Page 63 - Australian Defence Magazine March 2019

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JOHN CURTIN’S
WAR VOL II
Triumph and Decline
By John Edwards
Published by Viking/Penguin RRP $49.99 in hardback ISBN 978143791362
The first volume of John Curtin’s War was widely recognised as a landmark in Australian political biography. That book ended with
the fall of Singapore. This second volume, ‘Triumph
and Decline’ tells the story
of the next four years as Curtin leads Australia in meeting the gravest challenge facing the young nation -
GODLEY
The man behind the myth By Terry Kinloch
Published by Exile Publishing RRP $59.99 in hardback ISBN 9781775593638 Alexander Godley was
born in England in 1867 and began his long career in the British Army in 1886 in the Royal Dublin Fusiliers. Later he took command of NZ’s military forces with the aim of transforming them into
a credible fighting force.
In 1914 Godley assembled the NZ Expeditionary Force (NZEF) and commanded it for the next five years. At
the threat of an imminent Japanese invasion. These were unique circumstances
for an Australian leader and particularly for a political leader for whom domestic politics had been his bread and butter. In this well-researched and highly detailed analysis of Curtin’s final years, we see a leader thrust reluctantly into the role of wartime leader who, in the end, emerged
as a great Australian prime minister. Frequently left out of the loop by Australia’s allies, Curtin nevertheless managed to negotiate the minefield
of international politics and the conflicting ambitions of the major powers to ensure Australia’s survival. Despite their disagreements, he was able to maintain a productive working relationship with
the bombastic US General Douglas MacArthur. Sadly, he died just months short of the endofthewarbutatatime when victory was assured.
the same time he held a succession of increasingly senior battlefield commands with the Anzac forces. He reached the rank of general and retired in 1933 but his most controversial period was between 1915 and 1917 when he commanded mainly Anzac forces at Gallipoli
and on the Western Front. He is often blamed for many of the disasters that befell the forces under his command. Yet in this book Terry Kinloch argues that he was a capable commander who had limited scope to influence the outcome of the failed battles at Gallipoli and Passchendaele for which he is often seen as being responsible. Could
he simply be a victim of the Anzac mythology of the incompetence of British commanders of WWI? Kinloch makes a balanced and compelling case for reconsidering his legacy.
ANZAC SNIPER
By Roland Perry
Published by ABC Books RRP $29.99 in paperback ISBN 9780733338458
This is the unlikely story of the son of a country butcher, Stan Savige, who became, first, a Gallipoli marksman and finally, as Lieutenant General, presided over
the surrender of Japanese forces on the island of Bougainville some 30 years later. Back in 1915, it had been his abilities as a crack marksman that had first attracted the attention of
his officers. He was put in
THE WESTERN
FRONT DIARIES
OF CHARLES BEAN EDITED BY PETER BURNESS Published by New South/ Australian War Memorial RRP $79.99 in hardback ISBN 9781742235868
The first thing to say
about this book is that it’s magnificent. And heavy. It weighs in at nearly three kilograms. Australia’s official WWI correspondent, Charles Bean, needs no introduction. But he is better known for
his monumental multi- volume official history of WWI. This is the first time his
charge of Sniper's Ridge, his job to eliminate the enemy assassins in Anzac Cove. Savige succeeded, only
to be sent to the Western Front then Iran as part of the crack squad Dunsterforce.
It was the beginning of
a long, dangerous and distinguished military career spanning both world wars, with Savige commanding and fighting in Europe, Iran, North Africa, the Middle East and the Pacific in WWII, initially as Major-General then Lieutenant General. Roland Perry paints a fascinating portrait of a man of character and integrity,
a man not always in step with his peers but a quiet outsider who, after the war, went on to establish the war veterans' support charity Legacy. His combat record over two world wars is second to none in Australian military history.
Western Front diaries, which are held by the Australian
War Memorial, have been published. Esteemed historian Peter Burness has assembled a remarkable collection of over 500 photographs, sketches and maps to illustrate the diary entries. Bean saw more of the Australian Imperial Force’s actions and battles
on the Western Front than anyone. What we have now, in this outstanding publication, is the unique and personal record of Bean’s experiences and observations throughout the war. Bean, of course, narrowly defeated the young Keith Murdoch to be selected as the journalist to become
an embedded correspondent, with the honorary rank
of captain. For Bean, this ultimately meant a lifetime of dedicated work and searing memories. As Burness writes, his name would become forever linked with Australia’s experience of conflict.
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