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The Diggers

$37.95

Makers of the Australian Military Tradition

Compiled By Chris Coulthard-Clark
Published in 1993 (first edition) by MUP, Australia
Hardcover, 369 Pages
Size - 26cm * 19.5cm

The Diggers provides a portrait of almost 150 noteworthy Australian military careers, covering the colonial wars and the Great War, annotated by the leading historians of Australia. The selection is illustrated and introduced by essays describing the military context of these careers.

The biographies have been carefully chosen to reflect the diverse experience of Australians at war, this book provides a look at the men and women who established the military reputation of the Australian Digger in the annals of world history.

Since that moment in April 1915, when troops of the Australian Imperial Force splashed ashore on a remote stretch of Turkish coastline, the 'Digger' has dominated Australian folklore.

In this book the exploits of those who created the Digger legend are recounted. The focus is firmly on who the diggers actually were - whether in army, navy, or air force - and on telling the story of a proud and distinctive military tradition through the lives of the many men and women who helped to forge the reputation as first-class soldiers.

We see a sample of the outstanding achievements of Australians at war, both in the colonial period, and in the cataclysm of 1914-18, and we gain an insight into what war meant to these people and to a new country.

Illustrated with some B&W photos and maps