were told never to speak about what they saw or experienced. Even what to say to others who wanted to know about their loved ones.

Much had changed in the six years he was away from his family. Women had changed, well they had to assume roles that once belonged to men and that was not going to revert back anytime soon.

I think this historical truth needs to be shared. It’s both powerful and inspiring as it is shocking. As humanity we are divided more than ever over beliefs ( deliberately engineered by globalists) we are being tested. It’s hard to share your truths without a barrage of hate, derogatory labels created by governments that have been taken as truths by its citizens. Let this be a warning. Brainwashing and pitching one group of people against another due to ideology taught through education, media propaganda and employing fear tactics is a tool that has been used to control its citizens against those that do not .
This is why this book is important - lessons learned? I hope so for the future of mankind.

4/5
Profile Image for Erin Grigson Baylis.
1,065 reviews6 followers
April 21, 2022
If you're looking for a book similar to the Tattooist of Auschwitz, this is only similar in title.
These are diary entries from a soldier, a prisoner of war, which really made me rethink some of what I thought I knew about WWII.
While it was very eye-opening and definitely worth the read, it's sometimes a bit monotonous because that was his life for weeks and years on end during his captivity.
However - and I cannot stress this enough - it was a great story for musicians to read. He talks about the power of music over and over again and how being allowed and also encouraged to play brought him comfort but also helped those other prisoners find some comfort in their horrible times. I thought it was beautiful how he was always so excited to make music even in the worst places and for the worst people.
This book introduces us to the soldiers' side of the war as opposed to the Jews' perspective. And while he was a prisoner, his experience was incredibly different, though still quite harrowing, than that of the Jews, gypsies, and others interned in the concentration camps. 9/10 and would recommend to musicians especially.
50 reviews
March 28, 2024
I listened to this and the narration was good. I 'enjoyed' the first two thirds, as in found it interesting/sad, ghastly etc and the fact that it was based on the authors grandfathers diaries is wonderful. My own grandfather kept a war diary and incorporated it into his life story which I'm currently reading, by sheer coincidence. Jackson was held captive for five years in a variety of German labour camps, finally ending up at Auschwitz IV (I had no idea that this camp contained Allied POW's). His resilience and determination to live, despite being very ill at times, and starving, is extraordinary and seems to be entirely based on his love for his wife (and daughters) and his promise to return to them. Maybe if he hadn't been able to indulge in his love of music things would have been different. I lost interest a bit once he returned from the war, and did find the continual use of 'The Wife' very annoying!
1,357 reviews2 followers
April 30, 2023
An Auschwitz memoire from a different perspective, as a war prisoner from the British army. He keeps this secret journal for several years when being in labour camps and eventually ending in Auschwitz IV. Whilst the words written were likely never intended for anyone else to read, I thought the person was quite judgemental and up on his high horse when returning form the was and not having a clue to think about what life has been like for others, including when he returns home to a young baby and suspects his menopausal wife...
There are many similarities to other experiences, how Jews were treated, mainly the lack of food, quick punishments etc, but as a prisoner of war they had so many more liberties and did get paid for their labour. Not an easy read to imagine life during the war time and how they survived for days with very little or no food and constant fear.
13 reviews
January 17, 2026
I’ve read a number of WWI and WWII novels, including ones like this based on prisoners of war or others held in forced labour camps and Nazi concentration camps.
The basis of the true story resonates and also, unlike other similar war based tales which end soon after the characters leave the camps, this one goes on to tell of the events that happen once a POW returns to England and tries to adjust to life back home. It doesn’t just focus on the POW’s adjustment once home, but also that of his family and I liked the historical references to the changes for women and their lives back home during the 1940s.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Ashley Oliver.
19 reviews4 followers
May 15, 2026
This was an audio book loaned from Rotherham Library. It follows the diary entries of Harry, a British prisoner in World War 2. It is written by his granddaughter based on stories and his diary entries from his time in various prisoner of war camps.

I enjoyed listening to this - it was easy to follow, gave lots of information about the time period, politics of the time and the struggles faced.

The story was gripping and simple to follow.
Profile Image for Matt.
635 reviews
June 16, 2025
Questionable diary littered with inaccuracies, for example, ranks. The title is misleading as he was at a prisoner of war camp some 55/60 miles away from the work and extermination camp.
I really could not finish this book and do not reccomend it.
As can be seen from my reading lists I have read plenty on the subject of the holocaust and this didn't cut it unfortunately.
Profile Image for Glenda Rogers.
4 reviews
January 5, 2024
I listened to whilst working, it was an interesting book. It gives you an insight to an English soldier captured and placed into a prisoner of war camp and what they went through. The war and then after the war how families have to navigate blended again.
60 reviews1 follower
May 4, 2025
Would not recommend
Profile Image for Sophie Shield.
86 reviews1 follower
November 15, 2022
Very different from the series by Heather Morris but those books peaked an interest that I wanted to learn more about. It was interesting to read a different experience and from a prisoner of war camp. Another emotional read but would recommend.
Profile Image for Bianka.
8 reviews
March 3, 2025
Engem nem fogott meg, alapból érdekel a téma, sok könyvet is olvastam belőle. Ez túl monoton volt az ízlésemhez.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews