This non-fiction war story in narrative form imparts throughout the very real sense of suspense associated with survival in dangerous or unknown circumstances, which transfers to a different kind of suffering endured by those left behind at home.
Love stripped of egocentricity and selfishness. The comradeship of soldiers an all-important component of survival. Humour, respect and love, without which nothing can be achieved. All these are part of the story.
Based on real people and their experiences, with extracts from letters, diaries, official war documents and Australian newspaper reports included, the narrative brings to life war and the remarkable spirit of the ordinary men who must fight it.
A combination of fact and intimacy achieves this. That the ordinary becomes extraordinary is something to reflect upon. It is also a tale of love, with civilian life in wartime Melbourne a secondary yet important part of the narrative.
February 1942: a convoy carrying Australian soldiers is steaming from the Middle East to the East Indies. On one troopship is a battalion which includes the brothers Cal and Alan Mitchell and their boyhood friends. As the Japanese unexpectedly advance quickly and strongly, the British and Australian governments argue over what to do with the convoy.
The Australians win the day – it will be diverted home to defend Australia. But the battalion’s ship is fast, and has raced ahead, already reaching Java as the Japanese swarm. Governments and generals now argue over what to do with the men on this ship.
1932-1940: the Mitchell family in Melbourne has been hit by the Depression. The boys are taken out of school. Cal struggles to find work, studies at night and, with Alan and their friends, joins a militia.
He meets Jean Farley who lives with her eccentric mother and four contrasting sisters. He will go on to marry her ─ Jean, capable, loyal, candid, with a sharp, sometimes wicked sense of humour; he thinks her the most beautiful woman in the world, he is enthralled by the sight of her. They marry.
In May 1940 the brothers and their friends join a new battalion in Melbourne, part of a force of volunteers to be sent overseas.
1941: in March Alan and others go to the Middle East. Cal remains behind because of an officer shortage, the brothers frustrated at the separation. Battles are fought in the heat and cold of Lebanon (the Syria Campaign) with many casualties. Later Cal arrives leading reinforcements.
February 1942: The Allied powers make belated plans to organise the defence of Java. The battalion’s ship has arrived at the island capital’s port. The men await their fate – disembark or sail on to Australia.
Jean and Cal have written to each other since he enlisted but Jean has not heard from him for weeks and doesn’t know where he is.
Non-fiction, Literary, Australian Social History, World War II, Military History, Family History
About The Author
Peter is a lawyer by training and was a partner in a major global law firm. After that he ran a regional non-profit organisation in Singapore where he lived for 20 years. During that period he worked and travelled extensively throughout Asia. He has visited both ends of the Burma Thailand railway and has thoroughly explored peninsula Malaysia and Singapore.
History is his passion. On returning to Melbourne during Covid lockdowns he recovered extensive family wartime correspondence, written memoirs, numerous other documents, a photograph collection and hours of taped oral history which had been lying in storage. This led to extensive archival research over a two year period at the Australian War Memorial and elsewhere, and a personal voyage of discovery.
In addition to the extensive private material, he thoroughly researched the geopolitical and military backdrop, wanting to understand why the story’s characters were where they were - what were British and Australian forces doing fighting French in Lebanon? Why did the British and Australian governments ultimately sacrifice the troops on board one ship while the rest of the convoy returned safely to Australia?
The result is this book and an equally compelling and moving second volume, that carries the story through to the end of the war, to be published.
He is married with three adult children, and lives in Melbourne.
