Page 83 - Australian Defence Magazine Sep-Oct 2022

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2022 | WWW.AUSTRALIANDEFENCE.COM.AU
BOOKS OF INTEREST 83
COMPILED BY PETER MASTERS | BRISBANE
MILITARYBOOKSAUSTRALIA.COM
THE GREATEST ESCAPE
A GRIPPING STORY OF WARTIME COURAGE AND ADVENTURE
By Neil Churches with Edmund Goldrick
Published by Macmillan RRP $34.99 in paperback ISBN 9781529060348
Neil Churches first became interested in this story of his father Ralph at the age of fourteen. It has taken fifty years for the story to emerge in the form of this book, early research hampered
by vital source material remaining classified. The story begins
in Greece in 1941 with Ralph Churches’ capture along with Londoner Les Laws (a jazz pianist by profession). Fast forward to August 1944 and Ralph was to become a driving force, along
with Les Laws with the help of intelligence officer Franklin Lindsay, in the most successful POW escape of the Second World War
– 106 Allied prisoners were freed from a camp in Maribor, in present- day Slovenia. Of the 106 men who escaped, 100 made it to safety. Now, the story of how these three men came together – along with the Partisans – to plan and execute the escape is told here for the first time. Finally, Neil Churches can share the story of his father’s extraordinary and heroic role in ‘the greatest escape’. It is no longer a secret.
THE PARTY
THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF AUSTRALIA FROM HEYDAY TO RECKONING
by Stuart Macintyre Published by Allen & Unwin RRP $49.99 in hard back
ISBN 9781760875183
The Party is the long awaited second volume of the late Stuart Macintyre’s definitive history
of the Communist Party of
Australia. The first book, The Reds, was published in 1999. The CPA began in 1920 as an offshoot of the newly formed Communist International. At
the peak of its influence, unions led by communists could call a strike that paralysed the nation with communists influencing the highest level of government. What set the CPA apart from international branches was, according to Macintyre, its ‘unquestioning adherence
to a monolithic communist orthodoxy’ for an extended period. Eventually, support for the Soviet model broke down as the horrors of Stalinism
were revealed. Public support for the party and hostility from mainstream politics and security services, also took a toll. A masterful history of a largely forgotten Australia.
Thursday 3 November Adelaide Convention Centre
Celebrate the achievements of defence industry and be part of a memorable night as we announce the winners of the four prestigious DTC awards and reveal the recipient of the DTC’s Chair Award.
Time: 6:30pm Welcome Reception and 7:30pm Dinner Tickets: $250 for DTC Members or $350 for Non Members
DTC Member Branded Table of 10: $2,250 includes company logo featured on the table stand
Non Member Table of 10: $3,500 Enquiries: events@dtc.org.au
Visit DTC’s website for tickets & details:
www.dtc.org.au
MC:
Katherine Ziesing
Strategic Communications Manager Hanwha Defense Australia Pty Ltd
Guest Speaker:
Dr Brendan Nelson
President of Boeing Australia, New Zealand and South Pacific