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You are here: Home / Archives for Article topics / Book reviews

Book reviews

Book Review: Lying for the Admiralty: Captain Cook’s Endeavour Voyage

Book reviewer · Dec 25, 2019 ·

The following review by Paul Brunton, the eminent curator of the State Library of New South Wales, first appeared in Cook’s Log Vol 42, No 2 (2019) the quarterly magazine ...

Book Review:   Collins of the Sydney

Book reviewer · Dec 25, 2019 ·

  By Tony Macdougall, published by Clarion Editions, 77 Lewis Street, Mudgee, NSW 2850. Tel: 02 6372 1387 or email: macdougallburns@bigpond.com.au. A quality paperback of 576 pages with many photographs ...

Special feature interview with an incredible veteran on the 80th anniversary of WWII

David Stratton · Sep 13, 2019 ·

Alan Jones hosted a special feature interview to mark 80 years since Australia joined World War II. On September 3, 1939, Prime Minister Robert Menzies announced to the nation that ...

Occasional Paper 61: From a Periscope to a Cricket Pitch in a Matter of Days: The Surreal Nature of War

A.N. Other · Aug 3, 2019 ·

August 2019 By Florence Livery My father, Panos (known as Pino) George Livery died in 1996.  Fortunately for us, he left behind a very rich source of history, his World ...

Occasional Paper 59: Francis James Ranken

A.N. Other · Jul 6, 2019 ·

July 2019 Early Career Francis James Ranken was born in 1864 at ‘Saltram’, Eglinton, near Bathurst. He was the eldest son of James Australian Ranken and was educated at All ...

Occasional Paper 57: The Naval Ode and Laurence Binyon

Editorial Staff · Jul 6, 2019 ·

July 2019 There are moments when we first gaze upon a work of art, whether in the pictorial or written form, and are drawn to its beauty and are inspired. ...

Book Review: A Hazardous Life

Book reviewer · Jun 6, 2019 ·

  A Hazardous Life, by R. K. Forsyth and I. K. Forsyth, charts the stormy life and times of Western Australia’s first Harbour Master. Paperback, 270 pages with many illustrations ...

Matthew Flinders: A personal assessment

A.N. Other · Jun 6, 2019 ·

Peter Ashley (2005) perhaps encapsulates an apt description of Flinders as a person: Driven, ambitious, sometimes arrogant and occasionally reckless, few navigators had a greater share of misfortune than Captain ...

Occasional Paper 53: Petty Officer Fredrick Harold Harvey and Colombian Naval Service

A.N. Other · May 17, 2019 ·

May 2019 As told by his son CMDR Vic Harvey, RAN, Rtd Fredrick Harold Harvey was a proud Geordie lad, born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne’s suburb of Benwell, on 13 August 1899. ...

Occasional Paper 46: Lieutenant Kenneth Robert Hudspeth DSC, RANVR

A.N. Other · Feb 12, 2019 ·

Lieutenant Kenneth Robert Hudspeth, Distinguished Service Cross and 2 Bars, RANVR, WWII Lieutenant Kenneth Robert Hudspeth, RANVR was one of many Royal Australian Naval personnel whose service in Royal Navy ...

Book Review: THE LAST CRUISE OF A GERMAN RAIDER   –  THE DESTRUCTION OF SMS EMDEN

Book reviewer · Dec 10, 2018 ·

THE LAST CRUISE OF A GERMAN RAIDER   –  THE DESTRUCTION OF SMS EMDEN by Wes Olson. Seaforth Publishing, Pen and Sword Books, Barnsley, United Kingdom, 2018. Hard Cover, 274 Pages, ...

Book Review: Cold War and Decolonisation: Australia’s policy towards Britain’s end of empire in Southeast Asia

Book reviewer · Dec 10, 2018 ·

Cold War and Decolonisation: Australia’s policy towards Britain’s end of empire in Southeast Asia, by Andrea Benvenuti, National University of Singapore Press, Singapore, 2017, paperback, 279 pp., available Asia Book Room, ...

Occasional Paper 40: Secret History of the First Australian to be given Penicillin

David Stratton · Nov 15, 2018 ·

On Thursday 9th August 2018 the ABC 7.30 Report broadcast a story by Tracy Bowden about the first use of penicillin in Australia.  Tracy has given permission to the Naval ...

Occasional Paper 39: The Story Of Commander Paul Hugill Hirst RAN 1899-1963

A.N. Other · Nov 14, 2018 ·

November 2018 Compelled to Resign: The Story Of Commander Paul Hugill Hirst RAN 1899-1963 by Lieutenant Commander Terry Feltham RAN Ret’d “Just because something ends doesn’t mean it never should’ve ...

Occasional Paper 31: Captain Edmund Anstice, RN

A.N. Other · Oct 29, 2018 ·

July 2018 The following is a brief passage from the memoirs of Geoffrey Dobbin who was both a Merchant Navy and Royal Naval Reserve Officer.  Geoffrey Dobbin was related through ...

Occasional Paper 29: Captain Frederick Melbourne Piggott’s Submarine Service

Piggott, Lieut. Cdr. F.M., RD, MNI, RNR. Rtd., · Oct 29, 2018 ·

June 2018 Captain Frederick Melbourne Piggott RD RNR was born in the UK in April 1915 and moved to Australia in 1943 where he trained young men to handle a ...

Book Review: Australian Minesweepers at War by Mike Turner & Hector Donohue

Book reviewer · Sep 24, 2018 ·

Published by the Sea Power Centre, Canberra, 2018. Paperback of 328 pages with numerous black & white illustrations, portraits, tables and maps. The first edition of this publication was sold ...

Book Review: Tobruk and Beyond: War Notes from the Mediterranean Station 1941–1943.

Book reviewer · Sep 24, 2018 ·

 By Albert Lawrence Poland, Published by Halstead Press, Canberra, 2018. Hard cover, 176 pp with b&w illustrations, maps and portraits. Available from booksellers at about $33.00. Peter Poland, the editor ...

Occasional Paper 14: Interview with Lieutenant Commander Mackenzie Gregory, R.A.N. Rtd

A.N. Other · Sep 15, 2018 ·

Amended interview with Australians at War Film Archive This original interview is from this page, the Australians at War Film Archive. There is also a copy of the uncorrected interview ...

Book Review: South Sea Argonaut – James Colnett and the Enlargement of the Pacific 1772 -1803

Book reviewer · Mar 24, 2018 ·

By Granville Allen Mawer. Published by Australian Scholarly Publishing, Melbourne, 2017. Paperback of 246 pages with black & white photographs, plans and illustrations. Available from booksellers and online from $44.00. ...

Book review: The Rag Tag Fleet (and George Franki)

Book reviewer · Dec 6, 2017 ·

By Ian W Shaw. Published by Hachette Australia, Sydney, 2017. Soft cover of 310 pages with black & white photographs. Available from booksellers and online from $32.99 but discounts readily ...

Occasional Paper 19: Surgeon Commander Alexander Ruan Caw, RAN

A.N. Other · Dec 1, 2017 ·

December 2017 Surgeon Commander Alexander Ruan Caw, RAN MB BS. Adelaide. 1879-1924 These biographical notes on CMDR Alexander Caw who served in HMAS Australia during World War 1 were provided ...

Occasional Paper 20: Surgeon LCDR Jack Rupert Law Willis, RAN

A.N. Other · Dec 1, 2017 ·

December 2017 Surgeon LCDR Jack Rupert Law Willis, RAN 1888-1971 MB BS Melb These biographical notes on LCDR Jack Willis who served in HMS Prince of Wales during World War ...

Book review: Under the Water Under the Wire and the men who sank the Sydney

Book reviewer · Sep 5, 2017 ·

By Grahame Wilson. Self-published via Publicious P/L in 2015. Paperback, 281 pages with b&w illustrations. Available from Amazon and Booktopia and selected booksellers from $30. EBook version is also available ...

Book review: The Flag’s Up

Book reviewer · Sep 5, 2017 ·

By Peter Poland. Published by Halstead Press, Sydney in 2017. Soft cover of 176 pages with plentiful supply of black & white and colour photographs. Available from booksellers and online ...

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