BOOKSHELF – Vetaffairs April 2024

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The following books, often self-published, have been written by, for and with veterans. The books, and their descriptions, are submitted by readers and DVA takes no responsibility for the accuracy of their content or the opinions expressed in them. 

If you have a book for a subsequent edition, please email vetaffairs [at] dva.gov.au. Please provide the following: title, name of author, blurb (short description that we reserve the right to edit), publisher (if any), price, how to buy it, and image of the front cover. Submitting a book does not guarantee publication.

Down 700 Metres: The story of the SS Iron Crown

By Allan A Murray

The Japanese cruiser submarine I-27 torpedoed the SS Iron Crown in early June 1942. She was the second merchant vessel sunk by the Japanese off the south-east coast of Australia and took to the bottom 38 of the 43 merchant seamen on board. This story of loss details the ship's service with BHP Shipping, her sinking and the fate of the crew. It then describes how the wreck was found on the sea floor off Gabo Island by the CSIRO in 2019. The Foreword is written by Brigadier David Westphalen, the grandson of one of the lost crew members.

• Pages: 70
• Cost: $3.00 (e-book) $10.00 (paperback)     
• To buy: Amazon

Moments in Time

By Mick O’Donnell

Michiel McGlynn is a restless young man who grew up in the early 1900s in Toowoomba with his Irish parents and his beloved Maddie. He records his life in a series of exercise books: the drama of boarding school, confronting action in the First World War campaigns, his recovery from serious wounds, the strange relationship with an elderly Jesuit, and the undercover activities in Holland with the delightful Dieneke. In the service of his country, Michiel is drawn into an intelligence network. Written by Navy veteran Mick O’Donnell, Moments in Time takes the reader through four generations of the McGlynn family, all influenced by Michiel’s secrets.

• Pages: 423
• Cost: $45.00
• To buy: www.mickodonnellonline.com, Australian War Memorial bookshop,  Paperchain bookstore

Birdies: The Australian Fleet Air Arm

By Dr Sharron Spargo

There is a unique branch of the Royal Australian Navy that remains largely unknown to the general public: the Fleet Air Arm. Naval aviators have served in every combat, humanitarian, anti-piracy and global policing deployment, often operating within international forces. The first of the latter was the Experimental Military Unit, which served within the US Army Assault Helicopter Company in Vietnam. This unique and very successful interoperability paved the way for Australian naval aviators to enjoy the reputation they now do, which extends beyond the Asia Pacific region. This is their story, as told by those men and women who have stood guard, and those who stand guard today.

• Pages: 275
• Cost: $35.00 plus postage and handling
• To buy: sharronspargo [at] gmail.com (sharronspargo[at]gmail[dot]com)

The Bucket’s Full

By David J Gleeson

The Bucket’s Full is the true story of a police officer who has worked for 37 years in a number of policing jurisdictions and capacity development missions in Timor Leste, Afghanistan and Papua New Guinea (PNG). The author was a high ranked station manager and detective in Victoria before joining the Australian Federal Police to work overseas. Following a series of incidents while deployed in PNG, Federal Agent Gleeson is diagnosed with PTSD. His bucket was full. During treatment, David recounted his various experiences and incidents that led to his diagnosis, which resulted in the compilation of his story.

• Pages: 370
• Cost: $32.99 plus postage
• To buy: https://oover-3877.myshopify.com/

For King and Empire – Port Pirie and The Great War

By Gary Fradd

Port Pirie gave such an important and sizeable contribution during the First World War, not just by way of individual enlistments, but also through its industrial capability and social support for the cause among non-combatant residents. For King and Empire celebrates some of Port Pirie’s individuals in the war, whether they be glowing tales of gallantry, more mundane experiences of wartime such as sickness and injury, or illustrations of life on the home front. These snapshots are presented in the context of Port Pirie’s own local history, giving rise to a rich tapestry of personal narratives, the social history and political events of the time.

• Pages: 300
• Cost: $49.99 plus postage and handling
• To buy: secretary.rsl.pp [at] aussiebb.com.au (secretary[dot]rsl[dot]pp[at]aussiebb[dot]com[dot]au); or Gary Fradd on 0476 584 958

A Grave Too Far Away

By Dr Kathryn Spurling

A Grave Too Far Away illuminates the story of Australians who served with Royal Air Force Bomber Command in Europe from 1939 to 1945. They were young Australian members of the RAAF and their stories are told through letters and interviews. Through training, they bonded as crews and were sent into night skies on bombing raids over Europe, knowing that every operation may well be their last. Too many were shot out of the skies and buried a long way from home – their loss and legacy would reverberate for generations.

• Pages: 400
• Cost: $32.00 including postage within Australia
• To buy: kspurling48 [at] gmail.com (kspurling48[at]gmail[dot]com)

What Will I See On Anzac Day?

By Emily Elizabeth                
Illustrated by Natasha Silver

• Pages: 24
• Cost: $24.95
• To buy: www.smallhandsearlylearning/resources, Australian War Memorial and other museums throughout Australia

A Shot of History: Attack on Sydney Harbour, June 1942

By Dr Tom Lewis

On the night of 31 May 1942, Sydney Harbour was attacked by three midget submarines of the Imperial Japanese Navy. An accommodation vessel of the Royal Australian Navy, the HMAS Kuttabul, was torpedoed and 21 sailors died. The midget submarines were hunted down, and two sunk. War had already come to northern Australia, and now the southern cities were made bitterly aware that the world-wide conflict had reached them. The midget submarine attack was only the beginning: gun strikes were made against land targets, and more enemy submarines came south, attacking freighters up and down the continent’s eastern coast. 

• Pages: 389
• Cost: $29.00 including postage within Australia
• To buy: tom.lewis2619 [at] gmail.com (tom[dot]lewis2619[at]gmail[dot]com)

The Mutiny at Long Phuoc Hai

By Jack Twist

This novel tells the stories of five young Aussies called up to serve in the Vietnam War. Their experiences come together when they’re posted to serve in the same platoon in 1971. One of the young soldiers, selected for officer training, is assigned as platoon commander and the other four serve under him. Tensions build between officers and men and on their last day of active service ‘outside the wire’, with the war by then unpopular at home and all but over for Australia, the men refuse to follow an order.

• Pages: 128
• Cost: $20.00 including postage within Australia
• To buy: jacktwist3 [at] gmail.com (jacktwist3[at]gmail[dot]com)

RAAF Airfield Defence

By Dr Sean Carwardine

This pictorial history is a collection of photographs, short stories and quotations honouring the memory of the aviators who served in the RAAF Airfield Defence for the first thirty years. From its creation in 1929, the images and quotes take the reader all the way to the 1950s and National Servicemen (NASHOs). The book contains images that have never been seen publicly and it expands the current known history of the RAAF fighting on the ground.

Pages: 40           
Cost: $25.00 plus $10.00 postage           
To buy: carbs99 [at] bigpond.com (carbs99[at]bigpond[dot]com)

Ryszard

By Marcia Wakeman

A story based on true accounts of the author’s father, Ryszard, living in war-torn Poland in the 1940s. The bombing of his home sees his family living with his aunt in a different city. Here he meets Helena, a Jewish girl, who becomes his first girlfriend, although his brother Jozef has other ideas! Tragedy leads Ryszard to join the Home Army (the Polish Resistance) where he befriends Franz, a lad with anger management issues. Getting captured by the Nazis, enslaved in a workers’ camp, escaping when the Allies bombed the town of Oranienburg and making a gruelling journey to the German border, they meet with other survivors with the same idea – to find the Americans.

Pages: 562          
Cost: $35.00 plus $11.00 postage          
To buy: marcia.wakeman [at] gmail.com (marcia[dot]wakeman[at]gmail[dot]com) or via Amazon – e-book and paperback 

Cunnamulla Express

By Jim Ayliffe

The year is 2029, the Sunshine State… beautiful one day – anarchy the next! Jordy Masters is a tradie with a mission – to introduce social justice when no mainstream politicians dare. In his book, author and Army veteran Jim Ayliffe presents the story of a political protégé who has been thrown in at the deep end of a new state government. However, Jordy sees his baptism in politics as an opportunity to introduce a range of social justice initiatives and tests international alliances in the process.

Pages: 156        
Cost: $29.99        
To buy: Contact james.ayliffe89 [at] gmail.com (james[dot]ayliffe89[at]gmail[dot]com)

Not for Glory: A century of service by medical women to the Australian Army and its allies

By Dr Susan J Neuhaus and Dr Sharon Mascall-Dare

From the trenches of the Western Front to the rice fields and jungles of South-east Asia, Australian women have served as doctors and medical specialists from the First World War until the present day. This book tells their stories of adventure, courage, sacrifice and determination as they fought to serve their country ... and won. ‘Not for Glory has done a magnificent job in reminding us that bravery, skill and compassion exist not only in the history books, but also in the current generation of female medical professionals who serve Australia here at home and wherever our soldiers deploy.’ (Lieutenant-General David Morrison, Former Chief of Army) 

• Pages: 322
• Cost: $29.99; audiobook $16.45
• To buy: Amazon or Audible Australia

The Competitor

 By Frank O’Brien with Max Carmichael

The Competitor – A Life of Service at Home and From South Vietnam to Beirut is the autobiography of Frank O’Brien. After joining the Australian Army as a boy soldier/Army Apprentice in 1964, Frank went on to experience a range of duties and challenges in a career lasting three decades. That career saw service in South Vietnam as a soldier/interpreter, a sergeant armourer in Singapore, a warrant officer/artificer armaments in West Germany and Australia, prior to a second career as a general service officer. Frank’s “Boy’s Own” story continues today in Vietnam as an entrepreneur conducting private rail tours. 

Pages: 200      
Cost: $34.00 (including postage and handling)      
To buy: Amazon or contact Frank at frankosvietnam [at] yahoo.com.au (frankosvietnam[at]yahoo[dot]com[dot]au)

Sons of War

By Paul Byrnes

In the Second World War, thousands of Australian boys lied about their age and volunteered for war. Like many of their fathers in the Great War, they went with their eyes wide shut: under-trained, under-equipped and under-age. This extraordinary book captures the bold and untold stories of forty Australian children who fought in the deadliest war in history. Sons of War – Astonishing stories of under-age Australian soldiers who fought in the Second World War is a deeply personal military history: an homage to youthful bravery, a eulogy for those who fell, and a tribute to those still standing.

• Pages: 384
• Cost: $20.00 – $30.00
• To buy: Booktopia, Big W and other book sellers

The Sinking of HMAS Sydney

By Dr Tom Lewis

HMAS Sydney was the pride of the fleet during the Second World War. On 19 November 1941, the Sydney engaged in a fierce and bloody battle with the German raider Kormoran and was sunk off the coast of Western Australia – the battle lasted little more than an hour. An extensive search and rescue operation was carried out, but the warship had disappeared with all 645 men on board. This single ship engagement remains Australia’s greatest naval disaster. This book tells the story of how sailors lived, fought and died in Australia’s greatest naval disaster.

Pages: 512    
Cost: $38.00 including postage within Australia    
To buy: tom.lewis2619 [at] gmail.com (tom[dot]lewis2619[at]gmail[dot]com)

Love Letters from the Western Front

By Herbert Inglis (Edited by Nancy Inglis)

This book is written from the primary source of a digger’s experiences as a stretcher bearer in the First World War. His diary writings depict the horror and suffering, but also the heroism and mateship that bound the diggers together. It is a touching account of a soldier’s love for his faraway sweetheart written in letters to her where he also gives a full account of the activities of Ambulance units, rarely covered in military histories. Nancy Phillips (nee Inglis) has researched and edited the material and presented it as a coherent biography of her father, Herbert John Inglis.

• Pages: 162
• Cost: $19.87 (hard copy), $9.99 (e-book)
• To buy: Amazon