On the Western Front: Eyewitness Accounts From Australians in the Great War

AUSTRALIAN CONTENT AND AUTHOR Historian Michael Enright provides a close-up account of Australian servicemen on the Western Front during WWI. Using many previously unpublished, first-hand materials, the author provides a fresh look at the Great War through the eyes of ordinary servicemen. The scene is set with a brief account of events at Gallipoli, the place where the Australians gained their reputation as fierce fighters, and then the author discusses the reformation of the ANZAC divisions in Egypt and their subsequent movement to France. This leads to previously unpublished personal accounts that give new interpretations of the key battles on the Western Front at Fromelles, Somme, Bullecourt, Messines, Passchendaele, and Villers-Bretonneux, amongst others. Many of these accounts support the particular bravery of the Australian soldier. This work provides a reassessment of the ANZAC legend and mythology based on the personal diaries and memoirs of those who were there. AUTHOR: Michael Enright worked in industry and academia, for forty years. These ventures were nevertheless secondary to his fascination with history. He is the author of Flyers Far Away: Australian Aircrews over Europe in World War II, also published by Schiffer. He has an extensive publishing record in scholarly articles on business and marketing. He holds degrees in Business (Marketing), Arts (Indian Studies) and a PhD in History (Nineteenth-century French Colonial Cambodia) from the University of Melbourne. He has travelled extensively throughout the United States, Europe and the United Kingdom, often gathering material for his research. He lives in retirement with his wife in Melbourne. They have two children. He He lives in retirement with his wife in Melbourne. 31 b/w photographs