Larrikins in Khaki: Tales of Irreverence and Courage from World War II Diggers Softcover - 2019

Allen & Unwin, Australia, 2019. Softcover. Near Fine. AUSTRALIAN MILITARY With a reputation for being hard to discipline, generosity to their comrades, frankness and sticking it up any sign of pomposity, Australian soldiers were a wild and irreverent lot, even in the worst of circumstances during World War II. In Larrikins in Khaki, Tim Bowden has collected compelling and vivid stories of individual soldiers whose memoirs were mostly self-published and who told of their experiences with scant regard for literary pretensions and military niceties. Most of these men had little tolerance for military order and discipline, and NCOs and officers who were hopeless at their jobs were made aware of it. They laughed their way through the worst of it by taking the mickey out of one another and their superiors. From recruitment and training to the battlegrounds of Palestine, North Africa, Thailand, New Guinea, Borneo and beyond, here are the highly individual stories of Australia's World War II Diggers told in their own voices - warts and all.First Edition. (Scribbled page numbers on inside cover, light crease to front cover corner.) x, 436 pages ; 24 cm #081223 Introduction Military units 1 Joining up 2 Very basic training 3 Sailing to war 4 Desert Diggers prepare for war 5 High junks in Egypt 6 Fighting in the desert 7 Ill-fated Greek adventure 8 Out of the frying pan into the fire 9 The Allied invasion of Lebanon and Syria 10 The tide turns 11 Return to Australia 12 Prisoners of war of the Japanese 13 The railway of death 14 Service at home 15 The saga of the flying footsloggers 16 The Kokoda Track and the bloody beachheads 17 The battle for New Guinea 18 An unnecessary campaign 19 Savagery in Bougainville 20 Bloody Borneo - Tarakan and Balikpapan 21 The lost years and damaged lives 22 Retain all prisoners of war indefinitely 23 Final thoughts Acknowledgements Notes Bibliography Index. Elizabeth's Bookshops have been one of Australia's premier independent book dealers since 1973. Elizabeth's family-owned business operates four branches in Perth CBD, Fremantle (WA), and Newtown (NSW). All orders are dispatched within 24 hours from our Fremantle Warehouse. All items can be viewed at Elizabeth's Bookshop Warehouse, 23 Queen Victoria Street\, Fremantle WA. Softcover Near Fine