It has been a huge team effort over many years, but the Australian War Memorial's new Anzac Hall is open. This includes "Kandahar Workhorse". It was a great privilege to meet many Chinook veterans & family members, & share their untold stories of bravery & loss, professionalism & humour.
I think he was!
This #photofriday I am reading ‘Galleghan’s Greyhounds’ with the 2/30th currently on the retreat to Singapore. It’s a great read!
My offering this week is a book on the CO which I read in 2023 - ‘Black Jack: The Life and Times of Brigadier Sir Frederick Galleghan’ by Stan Arneil. #histbookchat
I’ve certainly got some real gems on my shelves, Laurence. I love my collection!
Looks like good pickup. 👌
The commander of the 2/30th was Lt. Col. F.G. “Black Jack” Galleghan and the battalion became know as “Galleghan’s greyhounds”.
I’ve been looking forward to reading this book for a long time and, while not a first edition, it’s very precious and definitely not one to be thrown into the backpack!
This #photofriday I am reading ‘Galleghan’s Greyhounds: The Story of the 2/30th Australian Infantry Battalion, 22 November 1940 to 10 October 1945’ by A.W. Penfold, W.C. Bayliss and K.E. Crispin.
As part of the 27th Brigade, the 2/30th fought in the Malaya Campaign and Singapore. #histbookchat /2
A photo of the author taken shortly after his release after three and a half years as a POW.
This #photofriday I am reading ‘Nippon Slaves’ by Lionel de Rosario. Lionel was a member of the Singapore Volunteer Corps. He was imprisoned in Changi as a POW and later forced to work on the Thai-Burna Railway at the remote Songkurai camp just south of the Thai border with Burma. #histbookchat /2
I had the pleasure of watching Eivør in concert in Sydney tonight with my son. I last saw Eivør a couple of years ago as support for Heilung. Both are fantastic shows!
If I disappear for good it was nice knowing you. 🤣
I was locked out of Bluesky all day yesterday and now I’m waiting on a bus to take me away for the weekend. Not ideal for #photofriday so just a quick offering this week: ‘The Singapore Chinese Massacre’ which I finished the other day and ‘Staff Wallah’ which is my current read. #histbookchat
On The List!
Hope for readers too!
I have three of her books: Village of Secrets, A Train in Winter and A House in the Mountains. Dopey me never made the connection! 🫣
Yeah, I thought it was! I’m down the pub so couldn’t look up my books.
I like reading about this battle, and have the battalion history to read later, but it was the last battle the Allies were to win before the wider battle of Muar, the massacre at Parit Sulong and the retreat across the causeway into ‘Fortress Singapore‘ before the surrender and years of captivity.
This #photofriday finds me with Peter Brune and his ‘Descent Into Hell’. Today we meet the 2/30th Australian Infantry Battalion (Galleghan’s Greyhounds) at their ambush at Gemencheh Bridge near Gemas where 800 troops of the Japanese 5th Division were killed, wounded or went missing. #histbookchat /2
I can’t stop thinking about this one but I would say that your Farrell book is the definitive account and so far Brune is setting the scene before moving on to the battles. Staggering how much of it was known and/or predicted before the war, including the Japanese landing locations.
The rain has set in down the coast. Raising new divisions and making do.👌📚 #histbookchat
It does look good. Might take up a fair few photofridays so will probably have to pluck random books off the shelves until it’s finished!
‘Wewak Mission’ by Lionel Veale was a brilliant read. While it does include made-up dialogue, which can sometimes be hit-and-miss for me, I loved every word of this. Sadly, this is the end of my time with Coast Watchers but I’m planning on returning to Lionel Veale and New Guinea later this year.
This #photofriday finds me packed up and ready for a long weekend down the coast and with my current read ‘Descent Into Hell: The Fall of Singapore - Pudu and Changi - the Thai-Burma Railway’ by Peter Brune. A brick at 800 or so pages but absolutely worth the pack weight. #histbookchat /2
I read Feldt’s first and then Lindsay’s which I feel was a good order, although I also read the history of the 1st Independent Company before both which definitely added to the story. I only wish I had read these years ago!
I read Eric Feldt’s just recently. It was a beautiful read and as the ’father of the Coast Watchers’ he documented the who, how and where and his admiration and respect for the Coast Watchers really came through. Lindsay’s book fleshed out the story beautifully and I’m very glad to have read both!
‘Wewak Mission’ is brilliant so far. Lionel Veale was a corporal in the 1st Independent Company (Commando) and was sent to Kavieng, New Ireland on 12 July, 1941. After returning to Australia he volunteered for the Coast Watchers and spent the rest of the war in New Guinea. It’s a smashing story! 📚🥇
‘The Coast Watchers’ was a great read and much better than I was expecting. A detailed and well written story about who they were and what they did placed deftly into the locations and timelines of the Pacific War. Do heartily recommend although I definitely see it being a gateway into the SWPA! /3
This #photofriday finds me with my feet up at home, having finished my holiday read, ‘The Coast Watchers’ by Patrick Lindsay, and getting stuck into the book I left behind, ‘Wewak Mission’ by Lionel Veale, which I’m about halfway through. #histbookchat /2
Milne Bay was to be the Japanese second line of attack into Port Moresby. Milne Force included battalions from the AIF, the Australian Militia, the US engineers and squadrons from the RAAF. They had anticipated the Japanese attack and were prepared and ready to defend the air strips. Great reading!
This #photofriday offering is a new purchase ‘Milne Bay 1942: The Story of ’Milne-Force’ and Japan’s First Military Defeat on Land’ by Clive Baker and Greg Knight. I’m very excited about this one and will probably percolate it to the top of the TBR after the Coastwatchers. #histbookchat /2