They called the Second Boer War, the Forgotten War, but it wasn’t by those who fought it. The Australian soldiers who survived its savagery hardly had a chance to draw breath before they were called upon again to sacrifice themselves in WW1. This story is taken from the viewpoint of four friends – arguably Australia’s and the Allied Forces’ greatest generals: John Monash, Brudenell White, Harry Chauvel and Spencer Browne. It is a up-close account of all they saw and suffered due to the blunders of British officers who made their work all the harder by way of bad commands. Among them were a host of famous names like Kitchener, Haig and Winston Churchill, some of whom never learned their lesson, while the one who was initially blamed for the horrors of Gallipoli later shaped up well. This book looks at the worst of battles and the most wonderful acts of courage during them. It has been written in homage to all those who fought to forge Australia into a great nation.
Paula Astridge is an Australian award-nominated author. She was born in the NSW country town of Inverell in 1958, and later based in Sydney, worked for Rolling Stone Magazine and the newspaper industry, before co-founding a successful advertising agency and pursuing her writing career on a full-time basis. Her first three books: Golden Boy, In the Way of the Reich and Kill The Fuhrer focus on WW2, respectively profiling the controversial Albert Speer; Hermann and Albert Goering; and the failed German conspiracy to assassinate Hitler in 1944. Moving then to concentrate on the largely unknown role that Australia has played in world history, her next two books: Waltzing Dixie and Bad Hand tackled, in turn, the untold story of Australians who fought in the American Civil War, and the final solution to the mystery of Fletcher Christian after the Bounty mutiny. Both books piqued interest in the film industry and Bad Hand was nominated for the prestigious UK Mountbatten Literary Award by the First Lord of the Admiralty. Her sixth book: Scallywag and seventh, Rocket Man return to WW2: the first, delving into the murky world of Allied espionage and the mysterious wartime disappearance of Flight 777; while Rocket Man probed into the story of Baron von Braun – the contentious inventor of the deadly V-2 rocket and the Apollo 11 which flew us to the moon. Her subsequent novel, Deep Sleep puts us on Titanic’s deck, going down with it before following the fate of those who sursvived it. It is her pride in Australia that has had her write her latest: Because Our Father’s Lied – the up close and very personal look at the lives, courage and suffering of the men who fought in the Second Boer War and World War 1.
* Its subject matter is perfect to coincide with ANZAC DAY.
* Avoiding another war is a hot and very relevant topic today. This book is a reminder and reality check as to its futility.
* A tribute to the Australian Military Forces. Should be of interest to RSL Clubs and military institutions.
* Although a work of fact-based fiction, this book should be of interest to educational facilities to reinforce among the new generation much that has been, but can’t afford to be forgotten … Lest We Forget!
Publicity:
* Personalised mail outs to prospective reviewers and possible radio/TV interviews. Editorials in local newspapers and sample copies to film/TV producers and directors.
