Cyclone Tracy was one of the most damaging disasters to ever impact Australia.
The story of the terrible night of Christmas Eve 1974 has been told before, but the involvement of the Armed Forces has been largely under-emphasised.
This book rectifies that, but it also reveals untold stories of those in uniform: those on board HMAS Arrow, which sank with the loss of two lives; the tales of the aircraft which first flew into a shattered city, and the hundreds of thousands of hours of labour put in by the Australian Defence Force.
Other often-missed tales of other uniforms too are related: the police from both the Northern Territory and interstate, and the activities of the Red Cross and Salvation Army.
The book argues strongly that the National Emergency Medal should be bestowed on all uniformed people involved, and a prominent and fitting memorial established in Darwin.
Cyclone Warriors also dispels myths, and for the first time with extensive research provides the true number of fatalities incurred when Tracy tore apart Darwin.
Non-fiction, Australian History
About The Author
Military historian; public speaker, author of 25 books, and a retired naval officer, Dr Tom Lewis received the Order of Australian Medal (OAM) for services to naval history.
He served in the Iraq War in 2006 as an Intelligence analyst, and also in East Timor. He has worked as a divemaster, high school teacher, and journalist.
Tom is an expert on World War II, especially in the Pacific, but has also written in areas including medieval battle, and the reality of battlefield behaviour.
His latest books are Cyclone Warriors – the Armed Forces in Cyclone Tracy; The Secret Submarine, revealing the RAAF’s sinking of the Japanese I-178 off Sydney in 1943, and Australia’s Coastal War, which brings together all of the submarine, surface, and air attacks around WWII Australia.
The Sinking of HMAS Sydney has just won the 2024 Australian Naval Institute’s Commodore Sam Bateman Book Prize.
