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

Book reviews

Book Review: So Long Singapore

Book reviewer · Dec 9, 2002 ·

So Long Singapore by Hugh Campbell and Ron Lovell. Reasonably priced at $25.00 plus $7 postage and packing, this book is thoroughly recommended. Available from the author (Hugh Campbell) at: ...

Book Review: The Shores of Gallipoli

Book reviewer · Sep 10, 2002 ·

Title: The Shores of Gallipoli Author: Tom Frame. Publisher: Hale & Iremonger 2000. Reviewed by: Peter Colthorpe. The legend of ANZAC is well known by all but few know of ...

Book Review: We Seemed To Get There

Downes, A.M., Captain · Sep 10, 2002 ·

Title: We Seemed to Get There Author: Captain Herbert W. Bolles, MN Ever wondered what the Merchant Navy did, both in War and Peace? This is a truly superb book – an ...

Book Review: Summary & Review – RAN in WW2

Fazio, Lieut. V. RANEM · Sep 10, 2002 ·

Title: Summary and Review of the RAN War Effort and Activities September 1939 to August 1945 Publisher: Naval Historical Society of Australia (Inc) [Ed: The Society recently published this book] ...

Book Review: HMAS Murchison

Fazio, Lieut. V. RANEM · Sep 10, 2002 ·

Title: HMAS Murchison – Baron of the Han Author: Robert E Capes Publisher: Naval Historical Society of Australia (Inc) [Ed: The Society recently published this book] This book was written ...

Book Review: Pioneers of the Royal Australian Navy

Nicholls, Bob · Sep 10, 2002 ·

Title: Pioneers of the Royal Australian Navy Author: Lofty Batt Publisher: Naval Historical Society of Australia (Inc) [Ed: The Society recently published this book] New Zealander Lofty Batt joined the Royal Navy’s ...

Book Review: No Picnic

Book reviewer · Jun 9, 2002 ·

Title: No Picnic – An Account of the 1982 Falklands War by Author: Royal Marine Maj Gen Julian Thompson Publisher: Cassell. ISBN: 0-304-35647-6 This book, a revised edition of a ...

Book Review: War in a String Bag

Francis, Richard · Jun 9, 2002 ·

Title: War in a String Bag – Autobiography of WW2 Fleet Air Arm Pilot Charles Lamb Author: Charles Lamb Publisher: Cassell ISBN:0 -304-35841-X This is an autobiographical account of Charles Lamb’s exploits in ...

Book Review: The Pirate of Tobruk – Biography of Commander Alfred Palmer RNR

Book reviewer · Mar 9, 2002 ·

THE PIRATE OF TOBRUK:A sailor’s life on the Seven Seas 1916-1946 Author: CMDR Alfred Brian Palmer, DSC, MBE, RNR, with Mary E. Curtis – originally published in a different form ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

Book Review: Batavia’s Graveyard

Book reviewer · Mar 9, 2002 ·

Title: Batavia’s Graveyard Author: Mike Dash Publisher: Weidenfeld & Nicolson, London The Dutch East India Company vessel Batavia ran aground upon Morning Reef in the early hours of the 4th ...

Book Review: Stoker’s Submarine

Swinden, Greg · Sep 30, 2001 ·

Title: Stoker’s Submarine Authors: Fred & Elizabeth Brenchley Publisher: Harper Collins Nearly every Australian could tell you the history of the landing at Anzac Cove, on 25 April 1915, of ...

Book Review: Southern Trident

Book reviewer · Sep 30, 2001 ·

Title: Southern Trident: Strategy, History and the Rise of Australian Naval Power Publisher: Allen and Unwin The general reader should not be deterred by the sub-title which implies it is ...

Book review: Memoirs: Mostly Musical

William F. Cook, MVO, Captain, RAN (Rtd) · Sep 30, 2001 ·

Title: Memoirs Mostly Musical Author: Cedric Ashton Publisher: self-published The reviewer found it most difficult to be objective in his assessment of this book, but to one who is fond of music ...

Book Review: Nelson to Vanguard

Gillett, Ross · Mar 30, 2001 ·

Title: Nelson to Vanguard, Warship Design and Development 1923-1945 Author: D.K. Brown Publisher: Chatham Publishing Nelson to Vanguard, Warship Design and Development 1923-1945 is the final volume in a three ...

Book Review: In the Navy

Book reviewer · Jun 20, 2000 ·

IN THE NAVY, by D. R. Rickard This is a little gem of a book. It is a sailor’s eye view of life in the Australian Navy in the 1960s ...

Book Review: Australian Fighter Aces 1914-1953

Book reviewer · Jun 20, 2000 ·

AUSTRALIAN FIGHTER ACES 1914-1953, by A.D. Garrison (Published and distributed jointly by Air Power Studies Centre and Australian War Memorial 1999, 250x175mm, 117 b&w photos, 10 tables/lists, ix/188pp, card cover, ...

Book Review: Alone on Guadalcanal – A Coastwatcher’s Story

Duchesne, Tim · Jun 20, 2000 ·

ALONE ON GUADALCANAL – A Coastwatcher’s Story, By Martin Clemens CBE OBE AM MC High on anyone’s list of largely unsung heroes of the Pacific War must come the British and ...

Book Review: Very Ordinary Officer

Book reviewer · Jun 19, 2000 ·

Very Ordinary Officer  describes itself on the cover as the social and naval story of a Yorkshire-born Australian called Geoff Feasey. The two strands of the story run side by ...

Book Review: The Raider Kormoran

Nicholson, Ian · Sep 5, 1999 ·

Title: The Raider Kormoran Author: Captain Theodor Detmers Publisher: Tandem (UK, 1959) with numerous German & English reprints (This, the only book written by a participant, calls for close analysis in the ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

Book Review: Atlantic Odyssey

Book reviewer · Sep 1, 1999 ·

Title: Atlantic Odyssey Author: Michael Thwaites Publisher: Self-published This is a fascinating account of a little-known aspect (in Australia at least) of the Battle of the Atlantic, seen through the ...

Book Review: In the Wake

Loosli, Geoffrey, Rear Admiral, RAN · Sep 1, 1999 ·

Title: In The Wake Author: Jo Stevenson Publisher: Hale and Iremonger, Sydney. HMAS Melbourne was involved in two collisions during her lifetime. In 1964 HMAS Voyager was cut in two ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

Book Review: Nothing to do with me, I’m Radar!

Book reviewer · Jun 1, 1999 ·

Title: Nothing to do with me, I’m Radar! Author: P.R.H. (Lofty) Watson Publisher: Self-published On the inside cover, this book describes itself as “a segment of Royal Australian Navy history, covering ...

Book Review: Bombers and Battleships

Loosli, Geoffrey, Rear Admiral, RAN · Jun 1, 1999 ·

Title: Bombers and Battleships, The struggle between ships and aircraft for the control of the surface of the sea Author: David Hamer Publisher: Allen and Unwin, Sydney The endless conflict between submarines ...

Pages: Page 1 Page 2

Book Review: All Men Back – All One Big Mistake

Swinden, Greg · Mar 1, 1999 ·

Title: All Men Back – All One Big Mistake Publisher: Hesperian Press An odd title for a very interesting book. This is the story of young Signalman Bill (Buzzer) Bee, who ...

Book Review: Our Shetland Heritage and Emigration to Australia

Book reviewer · Dec 18, 1998 ·

“Our Shetland Heritage and Emigration to Australia” by Janet Halcrow Basically, this is a family history of the fifth, sixth and seventh generations of the Halcrows, probing their Shetland background ...

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