Premier Giddings and Army Deputy Chief launch new books

At a dual book launch today in Hobart at the Anglesea Barracks the Tasmanian Premier, Lara Giddings and Deputy Chief of Army, Major General Paul Symon will honour the soldiers and POWs of World War 1.

Tasmanian authors David Coombes and Craig Deayton’s new books draw upon previous inaccessible records and interviews of the individual soldiers to tell the wider stories of these young WWI soldiers in battle and captivity. Battle Scarred by Craig Deayton is the story of one of the shortest lived and most battle hardened of the AIF and Crossing the Wire by David Coombes is the story of the 4th Infantry brigade fighting on the Western front to their traumatic years as POWs.

Deayton’s decision to write a story on a largely ‘unknown’ part-Tasmanian part-Queensland battalion was largely due to his surprise that, despite their many battle honours and terrible casualty figures, the 47th Battalion where curiously absent from published histories.

“Despite the fact that they are hard to find in the Official record, the 47th Battalion fought in some of the Great War’s greatest battles. They suffered one of the highest casualty rates, exceeded only by two other Infantry Battalions of the First AIF. Their story is full of drama, pathos, tragedy – sometimes farce – heroism and controversy. What I discovered, in short, was that this was a story well worth the telling and well worth the time needed to get it right.” he said.

In a similar vein, Coombes new book on the POW’s in WWI is a tribute to not only a group of men that he felt history had marginalised but also to another Tasmanian – David Chalk. Coombes based Crossing the Wire on over 15years of research gathered by Chalk who died before he could complete his own book. Both shared a belief that the experiences of the POWs of WWI needed to be told.

“It’s somewhat appropriate that the launch of Crossing The Wire is happening today — 13 April — because it was exactly 94 years ago that 1,200 young Australian soldiers were taken into captivity by the Germans after the bloody fiasco that was the first battle of Bullecourt which took place two days earlier on 11 April. “ Coombes said

“These were men who suffered not only the horrors of trench warfare, but endured also the particular anguish of being deprived of their liberty with no idea when they might expect to be freed. These were men who carried more than just the scars of battle and yet whose voices have seldom been heard. This, then, is their story — the men who crossed the wire now have their chance to speak.”

Over 150 people will attend the Tasmanian launch; among the guests will be The Lord Mayor, Alderman Rob Valentine, Senator Richard Colbeck, members of Defence and a number of the relatives of the contributors from both books who travelled from throughout Australia to attend. Many of the contributor’s families are in their late 80s and include the daughters of ex-POW Ernie Chalk who have travelled from Victoria and WA to honour their father (Crossing the Wire). Len and Alan Thurech, are both WWII veterans and have travelled from Brisbane, Len was integral in resolving some of the mysteries of the 47th Battalion. (Battle Scarred)

The detailed research and the passion from both authors allows the personal experiences, the voices of the men ‘who where there’, their chance to shine. Both books are a fitting tribute to the World War 1 soldiers and POWs and their forgotten stories.