A Rat of Tobruk by Mike Rosel

$29.95 AUD

Category: Military History

Lieutenant John Rosel won a Military Cross for displaying 'calmness and outstanding leadership' when his platoon became surrounded at a critical point in the siege of Tobruk. He led the defence of several vital outposts against numerous attacks by the troops of General Rommel. His son Mike has written n ot only a touching tribute to his father's war service but also a perceptive and stylish account of the soldiering experience of a generation. A Rat of Tobruk has many fascinating photographs - mainly taken by John Rosel - and is recommended to anyone interested in the Australian soldiers who risked all while making a substantial contribution to Allied victory in World War II. ...Show more

DEATH SAT ON A PALE HORSE by Alison Miller

$39.95 AUD

Category: Military History

The World War One Diaries, Letters and Sketches of Harold Stephens & W. Billy' O'Neil. Over 90 years ago two friends from the farming community of Cowra, New South Wales joined the Australian Army - the journalist/cartoonist Harold Stephens and his friend and neighbouring farmer W.(Billy') O'Neil.Th is book combines the diaries and photos of these two men, plus Hal Stephens' sketches, newspaper articles and extracts from his unpublished book Sacrifice Unending. The material reveals the horrors of their wartime experiences and the tragic story of a young French farm girl embroiled in two World Wars. Destined to become a classic giving a true insight into the horrors of this thing we call war. ...Show more

SimmoA Biography of Ray Simpson, VC, DCM: One of Australia's Greatest Soldiers by Michael J. Malone

$85.00 AUD

Category: Military History

After every conflict, there comes a time when historians gather to describe the heroic exploits stemming from that action. In the case of Victoria Cross winners, such histories are ordinarily detailed and numerous, but there are some exceptions. In the forty years since the end of the Vietnam War, not o ne book of note has commemorated the heroism of one of Australia's greatest soldiers: Ray Simpson, VC, DCM. Not until now.Historians and fellow soldiers Mick Malone and Peter Lutley have spent over five years of research, writing, and interviewing those closest to the great man to complete Simmo, the definitive, authorised biography of this fascinating hero. They spent years finding those who knew Simmo so they may share their stories to piece together the minutiae of his varied and surprising life. Told in the words of those who lived and served with him, this is a substantial, gritty, and candid collection of anecdotes that illustrates the many facets of this larger than life man.An intensely brave soldier and never-say-die character in the mould of Albert Jacka and Joe Maxwell, Simpson served in World War 2, Korea, and Malaya, as well as five decorated years in Vietnam. He was a WO2 and loved being one: Simmo is arguably the most substantial and comprehensive biographies ever written of one man who was not a General. Simpson's devotion to the job and his men is marvellous, and for a man with little formal education, he had a remarkable knowledge of the geopolitical situation and the military industrial complex. Those who knew him, served with him, or have simply heard of his legend will treasure this book. ...Show more

Beyond the Battlefield by Catherine Speck

$64.99 AUD

Category: Military History

Beyond the Battlefield provides a fascinating account of female creativity in America, Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand during the turbulent era of twentieth-century conflict. This book looks at women artists' unique artistic portrayal of war at the front lines, as well as their documentation of everyday life on the home front. Exploring high-profile artists such as the American photographer Lee Miller and her work with British Vogue, this book also recounts the experiences of the First World War nurses, voluntary aides and ambulance drivers who found time to create astonishing art while working in the middle of war zones. While some women could bravely work the front lines, other female artists felt disempowered by their distance from actual warfare. Spurred by the constant fear of attack, the sorrow of innocent lives destroyed, the mass murders of people in concentration camps and the unimaginable aftermath of the A-bomb attacks on Japan, female artists created highly charged, emotional responses to the threats, sufferings and horrors of war. The two world wars of the twentieth century changed the world utterly, on a scale never seen before or since.In this book, Catherine Speck provides an insightful and meditative examination of visual responses to this historical period from the perspective of women in the Allied countries. Generously illustrated, Beyond the Battlefield delivers a distinctly female perspective on the art produced during the period that will appeal to readers interested in the history of art, war history and cultural studies. ...Show more

From Desk to Dugout - The Education of a Victorian ANZAC by Keith Hallett; Robyn Youl

$24.99 AUD

Category: Military History

'Come see my little dugout - way up on the hill it stands, Where I can get a lovely view of Anzac's golden sands.' The Anzac Book was the finest 'trench publication' produced during the Great War and was an instant bestseller when first released in 1916. Created by soldiers under enemy fire and in extre me hardship, the illustrations, stories, cartoons, and poems were intended as a Christmas and New Year diversion for soldiers facing a harsh winter in the trenches on Gallipoli. The way these young men powerfully captured their felt experiences and struggles in the trenches had a huge emotional effect on readers back home in Australia. From Desk to Dugout explores this particular moment in Australian literary and educational history and its intersections with the war at Gallipoli and the history of ANZAC. ...Show more

KYNETON MOUNTED RIFLE CORPS by GARNETT MICHAEL

$30.00 AUD

Category: Military History

ROMSEY'S TRIBUTE 1914 - 1918 by GARNETT MICHAEL

$30.00 AUD

Category: Military History

The Lost Boys: The untold stories of the under-age soldiers who fought in the First World War (HB) by Paul Byrnes

$45.00 AUD

Category: Military History

INDIE AWARD WINNER 2020They were just boys. And they were to face the horrors of a war more diabolical than any of them could have imagined. This is their story. Hundreds of Australian and New Zealander boys enlisted in the First World War, some as young as 13. No one knows how many went to war, but at least 150 Australians did not come back. Their names are on the Roll of Honour, the record of war dead at the War Memorial in Canberra. Most died on the Western Front, in France and Belgium. They took part in every major battle in which the ANZACs fought - from Fromelles in July 1916, to the liberation of Villers-Bretonneux in 1918. Many died in the first wave at Gallipoli or at Lone Pine in August 1915. Why did they go and who allowed this to happen? We can only understand how if we look through their eyes and walk in their shoes. In The Lost Boys, their stories will be told for the first time. ...Show more

A Chaplain at GallipoliThe Great War Diaries of Kenneth Best by Kenneth Best

$24.99 AUD

Category: Military History

Many chaplains were not permitted to go near the Front in the First World War - others insisted on doing so, like Kenneth Best in the Gallipoli Campaign. Best had no military training before the war but he felt that he could only fulfil his pastoral role by getting close to the front line and working wi th the troops under fire. Best was attached to the 42nd East Lancastrians - the first Territorial Army Division to serve overseas in the conflict, so arguably the least experienced in the ways of war. In his diary we follow his progress through his initial training in Egypt and on to his arrival in Gallipoli in May 1915. Gallipoli has become notorious, even by the standards of the First World War. After a naval campaign to open up a supply route to Russia through Turkey failed, some 480,000 Allied troops were drawn into a land invasion in which hundreds of thousands were injured or killed. In his diary, Best records his efforts to encourage frightened men before they go over the top, to comfort the wounded and, when the fighting stops, to bury the dead. His empathy for the troops is matched by a forthright disgust for their leaders, few of whom share his insight into the horrific realities of trench warfare. ...Show more

A Soldier's Soldier: A Biography of Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Daly by Jeffrey Grey

$59.95 AUD

Category: Military History | Series: Australian Army History Series

Lieutenant General Sir Thomas Daly was a renowned soldier and one of the most influential figures in Australia's military history. As Chief of the General Staff during the Vietnam War, he oversaw a significant re-organisation of the Army as he fought a war under political and resource restrictions. In t his unique biography, Jeffrey Grey shows how Daly prepared himself for the challenges of command in a time of great political upheaval. A Soldier's Soldier examines Daly's career from his entry to Duntroon in the early 1930s until his retirement forty years later, covering the key issues in the development of the Australian Army along the way. Drawing on extensive interview transcripts, the book provides a compelling portrait of Sir Thomas Daly and his distinguished career. ...Show more

ANZAC Treasures: The Gallipoli Collection of the Australian War Memorial by Peter Pedersen

$69.99 AUD

Category: Military History

This landmark publication commemorates the centenary of the Great War's Gallipoli campaign, 25 April 1915 to 9 January 1916. ANZAC Treasures approaches the subject of Gallipoli not only from a military perspective but also in terms of its social impact and its role in commemoration and nation building. It does so through the Memorial's immensely rich and varied National Collection, which provides a tangible link to ANZAC and gives an unparalleled insight into its many facets. The legend and reality of ANZAC are encapsulated within the relics, photographs, artworks, documentary records, personal diaries and letters that are displayed to dramatic and moving effect in a beautifully designed and produced commemorative volume. ...Show more

An Awkward Truth: The Bombing of Darwin, February 1942 by Peter Grose

$24.99 AUD

Category: Military History | Reading Level: very good

The compelling and very human story of the first foreign assault on Australian soil since settlement--the attack on Darwin by the Japanese in February, 1942   The bombing of Darwin on February 19, 1942, is the battle Australia tries to forget. Although there was much to be proud of that day--courage, ma teship, determination, and improvisation--the dark side of the story lingers: looting, desertion, and a calamitous failure of Australian leadership. The Japanese struck with the same carrier-borne force that devastated Pearl Harbor only ten weeks earlier. There was a difference: they dropped more bombs on Darwin, killed more civilians in Darwin, and sank more ships in Darwin than in Pearl Harbor. It remains the single deadliest event in Australian history. Yet the story has remained in the shadows. Absorbing, spirited, and fast-paced, An Awkward Truth is a compelling and revealing story of the day war first came to Australia, and of the underarmed and unprepared soldiers and civilians who faced their toughest test on home soil. ...Show more