Page 51 - Australian Defence Mag Jul-Aug 2020

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BOOKS OF INTEREST 51
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RADIO GIRL
THE STORY OF THE EXTRAORDINARY MRS MAC, PIONEERING ENGINEER AND WARTIME LEGEND
By David Dufty
RRP $29.99 in paperback
Published by Allen & Unwin
ISBN 9781760876654
This is the little known story of Mrs Mac aka Florence Violet McKenzie (nee Wallace),
an indomitable woman
who, despite entrenched opposition, succeeded
in getting her girls from
the Women’s Emergency Signalling Corps she
THE CLASH OF THE GODS OF WAR AUSTRALIAN ARTILLERY
AND THE FIREPOWER LESSONS OF THE GREAT WAR
By William Westerman
& Nicholas Floyd (editors)
RRP $34.99 in hardback
Published by Big Sky Publishing
ISBN 9781922265821
There is a stellar cast of contributors to this book which is an edited collection of papers presented during the Firepower: Lessons from the Great War seminar series conducted by the Royal Australian Artillery
established voluntarily into the navy. She was a woman of firsts: the first woman to enrol in an engineering course in Australia; the first woman
in Australia to hold a ‘wireless experimenter’s licence’; the first woman to train women to become signals instructors. Initially, she trained her women students as instructors to help train men seeking to enlist. By the end of WWII, however, Violet’s signal
school had trained more
than 3,000 women, over 1,000 of whom had entered the WRANS; many others had entered the army and
the air force. Yet there was little official recognition of
her contribution. This is an inspiring story of a woman who refused to let entrenched sexism stifle her ambitions. It deserves to be better known and understood. Recognition of her efforts is long overdue.
Historical Company (RAAHC) over the commemoration period 2014-2018. Among the familiar names are Jean Beau, Roger Lee and Mark Lax, to name
just a few. The book is divided into three sections beginning with ‘Early Challenges’ which covers the period 1914-15; ‘Unto the Breach’ which
covers artillery and firepower development during the static trench warfare of 1916-1917; and, finally, ‘King of the Battlefield’ which explores artillery in 1918, when it was at its most powerful and effective. Overall, the collection, which includes numerous previously unpublished Great War images, aims to showcase the breadth and diversity of topics in relation to the deployment of artillery and how Australia’s fledgling and inexperienced field and garrison artillery forces faced the challenge of a major conflict. Published with the support of the Army History Unit.
THE BATTLES
FOR KOKODA PLATEAU THREE WEEKS OF HELL DEFENDING THE GATEWAY TO THE OWEN STANLEYS
By David W Cameron
RRP $32.99 in paperback
Published by Allen & Unwin
ISBN 9781760529550
This was arguably the most important engagement for Australian troops in WWII, stopping the Japanese advance on Port Moresby. On 21
July 1942, a large Japanese reconnaissance mission
landed along the north-eastern
LAW IN WAR
FREEDOM AND RESTRICTION IN AUSTRALIA DURING THE GREAT WAR
By Catherine Bond
Published by New South
RRP $34.99 in paperback
ISBN 9781742236483
As Catherine Bond writes, ‘law has always been crucial to Australia’s involvement in war’, providing a framework upon which ‘all wartime defence, economic and social policies are built.’ Yet she contends
it has been overlooked in Australian war history, citing
coastline of Papua. This is the story of the efforts of a small Australian militia force, the 39th Battalion, supported by the 1st Papua Infantry Battalion and the Royal Papuan Constabulary,
to keep the Japanese at bay. Outnumbered by at least three to one and critically short of ammunition and food, they
did everything they could to keep the Kokoda airstrip out
of Japanese hands. Not far away, and desperately trying to reach the Australians, were two groups of Anglican missionaries trapped behind enemy lines. Theirs is a story with no happy ending. Using letters, diaries and other first-hand accounts, including Japanese accounts, Cameron has written a very detailed and thorough account of what occurred at the northern foot of the Owen Stanleys
in late July and early August 1942. These stories deserve to be firmly embedded into the Kokoda legend.
limited reference in the official history edited by Charles Bean, its inclusion not supported
by the politicians of the day. Bond has chosen to enliven this book with the stories
of individuals impacted by Australia’s wartime legal regime, the two key architects of which were Sir William Hughes (as Attorney-General and later Prime Minister) and Sir Robert Garran (as Secretary of the Attorney-General’s Dept, and then Solicitor-General). What Bond reveals is how the law, during the Great War, was used in everyday life as a tool to discriminate, oppress, censor and deprive many Australians
of property, liberty and basic human rights. German-born Australians fared badly, despite no evidence of disloyalty. What Bond uncovers is the overreach of draconian powers, which deny citizens basic rights in the ‘interests’ of a greater good: winning the war. ■